During the course of your Freemasonry career, certain membership fees will be asked of you, just as in any other club or organisation.
The costs of membership vary from Lodge to Lodge, but the full cost of membership of Knightsbridge Reserve Forces Lodge are set out below, and will be fully explained to you at your interview, to inform your final decision to join.
Annual Membership is currently set in the region of £180. This membership fee covers such things as the hiring of the Lodge room for our various meetings and a subscription to The Metropolitan Grand Lodge, which is our governing body. Our Lodge Secretary tries to keep membership fees as low as possible, otherwise we will all complain.
The Membership fee is pro rata for new members, to what you would pay if you join at the beginning of the Lodge year. It is applied proportionately in quarters, so if you join halfway through the year then you only pay half the fee for the remainder of that year.
Joining Fees are one off payments levied when you join the Lodge. These cover various registration fees with the Lodge and its umbrella organisation, The United Grand Lodge of England, and Metropolitan Grand Lodge. These fees have various components, which will be fully explained to you at your interview.
Dining costs per meeting are set by the venue and are in line with what you would expect to pay for a three course meal in London. Knightsbridge Reserve Forces Lodge formally dines after each meeting, (four meetings per year). Our current dining venue is Tuttons, in Russell Street.
Alms a collection is held at each meeting, and a raffle is sometimes carried out during dining, and all proceeds go to charity. Participation in this is according to what you can afford, and you should never contribute to charity to the detriment of your family and obligations. If you cannot afford a donation to the Charity collection, or to buy a raffle ticket, then you do not, and no one will think anything of it.
In the early stages you will not need to buy any regalia but when you do need to in a couple of years, an apron will cost £50.00, and will last you for many years. Otherwise all you need is a dark suit, white shirt, black tie and shoes, and white cotton gloves.