Trip to North Carolina for Royal Order of Scotland
Back at the end of May 2014, Linda and I took a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, for my induction into the Royal Order of Scotland. This was our first trip after my retirement, and was partially in celebration of that. It has been a while, but I'm writing a blog entry from memory now so that I'll have the records of our recent trips in order.
We left Memphis on Thursday, May 29 and stopped for the night in Cookeville, Tennessee, as best I remember. On Friday, we drove on over to visit our SMOTJ friend Flora Gammon in Waynesville, North Carolina. She gave us an enjoyable tour of the area, including the Lake Junaluska conference center. We drove on to Charlotte to spend our first night at the Omni Charlotte, where the investiture would be held. We wandered around the area and had dinner near the hotel.
The investiture on Saturday was long but quite interesting. The first degree, Heredom of Kilwinning, was the longer of the two. It had many lectures relating to the various degrees of Masonry. The second degree, the Rosy Cross, was basically a brief ceremony of knighthood. It is claimed that these are among the earliest Masonic degrees. I found it worth noting that this very early version of Masonry is strictly Christian. Its lectures put Christian interpretations on many of the symbols of Masonry. This is most interesting in light of the many claims that Masonry is an anti-Christian organization.
On Sunday, we attended church at the First Baptist Church of Charlotte. This is a downtown church in a rebuilding mode. The music was modern, and the preaching was good. We enjoyed it. Afterwards, we headed toward Greenville, South Carolina.
On Monday, we visited, for the second time, the Bob Jones University art gallery. This is an amazing collection of Christian art, and I highly recommend a visit. It seems a bit incongruous that a place known for such fundamentalism should be the host of such a collection, but just enjoy it. We drove on and spent the night near Atlanta.
On Tuesday, we drove on into Alabama and stopped at the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman. This outdoor collection of miniature church models is something I had wanted to see for a while. It is on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey. It is also worth a visit, as is the entire abbey. They even had a resident cat so that I could get my kitty fix. After that, homeward bound.
We left Memphis on Thursday, May 29 and stopped for the night in Cookeville, Tennessee, as best I remember. On Friday, we drove on over to visit our SMOTJ friend Flora Gammon in Waynesville, North Carolina. She gave us an enjoyable tour of the area, including the Lake Junaluska conference center. We drove on to Charlotte to spend our first night at the Omni Charlotte, where the investiture would be held. We wandered around the area and had dinner near the hotel.
The investiture on Saturday was long but quite interesting. The first degree, Heredom of Kilwinning, was the longer of the two. It had many lectures relating to the various degrees of Masonry. The second degree, the Rosy Cross, was basically a brief ceremony of knighthood. It is claimed that these are among the earliest Masonic degrees. I found it worth noting that this very early version of Masonry is strictly Christian. Its lectures put Christian interpretations on many of the symbols of Masonry. This is most interesting in light of the many claims that Masonry is an anti-Christian organization.
On Sunday, we attended church at the First Baptist Church of Charlotte. This is a downtown church in a rebuilding mode. The music was modern, and the preaching was good. We enjoyed it. Afterwards, we headed toward Greenville, South Carolina.
On Monday, we visited, for the second time, the Bob Jones University art gallery. This is an amazing collection of Christian art, and I highly recommend a visit. It seems a bit incongruous that a place known for such fundamentalism should be the host of such a collection, but just enjoy it. We drove on and spent the night near Atlanta.
On Tuesday, we drove on into Alabama and stopped at the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman. This outdoor collection of miniature church models is something I had wanted to see for a while. It is on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey. It is also worth a visit, as is the entire abbey. They even had a resident cat so that I could get my kitty fix. After that, homeward bound.
posted by John at 2:46 PM
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