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Post by billritz on May 3, 2008 23:31:18 GMT
Brothers, I need your help.
I am currently SW of my lodge and as installation approaches, I am starting to plan ahead for my year as master. My lodge is suffering from the same problems as many others. Our numbers are low, and while we are slowly growing, I worry about our ability to hold on to our newer members. Years of just getting by has cost the motivation of many of our senior members and it seems that unless we are doing degree work, all we do is pay the bills and have some food. I am looking for ANY ideas you may have for activities we can do during a regular business meeting. We do have masonic education occasionally, but I am looking for ideas that will involve more than just one brother. During a Lodge of Perfection meeting, our TPGM set up a "game show" which pitted the lodge officers against the brethren in a test of masonic knowledge. It went off great! Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the evening. All because the TPGM took 20 mins out of the night to try something new. I am hoping that if I can come up with a few good ideas, we may be able to not only hold on to the active members we have, but also attract new members and inspire some less active brothers to come back. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Yours Fraternally,
Bro. Bill Ritz
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Post by windtimber on May 4, 2008 1:31:52 GMT
We did "bio nites" for a while and they were well received. Brother A gets assigned to present a short biography of Brother B during lodge. We had guys visit with spouses and relatives and friends and they had a gas unearthing things to do a little good-natured biographical ribbing. You can do a couple brothers each lodge night.
Put the lodge at ease and if you have a VCR/DVD go to the lounge or dining room and show a short masonic film for discussion. Then reconvene to close.
Got a piano player? Sing. The brothers will be off key and self concious at first, then they'll surprise you with their energy.
Any brothers ever travel to unusual places - or maybe even have a good fishing trip? Have them show slides from their trip and do a short travelogue.
Have a hobby night...bring in samples of woodworking, stamp collections, water colors, etc. You might be surprised to find out what some of your brothers do in their spare time.
Do a "readers' theater" using Carl Claudy's masonic plays. No need to memorize parts, just get the script to the participating brothers, have them sit in the center of the lodge and dramatically read the script.
Take a field trip. Meet at the lodge, load up into brothers' cars and head over to a nearby lodge and visit during their stated meeting. Bet you'll get them to come over the next month to yours!!
Have a progressive cribbage tournament. We did eliminations after lodge for about 3 months and some brothers we hadn't seen for years starting showing up to get in the games. Everyone put in $5 to start and I think the final winner got about $75.
Not necessarily on lodge night, but get a TV, run in cable, and have baseball or football night on Monday, or whenever. Just get some warm bodies in the place now and then. Funny, they start coming back to lodge! We also acquired a license from the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation and show movies 1 or 2 nights a month and invite the brothers, spouses, and their kids. Bring your own refreshments and have a nice evening. Those guys are coming to lodge, too, and their families are having fun as well on movie night.
Remember...DO NOT DO THESE THINGS JUST ONCE! You might get zero response, or very low response, the first time. Do it again and again. Then it starts catching on. We've - borrowing a line for Christopher Hodap - been boring our members to death for years. So long that many members think meetings are supposed to be dull as dust. Liven them up, and pretty soon folks start getting the idea, come up with new ideas, and things come around.
Also remember - NO IDEA IS A BAD IDEA. No matter how stupid an activity sounds, do it. At least your DOING SOMETHING. And an activity that only garners 1 person is better than not doing anything...that gets nobody!
Good Luck!
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Post by leonardo on May 4, 2008 8:58:52 GMT
Absolutely wonderful advice from Bro. Windtimber.
Terrific stuff.
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Post by mattjtayl on May 4, 2008 13:41:39 GMT
Yes we have the same problem at our lodge. And the regulars are old grey hair senior citizens who are getting ready to kick the bucket some day soon. When they go who will be left in our lodge to take up the degree work and a lot of the work?
So what our lodge is trying to do is recruit younger members into the lodge. It started with me. And I think when younger members joined the lodge and they saw that I was around their age and active that they decided to get active too. For lodges to survive around the country we need to recruit the younger generations to get them intersted in masonry so the seed can be planted for generations to come.
So advice I would give a new WM is exactly that. Try to get the younger generations in the lodge and active get them interested in masonry. That would be the key of keeping any lodge still open for many generations to come.
