As the pandemic has kept Lodges closed for in person meetings, most have moved to virtual platforms such as Zoom. Some are holding more social type virtual gatherings, other are running online meetings as close to normal meetings as possible.
With the pandemic coming to a close, we will likely be able to return to our Lodges soon.
When we do, will there still be a role to play for virtual platforms? Should we integrate them into the Lodge somehow, or should we return to how everything was pre-covid?
If we do include virtual platforms moving forward, what should their role be?
I’d like to take a moment to give a huge Thank You to everyone who comments on these discussion threads. I carefully read and appreciate every single comment we receive. More importantly, I know that a great many other people are doing the same thing.
The quality of comments, and the thoughtfulness that has gone into them is universally high, and I am certain that everyone who reads Emeth has learned from them. That is an unquestionable good for Freemasonry, so Thank You!
Throughout this pandemic Silverdale Lodge No. 311 has used the virtual platform Zoom to conduct two meetings a Month with an average of 20 to 25 Brethren in attendance, some from Japan, Guam, Italy and other states in the U.S.
Nothing beats meeting in person; however, meeting virtually has given us the ability to keep the Lodge running and afloat. It allowed some of our Senior and physically challenged members to join us, and it has also given Brethren outside of Washington who have moved as active duty military the ability to interact once again with their Brothers.
Moving forward once we’re back in Lodge I do see us using this useful tool to meet during snow days when it’s not safe to drive, during small officer meetings, or during special events when we want to share good times with our members outside of Washington.
I feel our ability to adapt and overcome any and all challenges we face as Masons is what will keep our beloved Craft moving forward and secure our future for generations to come.
I too have been very pleasantly surprised by the fact that Brothers who have moved away, or otherwise don't have any ability to attend have participated in Lodge Zoom meetings. It has been a superb way to re-connect.
I think that part of what has made this possible is how easy it is to actually use Zoom. There just aren't any real barriers to participation over it.
In Washington we do have a small handful of Lodges that have refused to do anything on a virtual platform. I fear that they have very badly missed the boat, and unless they get new leadership that is at least willing to give new methods a try they will not survive as Lodges.
Certainly it is 100% better for the Lodge to remain connected to the Brother who, for reasons of health, can't attend Lodge in person anymore, than to just let his participation slip away.
In fact, now that we all understand that new technologies allow a Lodge to continue bringing men like this into our regular fellowship, I would argue that it is a Lodge's Masonic responsibility to do so.
When my grandmother was dying a few months ago, at age 99, she was able to connect with distant relatives and friends over Zoom. How truly wonderful that was.
I have to wonder how a Lodge can justify acting otherwise.
I am a proponent of carrying the digital platorms forward into our meetings when we return to in person meetings.
I know there will undoubtedly be at least a few Brethren who will still be medically fragile and unable to risk being back among their Fellows in larger numbers as well as those who are of the mindset that it is too early to safely gather within our walls. We have Brethren who have moved away or are otherwise distanced that may again be able to join in our meetings in some form or another.
We have seen that a virtual Tyler can be used as a gatekeeper to ensure only those with the pass are allowed in the meeting and can easily inform the Secretary as to who was in attendance through these means.
There may not be as loud a voice to be had. There may be some hiccups and some difficulties but once the esoteric portion of opening Lodge has been completed these qualified Brethren can be let in and add to the value or partake in the business of the meetings. If for nothing else to receive some Masonic education, report on sunshine and to receive some distanced fraternalism.
The youth groups are finding success through similar means. They have carried on with Initiations and Installations. Fun events and sunshine, heck I've even seen fundraisers being posted and those youth groups moving to online payments to eliminate the need to collect hard currency. Their numbers are growing at a rate I don't think we were seeing before the pandemic. Young men and women are hungry for what we are as an organization and appendant bodies for who we become through them.
Masonry must change in some forms in order to remain relevant and accessible. I don't suggest we change anything esoteric or ritualistic as in a previous post but to open the business portion of the meeting to others who are out of the area or for health reasons chosing not to be there in person.
Think of the options for Masonic Education if we can project a discussion onto a screen and speakers are able to present from another land.
The options are there. We must explore and find what is right and true for our Lodges.
Personally, I have been thrilled with the possibilities for great Masonic education that the widespread adoption of Zoom has opened up. Before our Lodges were closed due to the pandemic, one of them brought in a superb Masonic author from the east coast to present to the Lodge.
With all the flying and other travel, it had to be at least a two day journey for him, certainly not something that he could do very often. And of course, the Lodge had to pay for that travel, certainly not something it could afford to do very often.
With virtual platforms, those barriers just slip away. A Lodge, no matter how distant, can now invite the speakers it hopes to hear from, quickly and easily.
