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Grand Master’s Message

Your Grand Encampment officers have made the difficult decision to conduct the fall 2020 Department Conferences remotely, using videoconferencing technology. This is being done out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and safety of our Sir Knights, their families, and persons with whom they come into contact.

We again plan to emphasize membership which has been our primary focus this triennium. Although conferral of the orders has been limited because of social distancing guidelines, we would encourage Commanderies to use this enforced hiatus as an opportunity to refocus on demits, suspensions, and reinstatements. Now is an excellent time to reach out to those Sir Knights who, for whatever reason, have drifted away from your Commandery.

In addition to devoting a significant portion of the conference to membership, we will review recent Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF) activities. Although the members of the KTEF Scientific Advisory Committee are not able to appear in person, several have agreed to prepare video presentations concerning their work which will be screened at the conferences. We will update you on the progress we have made concerning 68 th triennium projects and present the legislative proposals submitted to the Preserving Templary 2021 Committee. The proposed legislation will be reviewed in preparation for its consideration at the 68 th Triennial Conclave in August of 2021. Speaking of the upcoming Triennial Conclave, we will also include information concerning the venue and activities. Finally, before announcing his department commanders, Deputy Grand Master Johnson will brief you on his plans and objectives for the 69 th triennium.

Another important part of the department conference is the York Rite Leadership Program. The leadership program is conducted on a parallel track during each conference and is also moving on-line for the fall. Our leadership team has worked very hard adapting the format and content of the courses to make them conducive to online learning. The leadership faculty characterizes this as (V)irtual (I)nstructor (L)ed (T)raining or VILT. VILT will also be used to augment training and to enhance learning between classes once we return to in-person instruction.

Courteously, Jeffrey N. Nelson, GCT Grand Master

4 august 2020