Also give members incentives to be active. Make it feel like something great to them to be an officer in the lodge and to be active. I know at our lodge getting members to fill all the chairs in the lodge is a very tall order. We often have officers not present and have empty seats, which is not ideal. So trying to find a group of officers who will be there every week and committed is very hard indead.
As far as being active besides on degree work, include fun events that members will want to go to. At our lodge we are having a summer picnic this summer and we are all attending a baseball game together. The ball park even reserved a section just for the masons to come to. We have many fundraisers every year to get the community together and raise money for the lodge. Fundraisers are a great way to bond with the local community and increase community awareness. We even have ritual practice now for all the officers once a week, and I have noticed since our present WM started this it has greatly increased the attendance of the officers in the lodge.
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Post by penfold on May 4, 2008 16:03:21 GMT
Yes we have the same problem at our lodge. And the regulars are old grey hair senior citizens who are getting ready to kick the bucket some day soon. Wow! If this is an example of the younger generation then you can keep 'em! I'm in my 30's and one of the young 'uns in my lodge, and I must say I have nothing but respect for the older guys, including those in their 90's who are still active, I certainly DONT see them as sitting in God's waiting room on a holding pattern to check out. With edical advances someone in their late 50's or early 60's potentially has 20 years to offer freemasonry, and also has the time and money to do so, as opposed to a man in his 20's just out of college saving for a house, marriage, kids on the way, career demands, etc. We tread a dangerous path if we say we are only interested in people from one age group, freemasonry needs age diversity - not age discrimination
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Post by lauderdale on May 4, 2008 17:58:42 GMT
I think we should set emotion aside and look at what has been said.
Now in my Obedience we have many elderly Brethren and a similar number of middle aged people such as myself. I am also glad to say we have a goodly and growing number younger members.
So far I have found that all three age groups respect each other and there is no "ageism". The older Brethren are happy to instruct the younger who in turn are pleased to take on the more physical tasks such as setting out the Temple etc. All seem to work in Concord and Harmony which is how it should be in Freemasonry.
However, from past experience elsewhere in former times I am sorry to say that I have come up against the "we have always done it that way" Brigade and perhaps it is they and their obstructive manner that Bro Matt has experienced? (Maybe he will tell us?)
Now I do agree that using words such as "....who are getting ready to kick the bucket some day soon" is to say the least cruel and disrespectful, but I am also aware that there are some Lodges where a few elderly Brethren can cause problems whether by sarcastically putting down the efforts and ideas of the younger members or by blocking Offices such as Secretary or DC instead of handing the baton on after many years.
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Post by leonardo on May 4, 2008 18:55:24 GMT
The older Brethren at our Lodge are marvellous and extremely helpful to us new members. Last January I had a most marvellous chat with a 94 year old brother who up to quite recently never missed a lodge meeting since she was 21 years!. She was at the January meeting to receive a very special award for services to the Craft. Anyway, during our chat I asked what drove her to make the effort to attend all those meetings, she smiled at me and said "Simple. I have always enjoyed my Masonry." I think that's one of the real "secrets" of freemasonry that should be imparted on new members: Enjoy it! ;D By the way, the 94 year old brother is blind! Talk about an inspiration to us all
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Post by lauderdale on May 4, 2008 18:59:19 GMT
Indeed so Bro Leo. I have found in LDH that the older Brethren are only too keen to pass on their knowledge and experience to the younger (and newer) and are very welcoming.
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Post by leonardo on May 4, 2008 19:07:46 GMT
Absolutely.
We have so much to learn from them. Our only problem is that sometimes we allow our egos to blind us from seeing the treasures they have to share.
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Post by mattjtayl on May 4, 2008 21:32:19 GMT
Yes we have the same problem at our lodge. And the regulars are old grey hair senior citizens who are getting ready to kick the bucket some day soon. Wow! If this is an example of the younger generation then you can keep 'em! I'm in my 30's and one of the young 'uns in my lodge, and I must say I have nothing but respect for the older guys, including those in their 90's who are still active, I certainly DONT see them as sitting in God's waiting room on a holding pattern to check out. With edical advances someone in their late 50's or early 60's potentially has 20 years to offer freemasonry, and also has the time and money to do so, as opposed to a man in his 20's just out of college saving for a house, marriage, kids on the way, career demands, etc. We tread a dangerous path if we say we are only interested in people from one age group, freemasonry needs age diversity - not age discrimination I have nothing but the deepest admiration for many of the older masons in our lodge. They have been the greatest inspiration for me. If my words sounded disrespectful thats not at all what I inteneded. I am only saying what all the old timers in our lodge are telling me. That the lodge needs younger members to take their place so the lodge can survive for many years to come. They tell me to go out and get younger members to join the fraternity thats its nice to see some younger faces around. When I say old timers I am not talking about guys in their 50's, 50 is considered young in our lodge and guys in their 50's are repeatedly called the young guys. I am talking about guys 75-88 years old. We have some very old members in our lodge. The average age is 63. I really am the same generation as you Penfold, so I don't know what you are talking about an example of the younger generation, I am 29. I am pretty close to the same generation as you brother.
