Would you prefer belonging to a Lodge that wasn’t able to meet all of your needs, but that was close enough to home that you could visit it with ease for all of its meetings and special events…
Or…
Would you prefer to belong to a Lodge that provided such a superb experience that all of your needs were met, but was of such distance from you that you might only be able to attend once a year?
We’ve heard and discussed about the failing lodge experience. About the lack of educational experiences and how that has caused brothers to drift away from participating in their lodge. We don’t seem to have a lot discussions about our responsibilities as Freemasons let alone our responsibilities as men. It’s easy to talk about problems or the lack of educational experiences in our lodges, the arguing over a $10 expenditure. But how often has a brother offered to provide education at a meeting. The adage, “You only get out what you put in” is more than true. During the dark days of Covid, I mustered my courage and put educational topics together that covered the duties of all the lodge officers and the 4 Cardinal Virtues. As a whole, none of them were anything to write home about but I put the effort in. What it did do was encourage other brothers to put different educational pieces together for our lodge experience. Going back to the question at hand, if a Mason has to travel a great distance once a year to have his lodge needs met, I would argue that it fails to provide all the needs a brother is looking for. There’s very little if any brotherhood happening, caring for older brothers, their widows and orphans. It’s every brothers’ responsibility to ensure his local lodge provides an experience that satisfies the needs of the lodge. We need to move beyond our lodges being held hostage by one or two older brothers who aren’t excited about change. Perhaps creating a Mentoring program and asking the older brothers to chair the program. It’s all our responsibility to ensure our lodge is successful.
I don't think I'd cross the street if it didn't meet my needs so I can't imagine going to a nearby lodge that offered nothing more than proximity. At the same time traveling to a lodge so distant that I could attend only once a year is also unlikely to meet my needs. I'm probably not alone when I say that I want both proximity and substance.
I’ve been fortunate to be able to move my home closer to my Lodges that addresses the Masonic substance and experience I believe I need. And since that move my Lodge activity has increased despite the pandemic disruptions. That said, my activity in our rural Lodge that’s an hour+ drive away and only meets four times a year is poor.
I believe we need to get our lodges back to being involved in the community they reside in. I see so many lodges failed because the community didn't even know they existed. Our lodges in the past were the backbone of their communities and were thriving, seems somewhere along the way they lost that connection and slowly started dying a slow and steady decline. Get involved it works.
I'd *prefer* to attend (and participate with) a lodge that both met my expectations and provided friendship. It *is* possible to have both, but the brethren must be committed to making that happen. One or two men cannot make that happen. Strong leadership is a must. Commitment to the virtues and principles of Freemasonry is a mandate. Above all, a willingness to both teach and learn will improve the lodge experience for everyone. It's so much more than just a social hour. It's an opportunity to improve one's self. Isn't that what we're seeking? Just my thoughts...
We’ve heard and discussed about the failing lodge experience. About the lack of educational experiences and how that has caused brothers to drift away from participating in their lodge. We don’t seem to have a lot discussions about our responsibilities as Freemasons let alone our responsibilities as men. It’s easy to talk about problems or the lack of educational experiences in our lodges, the arguing over a $10 expenditure. But how often has a brother offered to provide education at a meeting. The adage, “You only get out what you put in” is more than true. During the dark days of Covid, I mustered my courage and put educational topics together that covered the duties of all the lodge officers and the 4 Cardinal Virtues. As a whole, none of them were anything to write home about but I put the effort in. What it did do was encourage other brothers to put different educational pieces together for our lodge experience. Going back to the question at hand, if a Mason has to travel a great distance once a year to have his lodge needs met, I would argue that it fails to provide all the needs a brother is looking for. There’s very little if any brotherhood happening, caring for older brothers, their widows and orphans. It’s every brothers’ responsibility to ensure his local lodge provides an experience that satisfies the needs of the lodge. We need to move beyond our lodges being held hostage by one or two older brothers who aren’t excited about change. Perhaps creating a Mentoring program and asking the older brothers to chair the program. It’s all our responsibility to ensure our lodge is successful.
I don't think I'd cross the street if it didn't meet my needs so I can't imagine going to a nearby lodge that offered nothing more than proximity. At the same time traveling to a lodge so distant that I could attend only once a year is also unlikely to meet my needs. I'm probably not alone when I say that I want both proximity and substance.
I f I could afford the travel expense I would join a Washington lodge and have a lodge in the East and West.
I’ve been fortunate to be able to move my home closer to my Lodges that addresses the Masonic substance and experience I believe I need. And since that move my Lodge activity has increased despite the pandemic disruptions. That said, my activity in our rural Lodge that’s an hour+ drive away and only meets four times a year is poor.
I believe we need to get our lodges back to being involved in the community they reside in. I see so many lodges failed because the community didn't even know they existed. Our lodges in the past were the backbone of their communities and were thriving, seems somewhere along the way they lost that connection and slowly started dying a slow and steady decline. Get involved it works.
If i was new to Masonry, I would prefer the Lodge that met my needs. Now, being a mason with established friendships, its nice to be near my friends.
I'd *prefer* to attend (and participate with) a lodge that both met my expectations and provided friendship. It *is* possible to have both, but the brethren must be committed to making that happen. One or two men cannot make that happen. Strong leadership is a must. Commitment to the virtues and principles of Freemasonry is a mandate. Above all, a willingness to both teach and learn will improve the lodge experience for everyone. It's so much more than just a social hour. It's an opportunity to improve one's self. Isn't that what we're seeking? Just my thoughts...