Brethren,

Many good ideas have come across this board and our individual lodges. I'd like to focus some of them here and pool our knowledge. I'm sure that all of us at one point or another in our military careers have heard the statement "Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions."

That being said and this being the case, with many problems (membership, race, retention, recognition, etc.) troubling the Craft today, what are our solutions?

I've opened the can, let's see what's inside.

quote:

Originally posted by SigNuCoastie:
Brethren,

Many good ideas have come across this board and our individual lodges. I'd like to focus some of them here and pool our knowledge. I'm sure that all of us at one point or another in our military careers have heard the statement "Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions."

That being said and this being the case, with many problems (membership, race, retention, recognition, etc.) troubling the Craft today, what are our solutions?

I've opened the can, let's see what's inside.

Greetings Brother: The problems facing the Freemasonry and the declining membership and attendance in lodge issue is complex. It is the same problems facing many fraternal organizations. While there is no simple answer, there is those who know who want the fraternity to prosper. In Indiana, we have turned to marketing and promoting Freemasonry everywhere. (See attached video). We have endorsed the One Day Class (ODC) for those who cannot attend lodge during the week due to work etc. However, there is the problem of the "Ole Guard," those brethren who resist change at every turn and they, "Bless their hearts," mean well, but they (some not all) have turned off many of the new members who are what is called X-Box generation who want to try new things but face issues with the "Ole Guard," those Baby Boomer generation types that are hanging on to the ways of the past so tightly, they believe that change will kill Freemasonry as they know it. They also believe that the internet is a curse to the fraternity. Bah hum bug. I am a Past Master under 55, with less than 10 years in the fraternity and have sat in the East twice raising two sons in my lodge and many brethren refer to me at a kid. The average age of a Mason in Indiana is 64 (and that is not confirmed, so, that is a conservative guestimate). Anyway, if we can bridge the generation gap between the X-Box generation and Baby Boomers, then that will also be a huge plus for there is way too much turmoil between the two groups in my humble Masonic opinion. If anyone feels different, they are probably not an active Mason, or fail to see what is really happening in their own lodge, or the Fraternity as a whole. How is that for opening statement?

Indianafreemasons membership video below:
http://www.tryfreemasonry.com/video.php

Fraternally,
/s/
Terry, PM
Freemason
U.S. Army (Ret.)
Hot Topics Moderator

Brother, go back and read the short talk books from the 1920's from the Masonic Service Association and you will see that there are ebbs and flows and there will always be.

Here are a few things that I tried this year as Master which seemed to be pretty effective.

1. I let them keep their apron after initiation. This provided self responsibility. I told them not to show up to lodge with out it. It was great to see them walking around with their blue tubes under their arms. LOL

2. I invited all EA's and FC's to assist in functions at the Lodge. Such as helping serve and clean up after our widow's night. You would not believe the response!!!!

3. On the night of an initiation before the Lodge was closed, Myself and another would get up in front of the candidate and do the long form proficiency. This comes back to the old saying of "Do as I do".

I hoped this has helped. I found through this year that the Masons that we raised were very good men and as their duty assignments took them away from us, they remained in contact!!!!

