Friend Lodge has been helping the community and making good men better in Ozark and throughout Christian County for over 145 years. We strive to be as relevant to the men of today as the Lodge was back in 1870. We work to extend brotherly love and affection, not just inside our walls but in the daily lives of our members and in the eyes of our critics.
We are a growing and active group with a membership of around 110 men with a wide range of ages and professions. We work to educate our members in the valued lessons of freemasonry every time we meet. We try to gather a group every week to practice and perfect our ritual and share in fellowship. We share the events of our week with our fellow Brothers and engage in candid discussions. Our Lodge is truly a group of friends that work and have fun together as equals, and as Brothers. We do our very best to exemplify the wisdom of "A Brotherhood of Men, Under the Fatherhood of God."
- Conferral of the Masonic Degrees
- Regular Lodge meetings
- Masonic Education
- Supporting local charities
- Sponsoring MOChip events
- Fundraising
- Ozark Christmas Parade
- Visiting and helping other Lodges
- Bell ringing for the Salvation Army
- Annual Grand Lodge meeting
- and much more...
Worshipful Master - WB Chris Brown
Senior Warden - Br Derric Hartzell
Junior Warden - Br Kevin Bittle
Secretary - WB Michael Durbin
Treasurer - WB Nickolas King
Tyler - WB Lee Shelton
Chaplain - WB John Proffit
Marshall - RWB Patrick Stewart
Senior Deacon - Br Tom Canter
Junior Deacon - Br David Blevins
Senior Steward - Br Adrian Turbe
Junior Steward - Br Enoch Canter
William Friend was a freemason from Virginia and had belonged to the same Lodge as George Washington. He had served in the Continental Army and was one of the very first settlers in the area. There is little doubt that he was a man of high ideals and had passed this on to his descendants. Brothers Elias and Hiram Friend had followed in the footsteps of William to become freemasons. They then desired to bring the institution to Ozark by forming a Masonic Lodge. They petitioned the Grand Lodge of Missouri and in due time received a Charter authorizing them to duly open Friend Lodge #352 for work in the Degrees of Freemasonry. Friend Lodge received its official charter from the Grand Lodge of the State of Missouri dated October 13th, 1870.
The Charter members of the Lodge were:
Brother J. L. Robberson, Charter Worshipful Master
Brother B. A. Stone, Charter Senior Warden
Brother William Gardner, Charter Junior Warden
Brother John Hornbeak
Brother E. G. Friend
Brother Hiram Friend
Brother George M. Ray
Brother John W. Walker