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Post by maat on May 4, 2008 23:55:19 GMT
Hmmnn ....
I think that Masonry is not meant to be a social club nor a place you merely go to so you can enjoy yourselves.
I think that Masonry is meant to be a training ground for leaders.
I think it is a excellent system that is meant to educate and prepare those who are willing to assume responsibility for the care of those who need it, be it physically, psychologically, spiritually, etc.
And it is in the caring and aid that we render, that ultimately benefits us ten-fold. We will find satisfaction, social opportunities and a great deal of enjoyment as a by-product of our positive activities within Masonry.
And let us not forget Knowledge - Knowledge sets us free. Shhh, it's a secret.
If you want to regain inspiration in your lodge, why not invite an inspirational speaker to your lodge... Open, go from Labour to Refreshment and have your speaker, then resume etc. and have a jolly good chat about the talk with the speaker over Festive Board. Don't try to entertain your Brn, try to inspire them.
(World Vision and such charities usually have some great speakers, with slides etc which can really can get one inspired/thinking.)
Maat
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Post by maat on May 5, 2008 0:02:02 GMT
PS - I work at a school and one of our young students (aged 14) started her own charity to help under-priviledge children in Asia. She organised backpacks full of things they would need for their schooling. Now how inspiring would it be to hear someone like that talking.
Check your community leaders for some inspiring person in your town and city.
Maat
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Post by corab on May 5, 2008 1:28:22 GMT
I think the answer to the problem is as simple as it is complicated: *involve* your members.
Yes, the EA period is one of quiet observance. That doesn't mean that they cannot contributed to the lodge's workings, and it certainly doesn't mean that the RWM cannot give them permission to participate in discussions, or present their insights in a more formal matter.
FCs cannot formally be invested. That doesn't mean they have to sit on their backsides and watch the big boys (and girls!) play. Arguably, the FC degree is all about learning how to ply your craft and get ready to work it independently, so get them to step in and do the actual work. Do it in LoI, or call the lodge off if letting them do it in open lodge is one stretch too far for the collective imagination, but get them involved.
Nothing worse for morale than feeling detached -- give them something to do.
And last but not least -- give them time to truly digest the lessons of each degree. Don't rush them. Let them set the pace.
S&F,
Cora
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Post by penfold on May 5, 2008 15:16:00 GMT
Masonry teaches tolerance, acceptance and, hopefully, maturity, something that all - no matter what our physical age - can benefit from. Like Leo I find the bretheren in their 80's and 90's a real inspriation, our remaining founder can deliver the charge to the bretheren in a way that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A wonderful role model to emulate.
To our original poster, by caring about the future of your lodge and wanting it to endure beyond your time as WM you are already following the right path.
Best wishes for your year.
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Post by gipsyrose on May 8, 2008 13:39:18 GMT
Reading this thread through had me reflecting on what do we open our lodge for?
It seems to me that we create a very special sacred space, which is very precious. Has anyone had experience of this space being used for an extended period with a deliberate, conscious, and specific meditative focus by the whole group?
I keep thinking that something like the Quaker's hour of silence, where those who are moved to speak do so, or all sit in silence, seeking and/or experiencing "the light", could be an amazing experience inside the temple we create. Have others done this?
