Illustrious Sir John Grumbein
Greetings, Illustrious Sirs, and Nobles
I am deeply grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me as Potentate for 2026.
It means more than I can fully express having been a member of Rajah Shrine for over 50 years. It’s been a family tradition with my grandfather, father, myself and now my son Wayne. Serving this Temple, our Temple is truly an honor.
As we look ahead to the coming year, we recognize both the opportunities before us and the challenges that will require our collective strength and unity. I am confident that, together, we will continue to uphold the proud traditions of our fraternity while embracing new ways to grow, serve, and support one another.
Two challenges directly in front of us are Membership and Bingo. We need to build on last year’s hard work and continue to increase our membership. I have confidence we can do that with the Divan team we have in place and with the help of our nobility. Bingo is one of the cornerstones of our Temple budget. Yet we are struggling to find enough Nobles to run the Thursday evening events. We will be putting a strong effort into strenghting this important fund raiser. It can be a good source of money for our clubs and units too.
On January 17 we will be leaving for our trip to Cancun. The first of two Pote’s Trips this year. In April we have the Virginia International Tattoo tour. It is truly the most spectacular display of music and pageantry in America. I can’t wait to see it again. See the ad in Rajah News or call the office for details.
And I have to mention before I finish that Mass Installation was truly a great experience. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a grand success. And how about having the Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania as a guest. That was a topper!
Thank you for entrusting me with this responsibility. I look forward to working side by side with each of you as we guide our Temple forward into a successful and inspiring year.
Yours in the Faith,
John Grumbein