Fraternally

I too am just under 55 and have been in the east
I am Prior military so I do not have very much insight of the lodges in the Military But now that I live here in Kuwait I have encountered a few masons at the bases.
My parent lodge was for the most part popular thinking and had an active membership however with some 800 members it was always the same 30 or so who would be at lodge every Tuesday and Thursday's and our monthly stated meetings we could expect 100 or so.
I Texas our Masonic year is from June to June I am not sure of other Jurisdictions.
I was raised in Jan of 2000 and in June that year was installed as Senior Steward. Our lodge had a sufficient budget to allow for having the meal for the stated meetings catered But it was left up to the SS I decided that I would not have any of the meals catered except for the PM banquet.
I spoke with my WM and asked him what he thought about having the new EAs and FCs help out in the kitchen this way I could help them with their esoteric as well he thought it to be a good Idea before you knew it I had sometimes as many as 5 students every time the lodge was opened if there were a mix of FCs and EAs or new MM that had not stood their proficiency yet I would have some of the other MMs take those off to another room the Kitchen became a training center and on many Tue and Thu nights there after a while could be as many as 20 or 25 in the Kitchen and the 2 other rooms we had. Unless there was a degree going on then what ever degree we had for that year I conferred 25 and worked in every station several times but I always had a student who was either of that degree or above with me at those stations except for the masters we did like has been mentioned always used the long form when giving the charge.
I stood my own proficiency exam as A master and that very night after being voted proficient opened and called to EA then conferred my first degree. During my first year as a Master Mason I conferred out of the 25 14 as EA 5 As fellowchart and 4 Masters some of the others had their dads or Grandfathers do them
As a SS I managed to get the wives involved in the meals as well since our Stated meetings were also family nights this proved to have a very positive affect on the lodge as our active membership went up to the point that we might have 60 to 70 present on TUE and THR and sometimes would have to bring in chairs from the dining hall to have places for every one to sit during the stated meetings.
We had a daylight lodge that met there on Sat mornings which I joined as well they were a small lodge and had recycled their officers several times a few were 3 time PMs of it They asked me if I would take the station of JW in June of 2001 and I was elected to it in June of 2002 the SW was called to active duty so had to drop out of the line up so that is how I became the WM of that lodge in a short order I then came to Kuwait in Sept 02 but went back and forth to TX until April 03 So I had to miss my last 2 stated meetings as WM
We started a few things that I felt would help Masonry in the public's eye Like a Blood drive at the lodge, having monthly public Barbeques and fish fry’s we would have a few brothers who were also in the Shrine go around to the Schools on invitation and hold question and answer sessions as well as for the smaller children make balloon animals and have games for them. the 2 lodges tried to never miss an opportunity to bring masonry to the public any time there was a city public function we had a representation of the Blue lodge there much like the Shrine had. After all one has to be Blue before he goes to the other bodies.
Our OES order worked in very close relationship with the lodge.
Now over the years the Daylight lodge I am a PM of has had an exponential membership increase. I like to feel that I had a small pert in helping ignite the spark but will take no credit for doing it by myself.
We are all Brothers and it taks all of us t obring mansonry to thepublic in a positive manner

I would like to encourage everyone to read this document thoroughly:

http://www.knightsofthenorth.com/documents/laudablepursuit.pdf

Masonry is undergoing some fantastic changes!

quote:

Originally posted by FSnQ8:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by cemab4y:
I would like to encourage everyone to read this document thoroughly:

http://www.knightsofthenorth.com/documents/laudablepursuit.pdf
Thanks for the link Brother.
I saved it to my computer and will be forwarding it to the secretaries of the lofges that I am a member of even though many of thelodges in Texas are doing some of the things described it never hurts to learn how things are being thought of in other states,
Frank Surber PM Eugene Green DFW 1441

Masonry is undergoing some fantastic changes!

While this is all true, it represents reality as to the future of all fraternal organizations today. While we are seeing fundamental changes in Freemasonry, the fraternity is slowing adjusting to changes in society. However, while shrinking due to the loss of a generation since WWII, Freemasonry is seeing a rebirth that will take it into the 21st century.

Fraternally,
/s/
Terry, PM
Freemason
Hot Topics Moderator

Last year as Master I opened stated meetings at 7:30 at 8:30 I called to refreshment and had Masonic education. At 8:45 to 9:00 I closed lodge. Our elderly brothers do not want to sit two hours in lodge listening to the same ole thing. At 8:30 it gave the elderly a chance to leave, and the 1st and 2nd's loved being included. I actually had all my candidate ask me to do a lecture for Masonic education. This year I had 5 EA, 8 FC, and 7 MM. Think in the box of the Masonic code, which will show you how to think out of the box.
Bryan

At the lodges that I am a member of we always had a family meal at 6'30 before the stated meeting.the officers would slip off and open the lodge and call to refreshment some time during the meating at around 730 or so every one would enter the lodge room and such things thatsould be administered publicly like service awards and other reccontions would be cunducted at this time along with a guest speaker to address the body. at 15 past 8 every one left the lodge room and the MMs returned we then called the lodger back to labor and the stated meeting would begin promptly on time
For the daylight lodge while I was master I held the retuine a bit diferently as we had a breakfast meal after breakfast we would open the lodge and cunnduct our stated meeting while the families andthe EAs & FCs would clean the dinning hall and kitchen at around 930 I would cal the lodge to refreshment and every one would be invited in for the public portion as soon as this was over the non MMs were ushered out. then before the lodge was called back to labor we went through the ritual of purging the lodge.the lodge was then called to labor then if any additional decorumns were demed we would either call to the appropiate lodge or if none then the lodge was closed.
since this was on a Saturday there were a few times when there would be so much going on that we would not leave until after noon we even a few times had noon refreshments before the lodge would finally be closed. everyone had a great time and our member ship grew monthly.
Frank Surber PM

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