Benevolent Lodge 446 Are Duly Challenged

At their last regular meeting of the season Benevolent Lodge 446, who meet at the Wells & Mendip Museum in Wells, welcomed the Provincial Membership Challenge team. It was a bustling, energetic and packed lodge room and with a full agenda a prompt start was made. With Worshipful Master Richard Hibberd in the Chair, the ceremony began and Anthony R Guthrie, Assistant Provincial Grand Master for Somerset and his team were received into lodge and proceeded to give an insightful and engaging talk on the challenges of membership, that in turn provoked many questions from the 446 brethren.

Next up was to pass Nick Bateman to the second degree, with Nick having originally joined through the Provincial route. With many brethren taking part in the ceremony and some of the light blues performing the ritual, it was a captivating and flawless ceremony; Adrian Moore perfectly explained the 2nd degree tracing board.

The Festive Board was hosted by the historic White Hart Inn and with traditions at the core of Freemasonry it has firmly become one at Benevolent to sing the visitors’ song, with the 446 choir doing the honours once again. With the same energy from the ceremony carried through into the Festive Board a jolly night was had, excellent toasts and responses were given ranging from David Swain (one of 446’s new young Fellowcrafts) to the Province, the APGM’s generous response and Adair club membership secretary Tom Beasley who gave a captivating visitors’ response.

Benevolent Lodge consider the Challenge duly accepted and with this in mind their first meeting of the new season will be a double first (also a first for Benevolent itself)! So if anyone would like to visit and witness something new to Benevolent they are having an emergency meeting on 5th September. Please email the lodge secretary Nigel Dovell.

Report by: Luke Biernat – 446 Lodge Comms Officer