To all Sir Knights of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America, wheresoever dispersed, greetings!
In August 2021, I announced that I would stand as a candidate for election to the Grand Encampment line at the 2024 Triennial Conclave in Salt Lake City, Utah. Today, I am announcing that I will be a candidate for the office of Deputy Grand Master, and I seek your support and your vote. I do not make this decision lightly. However, after much prayer and conversation with those who approached me about running for this office, I am doing so with confidence that is the right thing to do at the right time.
This has been a challenging time for our Fraternity. The unpleasant events at the start of this Triennium highlighted the need for serious reflection and change. As we approach the second quarter of the 21st century, we need leadership and thinking that is different from what brought us to this point. We need a serious conversation about what we want our future to look like and how we, together, will reach that goal.
Our Grand Master has spoken and written at length about the need for the Grand Encampment leadership to restore your trust. I support him 100 percent in this effort, and believe that trust is the foundation for our future, and without it, this Order will fracture and its decline will accelerate. To restore trust in the leadership, we deserve and require a team of leaders who trust and respect one another, and who fully understand and embody the lesson of those who “best work and best agree.” I pledge to work with our Grand Master and our officers to continue to restore trust by being honest and forthright in our common work, demonstrating an unquestionable commitment to personal integrity in all things.
We must be honest with one another. What we have done in the past forty years has not been working. If it were, we would not be one-third the size we were when I was knighted. We need to have difficult conversations internally and externally about what we are, who we are, and what we do. We claim to be the premier Masonic organization, but then declare we are too expensive and too time-consuming, and we need to make it easier to become a Templar. These are conflicting statements, and honestly, the latter makes the former impossible to accomplish. If you elect me to the Grand Encampment line, I will work with you and your officers to review and rewrite our Constitution and Bylaws, evaluate and restructure as necessary our governance, develop and deploy the resources and tools necessary to effectively promote our Order and charitable works, recruit and retain new members, and provide programs and services to meet the needs and desires of all our members and our communities. Together, we can and we must move Templar Masonry forward and place it on solid ground.
Trust cannot be built and honesty cannot be claimed if there are questions about the integrity of a man. Since time immemorial, we are told, a Freemason’s word and his handshake are all the contract one needs. My promise to you is that my word is my bond, and my integrity cannot be bought or compromised for any amount of money or by a title or jewel. I firmly subscribe to and agree with Brother Harry Truman, who said “A person who is fundamentally honest doesn’t need a code of ethics. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are all the ethical code anybody needs.” As a Christian Mason, I cannot agree more. With these two items, we have the core teachings of what it means to be a brother and how to interact with the world and most especially a brother Freemason.
In the coming weeks and months, you will hear and read more about me, my goals and hopes for our great Order, and ideas for moving into the second quarter of the 21st century stronger and more vibrant. I also hope to be hearing from you at the same time with your questions, concerns, and comments.
I thank you for the opportunity to share this message with you today. I am Art Hebbeler, a candidate for Deputy Grand Master, and I ask for your support and your vote at the 69th Triennial Conclave in August 2024. God bless you, and God bless Templar Masonry.