Why Join
They want brothers who hold them to their word, a craft that sharpens their character, and a life that leaves the world better than they found it. If that is you, there is a seat for you in the East.
What Membership Offers
The bond of a Mason is not a slogan. Our By-Laws make brotherhood a duty, not a decoration. A brother who asks for help and is met with indifference has a grievance the Lodge will answer. You gain a circle of men obligated, by sacred oath, to stand with you.
Through guided study, ritual instruction, and the discipline of the Volume of the Sacred Law, you learn to see not only with the eye but with discernment. The Craft is a working method for becoming a steadier, wiser, more deliberate man.
Our Avodah Service carries care to the sick, the homebound, and those without shelter. Our Alphonso Scholarship invests in the next generation. As a member, your time and effort join a current of good that reaches far beyond the Lodge room.
Shem Lodge No. 8 is building toward a permanent home of its own. To join now is to be a founder, a name set in the foundation, a brother whose children can one day say, my father helped build that.
The Inner Work
Our By-Laws name two purposes for which a man may seek the Craft, and both still hold today.
The Lodge offers a setting in which a man may cultivate the higher attributes of the Creator within himself: knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. We are taught to recognize the wounded man not to judge him but to assist him, offering from the healing we have ourselves received.
As the moon, though it carries a darkened side, is set in place to reflect the light of the sun through the night, so a brother's growth equips him to cast light into the lives of others. You learn so that you may teach; you are lifted so that you may lift.
Who We Are Looking For
We are not seeking perfect men. We are seeking good ones, willing to be made better.
Honest in his dealings and respected by those who know him best.
A man who professes belief in a Supreme Being, whatever his tradition.
Ready to serve, to study, and to take part in the labor of the Lodge.
When You Are Ready
Membership begins with a single honest step. We will walk the rest with you.
