Companions, what a splendid and productive year this has been for the Royal Arch in general and for the Province of Berkshire in particular. It is a pleasure to see you all here once again today, to be able to welcome our Honoured Guests and to thank them for taking the time to be with us. I particularly welcome Companions who may be attending Provincial Grand Chapter for the first time.
As always, preparations for today have been long and complex to arrange. Therefore, I would like to thank especially our Provincial Scribe E, E Comp David Arnold, our Provincial Director of Ceremonies, E Comp Steve Hieke and both their teams for all the demanding work that they have put into making today such a success.
To those receiving Provincial Honours, whether it be a first appointment, reappointment or promotion, the Annual Convocation of Provincial Grand Chapter is the main occasion when I can recognise your contribution to Royal Arch Masonry in the Province. This is your day of recognition and celebration. You should enjoy it without reservation, it is a privilege to be able to invest you with your new ranks and to share your company. Wear them with justifiable pride and play your full role in engaging and inspiring our fellow Craft Brethren within your Lodges. Most importantly, demonstrate to the Craft that the Royal Arch is vibrant and relevant, offering a meaningful and transformative experience.
Whilst I stand before you proud of the growth and the phenomenal results ‘across the board’ that we have achieved together over the last ten months, I am conscious that the difficulty with developing and implementing a strategy is that it takes time to take effect. Whilst apathy and inaction remain our arch enemies and, if left unaddressed, will snuff out our progress, there are rarely quick fixes that will bring about sustainable change, so I make no apologies for repeating some of the key messages that I made last year.
Berkshire Freemasonry is laser focused on the way that we conduct our Craft and Royal Arch activities. Whilst the Royal Arch will always retain its distinct identity and its special place within Pure & Antient Freemasonry nevertheless, we are ‘One Organisation on One Journey’ with four clear progressive elements. That is what normal engagement should look like.
Last year, I said that we must actively attract and welcome new Companions into our fold and extend a warm and welcoming hand of invitation to those who have yet to experience the wonders of the Royal Arch, inviting them to join our ranks and to partake in our shared journey. This we have done and continue to do through your efforts. We know from empirical evidence in the surveys that a ‘personal approach’ from a friend is the best facilitator to a Master Mason joining the Royal Arch. Thus, my request to each Companion of the Province is that he makes it a personal resolution to try to introduce at least one new Master Mason to the Royal Arch in the forthcoming year. Keep up the excellent work, it is making a real difference!
Secondly, I said that we must engage positively with both new and existing Companions. By cultivating a ‘sense of belonging’, we will ensure that our Companions find fulfilment and purpose within the Royal Arch. This we did through the Belonging Survey conducted in the autumn last year. The feedback was tremendous and has reinforced our Royal Arch mandate going forward.
Thirdly, I said that we must reach out to those who have become inactive or unattached. By creating an atmosphere of fraternity and conviviality, we ensure that the Royal Arch becomes an integral part of our Companions lives. The Unattached Member survey run this year once again provided invaluable insights on what we need to do to ensure that our Companions have a real sense of belonging and to grow the Royal Arch. Frankly, for a variety of reasons, over many years, we have allowed Companions to simply drift away and not addressed their needs and the underlying causes. I am delighted that many are now rejoining or giving it serious thought.
Success breeds success and, through clear and effective communication, together with a personal approach to the Royal Arch Membership Challenge, we can ensure that the vision of every Chapter is aligned and each understands its path forward. Our aim remains focused on achieving a steady and sustainable rise in Royal Arch Members and Memberships. As a case in point, the transformation of St Hilda Chapter from one about to hand in its Charter to one of the strongest in the Province has been an outstanding success and just shows what can be achieved by a resolute and determined few. I am particularly grateful to all those involved in making this incredible difference.
To succeed, we must be prepared to take calculated risks and to develop new initiatives. In November 2023, we revamped and relaunched the Royal Arch Representative scheme and, through a consultative approach, will be reinforcing and supporting it further this year. With this in mind, we will be developing and launching a Visiting Officer Scheme for each Chapter so that we have a clear and effective conduit between individual Chapters and the Province which will enable us to react quickly by spreading good practice and resolving issues before they get a life of their own.
Key to this is the effective roll-out and implementation of Archway, together with the development of Royal Arch Care and Support Teams, to provide proven solutions to problems that we need to resolve. The Care Teams are mandated to identify potential losses early enough to help a Chapter reduce and to address avoidable resignations. The Support Teams are mandated to provide the safety net required to give a Chapter sufficient breathing space to recover sustainably.Going forward, I anticipate that our new Berkshire Provincial Grand Stewards Chapter, set up to serve the Province, will have a key role play in this future development.
To enhance enjoyment and a sense of belonging, the Provincial Third Grand Principal will soon be launching a ‘Companions Club’ aimed at helping newer Companions integrate into the Royal Arch and to add value to their membership by organising team outings to interesting events both within and without the Province. This will increase enjoyment by newer Companions and help reduce Companion losses in the first five years of membership.
To give them an additional sense of belonging and pride, the Club will also be tasked to deliver Talking Head style presentations in Craft Lodges and to talk about their Royal Arch experiences alongside the Berkshire Chapter of Enlightenment and the Stewards Chapter. Indeed, such presentations are already being effectively delivered by our Provincial Grand Mentor E Comp Owen Doe and his team and, as best practice, has attracted the attention of a number of other Provinces and indeed the Archway Development Team. I am grateful to them for this pioneering and high profile work.
The Royal Arch Executive has and will continue to work tirelessly together to achieve synergy and strengthen our bottom-up, member-centric approach. I remain grateful to each and every one of them for their unwavering commitment and support. It is our responsibility and our pledge to you that we will exhibit transparent, visible and consistent team leadership, nurturing the hearts and minds of each of our members. However, the responsibility for growth and retention and the success of the Royal Arch extends beyond the Executive. It lies with every member and with each individual Chapter. Success depends on the determination, drive and contributions of each of you as you go about your normal Royal Arch duties. The results, this year, have been a testament of this approach and to what we can achieve together.
The key question that each of us must honestly ask ourselves is ‘Am I part of the solution or part of the problem?’ If we are apathetic and not striving to become confident Ambassadors for the Royal Arch, embodying its values and spreading its message throughout the Craft then we are part of the problem. To be ‘part of the solution’ requires every Royal Arch member to feel a deep sense of pride, belonging and active engagement so that we can continue to build a community of passionate Royal Arch Advocates. If the Royal Arch is not special for you how can you pretend to make it special for others? As we continue on this journey together, let us keep our eyes rigidly fixed on the horizon of possibility.
Companions, thank you once again for your attention and ‘when the King of Kings shall summon you into His immediate presence, from his hands may you receive a crown of glory that shall never fade.’
