Wages of a Mason

Each Brother must find his own interpretation for himself his wages of a Mason. One Brother may not be paid in the same wages as another. One may receive wages in the gratitude of one for whom he has performed an act of charity-. Another may receive wages in the joy that comes from having brought cheer into a sick room. Another may receive wages in the ap­preciation of Brethren to whom he has imparted some­thing of Masonic knowledge. Another may receive wages in the gratitude of a Brother’s family to whom he has been a mainstay during their hour of grief. Another may receive wages in honors conferred upon him by Brethren whom he has faithfully served. Another may receive wages in the friendships that have come to him through his Masonry. Another may receive wages in the satisfaction he derives from service to others. Another may receive wages that to him seem sufficient when he is privileged to coach some one in the lectures, or when he is given a part in degree work.

Wages of a Mason are not paid in silver or gold, or articles of commerce and trade that may be stolen or may deteriorate through the pas­sage of the years. They are paid in those things that the Brother may keep within the repository of the faithful breast. They are paid in those things that are secure in the hearts of his Brethren and his friends. The wages of a Mason have no intrinsic value. They can not be measured by any standard by which the value of in­trinsic, things is measured. Wages of a Mason are measured only by the value placed upon them by the one who has received them.

Charities supported by Chantry lodge this year (2008)

Get Kids Going

Provincial Grand Master’s Discretionary Fund

Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre

Lions Hospice

East Kent Freemasons have helped boost the coffers of The Lions Hospice, Northfleet to the tune of £3,000.

The Brethren of Chantry Lodge in Gravesend nominated The Lions Hospice to receive the cash boost to purchase a bed lift which would assist the movement of patients in and out of bed. The installation of this equipment would benefit both patient and staff.

John Croasdell, the Charity Steward of Chantry Lodge said, "The Brethren in the Lodge decided that their fund raising efforts should be applied to making a difference in the local community and a number of members and friends were already undertaking voluntary work at the Lions Hospice so their needs were well known. We were also pleased to help with the sterling work that both Joe Blunderfield and Steve Hudd carry out on behalf of the Hospice.

Steve explained " We were delighted to learn of the awarded £3,000 and agreed with Chantry that the money would be used to assist in the aim of installing bed lifts above all beds in the hospice, especially as we have just embarked on a refurbishment program within the Hospice.”

The following members of Chantry Lodge John Walters (Treasury), Terry Smith (Secretary ) and George Ghyba (Past Master) were made most welcome at the presentation of the cheque to Joe and Steve and left full of encouragement for achieving their next donation.

Chantry Lodge will continue to raise money throughout this year to assist the local community and due to the sincerity in the way the donation was received the Lodge is gearing for a second bed lift.

Give by using Gift aid – an overview

Gift aid is tax relief on money donated to UK charities.

We treat donations as if the donor had already deducted basic rate tax from them. The charity can then reclaim this tax to increase the value of a donation.

Gift aid rules -Donors must

pay enough UK income tax and/or capital gains tax themselves to cover the amount of tax the charity will reclaim

• give the charity a gift aid declaration, which should include
  their name
• their home address
• the charity’s name
• details of the donation – saying that it is a gift aid donation
• confirmation that they have paid UK tax – to cover the tax the charity will reclaim.

A declaration can be made to cover individual donations,a series of donations, can cover donations made during a specified period or to cover all future donations. They can also be backdated for up to 6 years prior to the date of the declaration provided the donation was made since 6 April 2000.

Tax relief - if a customer pays the:

• basic rate of tax, they cannot claim further tax relief on the payments
• higher rate of tax, they can claim higher rate relief on the payments by entering the donations in the gift aid box on their self assessment tax return.