Do the men you want to attract to your Lodge actually have the opportunity to learn about it, and to know a Mason whom they can actually ask about Freemasonry if they are interested?
I often hear lament that in the past, most community leaders seemed to be Freemasons, yet it seems otherwise today.
That begs the question, do we host dinners to which these leaders are invited? Do we invite the local firefighters who protect our community to a dinner at which we honor them? Do we invite our local officials to a dinner at which we learn about their plans for our neighborhoods? Do we invite the leadership of our Chamber of Commerce to a dinner at which we learn about their current initiatives?
If we hope to have the leaders of our community join our Lodge, it seems to me that it sure would be helpful if those leaders actually knew about our Lodge. Better yet, if they know a Mason whom they can ask about Masonry.
I really like the idea of hosting a dinner for our local first responders! That would be a great way to show our appreciation and possibly awnser any questions that they !ay have !
You'd have to have a budget to provide a good dinner or awards ceremony. Too many of today's masons have no interest in investing cash into the fraternity. Dues need to be much higher.
Of the three Lodges of which I’m a member, all three of them have invited community officials at one point. Chehalis had hosted County commissioners, the Sheriff, as well as other County officials. Centralia Lodge had invited the police department, as well as the Chief of Police. Both Centralia and Tenino lodge had contact with their elected officials at one point or another. I think the big key is to do this consistently, and maintain a relationship of sorts with these community leaders.
Back in the day, as one older Past Master mentioned in a meeting, being a member of the Freemasons was “the thing to do.” Every man who had standing in his community was a member. It was a big driver to the large membership in the 1920’s and 1950’s. But times changed. It was no longer the “thing to do”, it was what your parents did, and that wasn’t cool. When the membership dropped, and those important community leaders who were members passed away, the Lodge’s relevance in the community waned. Many towns think their Masonic Lodge went away many years ago, and from what I’ve witnessed, when they find out we haven’t gone away, they are quite pleased!
What we need to do is make Freemasonry the “Thing to be” again. And I think there’s enough younger men who would agree with that. Our lodges need to develop the mindset that they are indeed relevant, and that there’s good men out there that are interested in joining and being involved. Getting out in the community and letting them know we’re still around is a great start.
I really like the idea of hosting a dinner for our local first responders! That would be a great way to show our appreciation and possibly awnser any questions that they !ay have !
You'd have to have a budget to provide a good dinner or awards ceremony. Too many of today's masons have no interest in investing cash into the fraternity. Dues need to be much higher.
Of the three Lodges of which I’m a member, all three of them have invited community officials at one point. Chehalis had hosted County commissioners, the Sheriff, as well as other County officials. Centralia Lodge had invited the police department, as well as the Chief of Police. Both Centralia and Tenino lodge had contact with their elected officials at one point or another. I think the big key is to do this consistently, and maintain a relationship of sorts with these community leaders.
Back in the day, as one older Past Master mentioned in a meeting, being a member of the Freemasons was “the thing to do.” Every man who had standing in his community was a member. It was a big driver to the large membership in the 1920’s and 1950’s. But times changed. It was no longer the “thing to do”, it was what your parents did, and that wasn’t cool. When the membership dropped, and those important community leaders who were members passed away, the Lodge’s relevance in the community waned. Many towns think their Masonic Lodge went away many years ago, and from what I’ve witnessed, when they find out we haven’t gone away, they are quite pleased!
What we need to do is make Freemasonry the “Thing to be” again. And I think there’s enough younger men who would agree with that. Our lodges need to develop the mindset that they are indeed relevant, and that there’s good men out there that are interested in joining and being involved. Getting out in the community and letting them know we’re still around is a great start.