Joining the Lodge

Welcome!

Freemasonry is the oldest fraternal organization in the world. Operative Masonic Lodges have existed since the times of the construction of the great cathedrals of Europe. At that time, members were actual architects, engineers and laborers who specialized in the design, planning and construction of edifices made of hewn stone. The education these masons received were the envy of the age, as they required advanced instruction in mathematical disciplines such as geometry and trigonometry, writing and grammar, as well as contract law. For this reason, noblemen who were not necessarily interested in architecture still desired to join these “operative” lodges. These men were known as “Free” and “Accepted” Masons. “Free”, because after they had completed their education, they were not bound to perform construction work. “Accepted”, because they were welcomed into the lodge, given rank within it, and were still under obligation to never divulge the trade secrets of the lodge in which they had been accepted. By the Rennaisance, or “Great Enlightenment” of the 1700’s, Free and Accepted members far outnumbered their “operative” brethren. This is the very beginning of the modern “Masonic” lodges that exist to this day.

Qualifications to Become a Mason

1. “A man, free-born, coming under the tongue of good repute.”
   1. We are a fraternity, which is an organization of men who have joined together for a purpose. Only males can become Freemasons.
   2. To be “free-born” is to mean that the candidate is of legal age and able to choose to join of their own free will and accord. In Utah, the minimum age to join a Masonic lodge is 18 years.This also implies that a prospect cannot solicit Masonic membership through coercion. The prospect must be able to reject membership according to their own conscience.
   3. By “good repute” means that the prospect is of good moral character and is prepared to provide character references who are willing to attest on behalf of the prospect.
2. Must be willing to declare a belief in God or a Supreme Creator who singularly created the Universe and all that exists within it.
   1. Masonry is a religously tolerant organization. This means that we make no distinction between religions with only one proviso, which is that the religion must acknowledge the existence of a singular being who gave to mankind a moral law which we should strive to uphold and that same Creator is responsible for the creation of the Universe in which we exist. As an example, the seal of the Grand Lodge of Israel incorporates the symbols of the three Abrahamic religions: The Star of David, the Christian Cross, and the Crescent of Islam.
3. Must have a belief in an afterlife and that their actions in this temporal existence affects their standing in the afterlife.
   1. Masonry adheres to the doctrine that only by being obedient to the moral law set down by the Creator can a man aspire to live a good and moral life for the betterment of himself, his family, and his community. By adhering to the moral law, a man can attain the accolade of being “true and trusty” and a “faithful servant.”

The Process

You are taking the first step right now in reading this website and this article in particular.

The next step is to contact the Lodge to let us know of your interest in prospective membership. We will usually ask for your name, phone number and email address for the purpose of being able to contact you.

Should you decide to proceed further, the next step is to come visit the brethren of Twin Peaks Lodge. One of the best ways of doing this is to come join us at one of our end of the month dinners. We call these “meetups”, and they are usually held on the fourth Monday of each month. The best way to find out is to go to our Calendar page and find the current month’s meetup location. Spouses and significant others are welcome to attend these as well.

In order to be considered for membership, you must be known to us for a period of at least six months. So attending these meetups regularly is important. The purpose of this period of time is twofold. It gives us time to get to know you. It also gives you time to get to know us. Just as we want to be sure that you are the right kind of person for our Lodge, you should be equally interested in making sure that our Lodge is truly the kind of organization that you want to be a member of.

Petitioning for Membership

After the six month period you may then petition the Lodge for membership. You can obtain a digital copy of the petition here. It needs to be completely filled out.

Under “recommenders”, one of the signers must be a member of Twin Peaks Lodge. If you know a Mason who is not a member of Twin Peaks, he can be your other recommender if you wish it. Additionally, you must provide two character references who are not your recommenders. These can be co-workers or friends. We will need their names, phone numbers and emails because once you have turned in your petition along with at least the degree fees for the First Degree, we will be contacting them.

What Happens After That?

Your petition for membership will be read at the next business meeting of Twin Peaks, which is always the first Monday of the month unless it falls on a Federal or State holiday, in which case it will be held the following Monday.

The Master of the Lodge will then assign an investigating committee of three Twin Peaks members who will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet with you. We prefer these meetings take place at your home, especially if you have a family, because they may have questions that they want to ask about Masonry. There are several purposes for this meeting. Firstly, to confirm on the information contained in your petition and also to expand on them as well as to clarify any questions. Secondly, to be on hand to answer any questions you might have about Masonry in general or Twin Peaks in particular. This investigation will happen sometime in the three weeks after your petition is first read in the Lodge.

At the following business meeting, the investigation committee will make a report to the Lodge, and then the Master will have your petition read a second time, after which the members present will be called to ballot on your petition for membership. If you are elected to membership, the Lodge Secretary will then contact you to let you know the suggested date for your initiation. Once that date has been agreed upon between you and the Secretary (yes, you do have some say in what date will work for you!), your fees will be deposited in the Lodge bank account.

Initiation

Twin Peaks usually performs “degrees” on the second or third Monday of the month at 7:00 pm. It is suggested that you arrive at the Midvale Masonic Hall at least 15 minutes prior to the time the meeting will start. The suggested attire is business dress (suit and tie). The First Degree of Masonry typically takes about 2 hours, so plan on being there until about 9 pm.

After your initiation, you will be assigned a Masonic Mentor, who will be your teacher as well as your first point of contact regarding anything having to do with the Lodge. Lean on your mentor! That’s his job!