Through the pandemic I have been extremely impressed with my local Chapter of the Rainbow Girls. They have reached out, multiple times, to all the Masons in the area, doing their best to add a bit of joy to everyone's lives. They have also, as you say, managed to continue their fundraisers and other things, just by embracing technology. An online platform and a Stripe account to take credit cards, and they are set.
I know that there has been concern in this Jurisdiction about the esoteric ritual going out over a virtual meeting. I guess I'm not sure why that is though? If a waiting room is used, it can be tyled at least as well as our physical Lodge rooms. Especially when we consider the large numbers of Lodges who have to rely upon Casper to serve as Tyler. Maybe I'm missing something though.
Wow.....I just wrote a nice comment and it didn't save because I appearantly wasn't logged in. I long in and ....poof. no comment. Bummer. In a nut shell....virtual platforms good for the lodge, our elders who cannot come to lodge and brothers out of state can visit.
When the pandemic was first upon us, we weren’t doing anything. When the Zoom meetings were first suggested, I was very hesitant to move forward, but as we started it became a great way to socialize and interact with the brothers. I soon became distinctly aware though, that like a normal meeting, if I didn’t have a plan / program then it was an empty time. We thought outside the box and were able to take our Bikes for Books program and use the funds that hadn’t been spent on bikes and purchase school supplies for the Special Needs students in the schools that participated in the Bikes for Books. We also had an in-depth conversation in December about how a social meeting platform could be integrated into Masonry from GL down through all the Lodges of the jurisdiction. Zoom has enabled me to attend educational events at different lodges that have been amazing. I feel we need to have serious conversations about the integration of Zoom type platforms in order to enhance our Masonic experiences.
Having attended so many Lodge Zoom meetings over the past year, both within the Jurisdiction, and beyond it, I think that you are exactly correct.
A Zoom meeting with a tight and focused agenda, and of a fairly short duration can be quite superb. Without those things though, they can, and do, drag horribly. And it shows with attendance. Those that keep them short, and keep them on topic seem to clearly have much better attendance than those that don't.
I agree with you that as a Fraternity, we need to have serious discussions about integrating virtual platforms into Masonry. As you point out, from the Local Lodge to the Grand Lodge. We need to have those discussions now, not after our Lodges re-open.
In my opinion, one of the main areas where I have seen the use of virtual platforms stand out, is the ability of local lodges to host guest speakers from across the country, giving presentations that would have otherwise been impossible due to the time and expense of travel and lodging.
With a modest investment in necessary equipment such as a projector connected to a laptop with an Internet connection, and a decent set of external speakers, this technology could bring guest presenters to local Lodge meetings in a virtual format that immediately overcomes the limitations previously preventing many smaller Lodges in remote areas from offering their members access to popular Masonic speakers and educators.
I think this is exactly right. Properly set up and used it puts the most remote of Lodges on the same footing, with the same opportunities, as Lodges in the biggest of cities, and it also equalizes the poor Lodge that could never afford to bring in a named speaker with the wealthy Lodge that can.
I really hope that when this pandemic finally ends our Lodges will seriously put this technology to work.
Throughout this pandemic Silverdale Lodge No. 311 has used the virtual platform Zoom to conduct two meetings a Month with an average of 20 to 25 Brethren in attendance, some from Japan, Guam, Italy and other states in the U.S.
Nothing beats meeting in person; however, meeting virtually has given us the ability to keep the Lodge running and afloat. It allowed some of our Senior and physically challenged members to join us, and it has also given Brethren outside of Washington who have moved as active duty military the ability to interact once again with their Brothers.
Moving forward once we’re back in Lodge I do see us using this useful tool to meet during snow days when it’s not safe to drive, during small officer meetings, or during special events when we want to share good times with our members outside of Washington.
I feel our ability to adapt and overcome any and all challenges we face as Masons is what will keep our beloved Craft moving forward and secure our future for generations to come.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
I too have been very pleasantly surprised by the fact that Brothers who have moved away, or otherwise don't have any ability to attend have participated in Lodge Zoom meetings. It has been a superb way to re-connect.
I think that part of what has made this possible is how easy it is to actually use Zoom. There just aren't any real barriers to participation over it.
In Washington we do have a small handful of Lodges that have refused to do anything on a virtual platform. I fear that they have very badly missed the boat, and unless they get new leadership that is at least willing to give new methods a try they will not survive as Lodges.
Certainly it is 100% better for the Lodge to remain connected to the Brother who, for reasons of health, can't attend Lodge in person anymore, than to just let his participation slip away.
In fact, now that we all understand that new technologies allow a Lodge to continue bringing men like this into our regular fellowship, I would argue that it is a Lodge's Masonic responsibility to do so.
When my grandmother was dying a few months ago, at age 99, she was able to connect with distant relatives and friends over Zoom. How truly wonderful that was.
