Camping On The Brain

Some of the benefits that my Lodge has found

What can I say, as I’m planning a Masonic camping trip, I’ve got camping on the brain!

From time to time through the years my Lodge has gone camping. And from time to time through the years, I’ve joined other Lodges on their camping adventures.

With my own Lodge, I’ve found some tremendous benefits to these trips, and I thought that I would share some of the benefits I’ve seen with you today.

Photo by NEOM on Unsplash

Perhaps the most visible thing to have ever come out of our camping trips is the Starlight Fellowcraft Degree that my Lodge puts on each year. A bunch of us from my Lodge, along with visitors from other Lodges were sitting around, discussing the Fellowcraft Degree.

Specifically, we were discussing how that Degree could be performed in the very best, most impactful way.

I’ve done a heck of a lot of Masonic traveling through the years, and I have to say that my Lodge puts on the finest Fellowcraft Degree in our Jurisdiction. Bar none. We do it at night, in the woods, under the stars, in costume. It is a truly superb event, and an extremely powerful Degree for our candidates.

That Degree was invented, and perfected on a Lodge camping trip. When else does a Lodge of Masons have so much time to sit around and dream together about perfecting the way our ritualistic work is performed?

On a perhaps less exciting, but equally important side of Masonry, our Grand Lodge offers an optional training program for Lodge leaders. Half of it consists of a program whereby one gets a really solid understanding of our Masonic Code, and the day to day operations of a Lodge. The second half proves proficiency in our ritualistic work.

One one of our camping trips, we were able to break up that first part of the program into easy chunks, and we gamified the thing to make it fun. In that way, we were able to run every single Brother through the first part of that program, in an interesting way.

Not everyone went on to complete it, but everyone left with a better understanding of Lodge operations than when they arrived. Plus, it was good natured and fun competition with a purpose.

We say that as Masons, we don’t recruit new members. And that is certainly true.

But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have men in our lives who would make excellent Masons.

Whatever we call it, other than recruitment, camping trips are a superb way to bring new men into our Lodges. And it is super easy.

We suggest to our Masons that when camping with us, they bring a friend who would be a great Mason. We don’t in any way push Masonry on these men, or ask them to consider joining, we simply allow them to spend really quality time with Masons, and get to know something about our Craft by hanging out with us.

This has proven to be a great way to grow a Lodge, as these good men see first hand what Freemasonry truly is.

Related to this, it offers us a superb way of Guarding the West Gate.

Spend three days with a prospective Mason, with camp chores to do, alcohol around, and unrestrained conversation. There is little better way of actually seeing into the character of a man.

Bringing prospects with us when we camp is an extremely effective way of weeding out those unsuitable for Masonry. One more tool in that all important toolbox.

Lastly, I can’t write this post without touching upon Brotherhood.

Spending time together, working together, and playing together is the very best way to build friendship and bonds between men. Camping, for those who enjoy it, is one of the very best ways to build Brotherhood within a Lodge.

These are some of the benefits I see that my Lodge has gained when we have gone camping together. As we enter the summer months, I encourage you to plan a trip outdoors for your own Lodge!

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Not intended to replace any trip your Lodge might be planning, we are having an Emeth camping trip this September. I hope that you can join us.

All the details for that can be found at: