Do we need to change our ways ?

Masonry lost much of Generation X due to the strong belief that new members could not be invited to join the fraternity and that everything that happened in lodge was secret. Fathers would not talk with sons, and sons would have no reason to ask to join the fraternity since they knew little or nothing of the fraternity that their fathers belonged.

Yes our fraternity has secrets that should only be known to members, however we need to acknowledge that most of our "secrets" are now available on the internet and/or shown on the History Channel.

To keep up with the times and hopefuly attract Generation Y we need to change our ways of attracting new members. We need to ask ourselves how can we get the public into the lodge?

Hold frequent public events like Open Houses - if your Grand Lodge does not coordinate a statewide open house recommend that they consider starting a statewide program.

Blood Drives are great ways to involve the public and to help the community all at the same time.

Many Grand Lodges sponsor "Chips" or child ID programs this can be another great way to support the community and get the public to visit the lodge. I personally recommend combining that with a local law enforcement authorities many of whom have officers trained to inspect child safety seats to assure they are properly installed in a vehicle.

If your building is located on a main street consider investing is a Message Board Sign, these can be used to promote one of the programs above or to deliver a message to the community - possibly just to say "God Bless our Military" on Vetrans Day. In the absence of a sign, never be afraid to send a press release to your local paper about upcoming lodge events.

Everybody loves a good Charity Fund Raiser - the pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners can bring in funds as well as bring the community in to see the lodge.

Whenever the public is present in the building always make sure to make promotional materials available about your lodge as well as the fraternity.

If your lodge doesn't have a Web Site you should think of starting one, but it needs to be maintained and kept current.

We pride ourselves on our charitable pursuits, and for good reason, but to enhance membership a better tact may be to allow people to see the good we do and make them want to get involved with and become part of our various Masonic charities.

No Dumb Questions ??

As we work together to help each other to create their own perfect ashlars of Masonic knowledge I always stress to new brothers that there are no dumb questions, and the more I study to learn the degrees, as I proceed to the East, the more this is re-enforced.

If you have read the book "The Last Lecture" by Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch he refers to the "head fake".  What this means is that while something may appear to mean one thing it can actually have two or more different meanings as well.

I propose that much of what Masonry puts forth can be considered a "head fake" - such as the point within a circle, while there is one popular meaning for this symbol within our ritual I have heard of two or three other meanings for this popular ancient symbol.

So my "head fake" in this message is that even though you know something to be a certain way within your lodge don't close your mind that it can not have a different meaning to another brother.  If a new brother asks for the meaning of something there is nothing wrong with giving the traditional answer but always encourage a brother to seek further masonic knowledge and leave room for multiple meanings for many of the symbols within our lodges.

Author's Note: I encourage anyone who has not read the book "Last Lecture" or seen the YouTube video of Dr Randy Pauch (click here) to do so.

Move Over and Make Room

It becomes the duty of every new Mason to find their place within the lodge.  If a new member likes to cook they can offer to help the kitchen crew, if they like to work with their hands they can help with maintaining the building or if they like to plan events they can help with Blood Drive or Child ID programs.

It also becomes the duty of every lodge officer, past master and member to help every new Mason find their place within the lodge.  Invite the new brother to help with the upkeep of the building, or to help plan the next lodge event - give him an oppoprtunity to learn what activities within the lodge he enjoys the most.

Why is this so important ?  If the past teaches us anything about our future, a newly made Mason who does not find his place within the lodge will be lost - they may come to an occasional meeting and they may remain on the lodge rolls as a member or they may join another local lodge that does make they feel welcome.  

There has been too many members lost to demit and nonpayment of dues because they never found their place within the lodge.  Lodge's today need to actively reach out and embrace new members - that will help us to grow and become a stronger part of our respective communities.