Welcome to the web-site of Internet Lodge No. 9659

Internet Lodge is a very special Lodge. We have more than two hundred members of many different nationalities, from many different backgrounds. We are a real Lodge, and we have real, actual meetings, we do not have any "meetings" on the Internet as some suppose. However, we do have an active mailing list and a community area where members can post to their own blogs or participate in forum debates. We are, for that reason, far more active than any normal lodge and far more active than our three regular meetings per year might suggest.

mgWe are active in other ways, too. We are particularly proud to have the Most Worshipful Pro Grand Master, Lord Northampton, as sponsor of our Short Papers Competition. This competition, which is open to everyone, was launched last year and has already proved a great success. The first awards presentation ceremony was held on Friday 14th March 2008 in Manchester. You can read more about this here and you can read the winning entries here. The competition will be run again this year and full details will be announced in due time.

The Lodge is especially active on the social side, which may come as a surprise given the widely distributed nature of our membership. But it is precisely that facet that creates the opportunity. We have three regular meetings per year, the Installation meeting is always in Manchester, but the other two meetings will be anywhere within the jurisdiction of UGLE. This means that most members who attend must travel some distance to do so, some even from overseas. For that reason, we normally find a decent, inexpensive hotel to stay at the night before the meeting. And since hotel rates are usually for a twin or double room, most brethren are now in the custom of bringing their wives or partners with them and making a weekend of it. You only need to attend once and you are part of the "in" crowd! I can assure you, this is the friendliest, most sociable Lodge you are ever likely to come across.

We have our serious side too. Naturally, as all of us are keen users of the Internet we have some expertise in the area, and the Lodge lectures this year will focus on "Freemasonry and the Internet." Two lectures will be delivered at our August meeting in Oxford in support of this theme. More information is available here.

I am also very keen during my year in the Chair to attract as Joining Members as many brethren as possible who maintain their own Lodge web sites. I would like us to be seen as the natural "home" for any brother with an interest in the Internet. Of course, that is not a requirement for membership and we will still warmly welcome everyone who wishes to join us. You can find out more about joining Internet Lodge here.

With such a large and active membership, there is as you might expect a lot of work to be done to keep things moving along smoothly. I am particularly grateful to all those members who devote so much time and energy to the Lodge. The burden is spread amongst many brethren and so if you are thinking of joining us the message is clear: This is a Lodge where if you want to be active you will find plenty of opportunity to join in. This really is a situation where the more you put in, the more you will get out of it.

Thank you for visiting our web site.

Mark Griffin.
Worshipful Master Internet Lodge 9659