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Post by maat on May 8, 2008 23:26:01 GMT
Reading this thread through had me reflecting on what do we open our lodge for? It seems to me that we create a very special sacred space, which is very precious. It has been said that the practice of rituals and disciplines tends to create a pattern of subtle energies, called an egregor, which is both a source of power for lodge members and a guiding presence capable of influencing the lodge and its members in many ways. And this has been my experience. However, I have a suspicion that there are many lodges whose membership would find this information unpalatable. But if they would care to test it... take notice of the body language and voices of the Brn before going into lodge and again at the festive board. Listen for those that say, "I didn't feel like coming tonight, not well - but I feel much better now". Clues like this abound when you know what you are looking at or for. What a fascinating idea - I am going to forward that idea to our Master. Thank you Gypsy. Maat
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Post by leonardo on May 9, 2008 6:35:44 GMT
I'd like to hear if Bro. Bill Ritz has found any of the advice given of use. I note he hasn't responded so far.
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Post by gipsyrose on May 9, 2008 14:33:21 GMT
Maat said "What a fascinating idea - I am going to forward that idea to our Master."
I'll be fascinated to hear how you go! gipsyrose
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Post by brandt on May 15, 2008 23:29:40 GMT
Brother, I am in a slightly different situation now than I was. In my lodge all the membership is in their 30's/40's. What we do to have the Brothers interested is that we simply provide what is promised. Light. Not a meeting goes by that there is not some Architecture offered and discussion. Afterwards there is always the meeting after the meeting at a local restaurant.
May I suggest a private room at a good quality restaurant for the agape and a presentation on some subject that will pique the interest of the Brothers and offer a fraternal atmosphere?
Brandt
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Post by cemab4y on May 19, 2008 15:08:49 GMT
Here are some ideas from Bro. Chris Hodapp:
Ideas For Worshipful Masters by Chris Hodapp, PM Broad Ripple Lodge #643 Originally published in 2002
I have received many requests for a copy of the posting I made on the Indiana Craft Mailing List.
So here are some of the things we have done over the last few years at Broad Ripple Lodge, some of which were started by PGM Roger Van Gorden, our Master in 2000. Bear in mind that most of these suggestions are not original.
Let me reiterate: our PMs and general membership have left us alone to have our way with the place, and the PMs and older members who regularly participate have been totally supportive of us. We have NOT had to deal with sideline insurrections over ANYTHING we have tried. I have heard horror stories from other Masters, and I am releived to say I have none.
1. ALL Stated Meetings were Table Lodges for a year.
2. Redecorated Lobby and entry area. (Ratty furniture, no art, and accessories from when Truman was president make a terrible first impression on potential new members. If you think it's ugly, how will a new member see it? If you don't know, ASK YOUR WIFE!)
3. Landscaped front yard. (Ours was full of rocks and overgrown shrubs.). If your building looks tired, unkempt and decayed, what does that say about Freemasonry to a potential new member? What does it say about your own pride of membership?
4. Professionalized look of website and kept it up to date. If a potential member sees that your site is dated 1997 and none of the hyperlinks work, they'll move on.
5. Monthly Trestle Board with photos. Make Lodge look fun, and if they don't come, they're missing great experiences.
6. Stopped charging for meals, including Thanksgiving. Catered or convenience food rather than the same few brothers chained to the kitchen. They will burn out.
7. Added stereo system and big screen TV to dining room. (Football and basketball nights next year after Craft practice. Make Lodge a place to hang around in, not eat, meet and flee)
8. Purchased motorized stairclimbers to assist our older members (we have lots of steps)
9. Started Masonic Angel Fund for local kids (see our website for details)
10. Made $100 donation to Masonic Home Foundation for every month a member (or members) died.
11. Poinsettias hand delivered to Lodge Widows at Christmastime by Master. They'll love you forever. Get them on your side and their grandson may join.
12. Started Annual Chili Cook-Off with permanent trophy at Lodge. The noisier the rivalry gets, the better. Encourage outlandish claims and bragging rights...
13. Presented Lifetime Achievement Award to older member 64 years a Mason who comes to every meeting and degree. These men built our Lodges. Acknowledge their achievements publicly.
14. Insisted on post-meeting gathering at local tavern for members, spouses, friends. Do NOT hang out in the parking lot of the Lodge bitching after meetings. That's not how to forge new friendships.
15. Regular dialogue with OES Matron. Kept them involved in our public events.
16. Sought out degree help from other Lodges. Liberal use of honorary memberships for regular visiting helpers.
17. If you are a young Master who does not know all ritual for all degrees, learn ONE of them well, and have your Wardens do the same for the other two. Performing a smaller number of parts well is more important than stumbling through many of them badly. Do NOT get pressured into doing more than you are able by the "In MY year you had to know all of these degrees" crowd. If they know it all, ask THEM to take a part. Remember: a man gets to hear each of his degrees for the first time ONLY ONCE. If you can't do it properly with feeling and meaning, GET SOMEONE WHO CAN.
