Elevator Speech...

“Who are the Masons and what is it that you guys do?”

This question is often asked and we as Masons have “an elevator speech” which is a small concise explanation of Freemasonry that can be delivered in about 30 seconds to one minute or in about the time it takes to share an elevator ride with the stranger who just asked the question.

Freemasonry is not a secret society as you might of heard but it is a private organization that does have some secrets of it’s own.

Freemasonry is not a religion but it is an organization where every member must have a belief in supreme being of their own choosing.

Freemasonry is not a charity but it is an organization that sponsors charity namely here the Masonic Foundation of Utah that awards nearly $250,000 a year in local grants and scholarships, The Scottish Rite Foundation of Utah that assists children with speech impediments and learning disabilities and of course we are all so well aware of the Shriners Hospital for Children.

And finally Freemasonry is not a volunteer organization but it is an organization where it’s members voluntarily bind themselves together to make themselves and the community around them a better place.

This is who the Masons are and this is what we do in Utah.

This quick talk given by John C. Liley, Jr. Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Utah at conclusion of the Installation of Grand Lodge Officers for 2011.