Dear Nobles and Ladies,

Please let me start by thanking the Nobles of Kerbela Shriners for having the confidence in me to elect me to the office of Potentate for 2012. With this position comes many responsibilities of which I take very seriously. It is an honor that I humbly accept. With determination and focus, I look forward to serving the Nobles and Ladies of Kerbela Shriners. I am committed to continuing the great work of the many fine Potentates, who have come before me. I am also committed to building upon their ground work for the betterment of our Temple and for the good of the Nobility.

To the entire 2012 Staff and Ladies, I would like to Thank You for agreeing to serve this great Temple for the ensuing year. I truly appreciate your hard work and dedication.

My love for this fraternity started way back…..When I was a “younger” man, my grandfather invited me to spend the weekend with him and my grandmother in Gatlinburg during the annual Fun Fest weekend. You see, my grandfather, Joe Johnson, has been an active Mason and Shriner as long as I can remember. It was then I learned of the fun, fellowship and philanthropy that holds this fraternity together. So, then in 1993, when I turned the age of 21, I asked my grandfather for a petition to the Masonic Lodge. After successfully being raised to a Master Mason, and going through the Scottish Rite, I was initiated into the Shrine in 1994. And what an initiation it was!! Since that Fun Fest in 1994, this Temple and its Nobles and Ladies have become an extended family to both myself and my wife, Pamela. As our family has grown, you have always welcomed both Pam and I and now our 2 very active boys, Nicholas and Nathan, into this Shrine Family. I cannot think of a better place for my children to be raised than around a bunch of Masons who chose to become Shriners. And so I Thank You once again for your continuing support and friendship, which you have graciously extended to all of us.

This year, I would like to challenge all of us to continue to encourage our young Masons and Shriners, who are just starting their journeys. Now more than ever, this temple and our fraternity depends on our continued growth and the development of active and future Shriners. This year’s theme is “ANSWERING THE CALL”. Just as firefighters must answer the call, we as Shriners must ANSWER THE CALL to support the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children and the important work they do for all our Shrine Patients. For this reason, it is with pride that we should wear our Fez, knowing that we are supporting the world’s greatest philanthropy.

In conclusion, let me again Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity; it is one in which very few Nobles are allowed to receive. It is truly an honor that I will cherish the rest of my life.

Yours in the Faith, Brian R. Johnson
Potentate 2012