18. Joint Lodge picnic with other Lodges
19. Let a Lodge from a Temple that goes dark in summer hold Craft practice at our place. Joined in with them.
20. Dramatically expanded library. Write book reviews of new ones and promote it in your Trestle Board.
21. Started book exchange open to everyone in Lodge family. Bookshelf in the dining room.
22. Officers chairs left empty for two years rather than push new members into them immediately.
23. Make sure Lodge name is seen out in the community. Business cards, pins, jackets with S&C and Lodge name, who to contact for info on door of Lodge along with web address. If the building is closed, how will a new man find someone to ask?
24. Extend invitations to Prince Hall Lodges for visits. Current leadership within Prince Hall Masonry in Indiana requires that the PHA Lodge get permission to visit from their Grand master, so check with the Master of the PHA Lodge you contact for their latest rulings on this matter. (NOTE: In 2004, we assisted a group of PHA lodges with their annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the poor, and in 2005, we made Indiana Masonic history by conferring the Master Mason degree on two Prince Hall candidates.
25. Always keep petitions in your car. Let me say that again: Always keep petitions in your car.
26. If 200 members stay away, get new ones who won't! If only seven show up, have fun with each other.
27. Made up a new member's notebook, containing: Introduction to Lodge etiquette Lodge history List of Masonic websites, research, recommended book list Lodge directory of all members, their addresses and phone numbers. Introduction to Freemasonry for a Mason's lady List of all Lodge widows List of all Lodge Committees List of area lodges to visit Lodge By-Laws. Brochures from the York Rite, Scottish Rite & Shrine - not petitions from them (discourage joining them for 1 year). Our Lodge Masonic Angel Fund brochure The latest Lodge Trestle Board (newsletter) Three petitions and Grand Lodge Masonic brochures and DVD Masonic License Plate form
28. Freemasonry IS NOT RITUAL. If you can do all parts flawlessly, yet never have candidates and no one comes to meetings, how will the ritual save your Lodge?
29. Plan with your Wardens so there is continuity for years to come - stop reinventing the wheel every year. Do NOT hide good ideas from your Master so you can claim victory during your year. Do NOT pass on problems to the next Master. Solve them now!
One thing we shamelessly cribbed from another Lodge was to make the three newest members of the Lodge the Junior Warden's Committee, making them responsible for food and cleanup, in association with the Stewards. It rotates as you get new men in, instead of saddling the Stewards with the job for an entire year. If they like doing it, it develops camaraderie among the new guys. If they hate doing it, it encourages them to go out a get a new man to join. Our guys jumped in with vigor and tout themselves as the KFC (Knife and Fork Committee). They now meet together on Friday nights at area restaurants, and are promising restaurant reviews for the newsletter. Believing there are no small parts, only small actors, they have padded their parts and are having a ball. Be sure to buy them a knife and fork Mason tie clip.
Masonry isn't just about food <grin>. These guys want knowledge, information, and STUFF! They are proud of their membership. They want medals, aprons, regalia, certificates, books, jewelry... Ours is a Craft with a long heritage, and they WANT things that will make their friends and family envious and - more important - curious about Masonry too. That's what first made THEM notice us to begin with. Don't think it's shallow to interest potential new members with a "made you look" brashness. Rings, jackets, license plates - all of these things attract attention and at least nudge men into asking what it's all about. Remember, I said INTEREST new members. It's up to your Lodge to get them through their degrees and keep them interested after that. The point is, they want their friends to join with them, and the "stuff" might get those friends to at least ask.
Upon raising, we give a new Master Mason a S&C lapel pin, a commemorative pin for our Lodge, an engraved pocket name badge, and a boxed set of minature working tools. For a year on Masonic 'birthdays' we also passed out a small, brass trowel. These things don't cost much, but go a long way towards making a man feel that the Lodge is immediately investing in them.
