C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

An effective Scottish Rite membership campaign depends on you.

While I am all for "putting ego in the backseat," as a plaque on my desk at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., declares, there is also some truth to "tooting your own horn." The history of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is long, honorable, and powerful. Yet many of us are a little hesitant to tell it. If we do not, however, the story will remain untold, and good men, who could be attracted to our Order, will not join.
The Supreme Council is devoting significant time and resources to the membership effort on the national level. For example, the focus of the four 2002 Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences is membership, and the conference theme is "Meeting Your Needs, Exceeding Your Expectations." Ultimately, however, membership only grows when you, as a Scottish Rite Mason, tell your non-member friends about the Rite. No awareness campaign, no matter how well designed, can do more than supplement your personal efforts.

It is up to each of us to toot our Scottish Rite horns appropriately. We have much in which to take pride. How many other Masonic organizations have been teaching the great lessons of political, intellectual, and religious toleration for 200 years? The events of the last several months have reminded the world just how important the lessons of toleration are.

No other Masonic organization has dedicated its main philanthropic outreach to solving the single greatest problem of American children-the entire range of language and communications problems. More children in the United States suffer from these problems than from all other medical and orthopedic problems combined.

We have 161 RiteCare Clinics, Centers, and Programs in the Southern Jurisdiction's 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In 1999 and 2000, we aided 85,596 children, touching their lives for the better and giving them the tools they will need to be successes in school and in life. That is something for which we can all be very proud.

No other fraternal organization has devoted as much time and resource to leadership training for its members. The Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences bring together young, future leaders of the Fraternity. They learn from experts and share their own ideas. They hone leadership skills that will not only benefit the Rite but will also benefit them, whatever their walk in life.

No single Masonic organization has done as much as the Rite to tell the world about Freemasonry or to assure its continuance into the future. There are literally hundreds of important programs by individual Valleys, from providing shoes and bicycles to needy children, to feeding the homeless, and to raising funds for local charitable causes. These programs make a difference in the lives of thousands of people, every day of every year.

Finally, there is no other national Masonic organization which has historically striven to help each member develop himself as a total and complete individual-ethically, spiritually, and morally. We offer a path of self-discovery which gives a member the tools needed for successful living, if he chooses to learn and apply them. And we do all this in a setting of fellowship, friendship, and fraternity. Similarly, we share this same sense of friendship with fellow Masons all over the world. In a fragmented society, we offer connectedness and brotherly love.

Clearly, we have much of which to be proud, but without arrogance. Rather, it is a simple matter of quiet pride in purpose and accomplishment. But if you do not share the story of the Scottish Rite with your friend, he will never know, and all this will be denied to him.

So do not hesitate to "toot our horn" appropriately when speaking with friends. You may find they will want to join you in the brass section.