I became an Entered Apprentice in November 1998, and was raised in March 1999. So it was with no little terror that I found myself installed in the East for the year 2001. We had lost 5 officers from the Line in 1999 for a variety of circumstances. A wise Past Master agreed to step in at the VERY last minute to be Master that year, but as 2000 wound to a close, the sentiment was that we should look into selling our building and closing, moving or merging. We were lucky to have seven guys come to Stated Meetings and we did virtually no degree work that year.
The most important thing our outgoing Master taught me was to stop dwelling on the numbers game. Our Lodge has regular income, a paid-for building and some assets. If 220 members never set foot in the place, didn't participate, didn't communicate, IT DIDN'T MATTER. If some of the officer's chairs went unfilled, IT DIDN'T MATTER. What DID matter was that the little group of Masons who DID come had a good time with each other. We held every Stated Meeting as a Table Lodge, paid our bills, always had a great meal (paid for by the Lodge - no hat passing), maybe had a guest speaker, voted money to charities, and had a couple of hours of true fellowship. THAT was what was important. A year ago, we had seven guys who truly liked each other's company, who got along, who cared about what was going on in each other's lives, and maybe went for a beer afterwards. And the other 200 members were paying for us to have a great time and practice Freemasonry. What a deal!
My year, we raised eight men, all under 40 (and most under 30), had two more being voted on, three transferring in from out of state lodges, and more petitions on the way. Sure, we still need the help of brothers from other Lodges to help us put on degrees, but they come if we ask, and they have a good time with us. They come to our Lodge because we have new candidates all the time now, and why just practice when you can be conferring a degree?
We redecorated to make sure our Lodge no longer looks and smells like Grandma's front parlor. We had picnics and dinners and cook offs and events with other Lodges. We've tried hard to let young men know that their input is welcome and that we will change our activities to reflect what THEY want out of Lodge, instead of demanding that we adhere to the same annual events planned during the Coolidge Administration. We publish a monthly newsletter that doesn't look like it was surreptitiously Xeroxed after hours at work. In it, we thank those brothers who have helped or showed up or contributed because people like to see their name in print and like to be acknowledged for doing a good job. We try to keep our website up to date and looking fresh and professional, and it has become the electronic front door that so many of our newest members first knocked on. Those new members are enthusiastic and want to dive right into our activities and degree work - and we encourage them. They are telling their friends about Lodge and some of those friends are asking for petitions. And our post-meeting gatherings at the local watering hole have gotten larger and last a lot longer now.
My Senior Warden and I were too new at this to know the "way it's always been done in past" so we were willing to try whatever works. And guess what? Those same 200 members still stay home, don't participate, and don't communicate. But then, they didn't show up at meetings to vote down big expenditures, or veto by-law changes, or stop us from starting a Masonic Angel Fund, or any of the other things we did my year that I was told would cause heart attacks within the membership. So, those same 200 guys are now paying for 15 or 20 of us to have a good time. We had a full officer's line the next year, and some disappointed men who we didn't have chairs for. I don't know if we have truly turned our Lodge around in the long term - only time will tell. But it's a far cry from the year before, and no one is talking about selling our building now.
Before I became Master, I was privately told to take my time, rock no boats, hide good ideas from the Master ahead of me, pass problems along to the Warden behind me, just learn my ritual, read my Blue Book rules, and I'd get along just fine. Otherwise, I risked insurrection and eternal damnation from the Old Guard. I was just too stupid to listen. As a Mason I may have been wet behind the ears, but I was smart enough to know that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
The ultimate point I'm making is that if you are disappointed by your Lodge and it is not living up to the lofty goals of the fraternity you thought you joined (as I morosely thought just a year ago), GET IN THERE AND CHANGE IT. Be the Master of your Lodge. Lead with a vision and MAKE IT STICK. If you enrage a lineup of cranky Past Masters who are forcing your lodge to remain mired in the 19th century, what will they do? If you are afraid your lodge is shrinking and failing at its mission, yet you allow "buzzard's row" to keep you going down that same path year after year, you are doing a great disservice to your Lodge and those men who built it to begin with. The men who started your Lodge had ideas and strength and they were the leaders of your community. If they saw their Lodge losing members and failing now, I promise you they would not be complacent. They would try everything they could.
They would be Builders, Masters of their Craft. They would give their workmen good and wholesome instruction for their labor. Accept no less from yourself.
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If you attempt these ideas, expect the old guard to fight you every inch of the way.
"How many old guard masons does it take to change a light bulb"? answer- none. Old guard masons do not believe in change.
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