I have to wonder how a Lodge can justify acting otherwise.
I am a proponent of carrying the digital platorms forward into our meetings when we return to in person meetings.
I know there will undoubtedly be at least a few Brethren who will still be medically fragile and unable to risk being back among their Fellows in larger numbers as well as those who are of the mindset that it is too early to safely gather within our walls. We have Brethren who have moved away or are otherwise distanced that may again be able to join in our meetings in some form or another.
We have seen that a virtual Tyler can be used as a gatekeeper to ensure only those with the pass are allowed in the meeting and can easily inform the Secretary as to who was in attendance through these means.
There may not be as loud a voice to be had. There may be some hiccups and some difficulties but once the esoteric portion of opening Lodge has been completed these qualified Brethren can be let in and add to the value or partake in the business of the meetings. If for nothing else to receive some Masonic education, report on sunshine and to receive some distanced fraternalism.
The youth groups are finding success through similar means. They have carried on with Initiations and Installations. Fun events and sunshine, heck I've even seen fundraisers being posted and those youth groups moving to online payments to eliminate the need to collect hard currency. Their numbers are growing at a rate I don't think we were seeing before the pandemic. Young men and women are hungry for what we are as an organization and appendant bodies for who we become through them.
Masonry must change in some forms in order to remain relevant and accessible. I don't suggest we change anything esoteric or ritualistic as in a previous post but to open the business portion of the meeting to others who are out of the area or for health reasons chosing not to be there in person.
Think of the options for Masonic Education if we can project a discussion onto a screen and speakers are able to present from another land.
The options are there. We must explore and find what is right and true for our Lodges.
Personally, I have been thrilled with the possibilities for great Masonic education that the widespread adoption of Zoom has opened up. Before our Lodges were closed due to the pandemic, one of them brought in a superb Masonic author from the east coast to present to the Lodge.
With all the flying and other travel, it had to be at least a two day journey for him, certainly not something that he could do very often. And of course, the Lodge had to pay for that travel, certainly not something it could afford to do very often.
With virtual platforms, those barriers just slip away. A Lodge, no matter how distant, can now invite the speakers it hopes to hear from, quickly and easily.
Through the pandemic I have been extremely impressed with my local Chapter of the Rainbow Girls. They have reached out, multiple times, to all the Masons in the area, doing their best to add a bit of joy to everyone's lives. They have also, as you say, managed to continue their fundraisers and other things, just by embracing technology. An online platform and a Stripe account to take credit cards, and they are set.
I know that there has been concern in this Jurisdiction about the esoteric ritual going out over a virtual meeting. I guess I'm not sure why that is though? If a waiting room is used, it can be tyled at least as well as our physical Lodge rooms. Especially when we consider the large numbers of Lodges who have to rely upon Casper to serve as Tyler. Maybe I'm missing something though.
Wow.....I just wrote a nice comment and it didn't save because I appearantly wasn't logged in. I long in and ....poof. no comment. Bummer. In a nut shell....virtual platforms good for the lodge, our elders who cannot come to lodge and brothers out of state can visit.
VW Brother: The best solution to all computer problems is to whack it with a hammer! I'm certain of it!
Or blame the guy who runs this Emeth operation, whoever the heck he is.
Yeah....well......I should demand a refund.....the guy who runs this emeth is a bit (unslim) shady.....
Agreed. That Bailey guy's a jerk. ;-)
When the pandemic was first upon us, we weren’t doing anything. When the Zoom meetings were first suggested, I was very hesitant to move forward, but as we started it became a great way to socialize and interact with the brothers. I soon became distinctly aware though, that like a normal meeting, if I didn’t have a plan / program then it was an empty time. We thought outside the box and were able to take our Bikes for Books program and use the funds that hadn’t been spent on bikes and purchase school supplies for the Special Needs students in the schools that participated in the Bikes for Books. We also had an in-depth conversation in December about how a social meeting platform could be integrated into Masonry from GL down through all the Lodges of the jurisdiction. Zoom has enabled me to attend educational events at different lodges that have been amazing. I feel we need to have serious conversations about the integration of Zoom type platforms in order to enhance our Masonic experiences.
Having attended so many Lodge Zoom meetings over the past year, both within the Jurisdiction, and beyond it, I think that you are exactly correct.
A Zoom meeting with a tight and focused agenda, and of a fairly short duration can be quite superb. Without those things though, they can, and do, drag horribly. And it shows with attendance. Those that keep them short, and keep them on topic seem to clearly have much better attendance than those that don't.
I agree with you that as a Fraternity, we need to have serious discussions about integrating virtual platforms into Masonry. As you point out, from the Local Lodge to the Grand Lodge. We need to have those discussions now, not after our Lodges re-open.
In my opinion, one of the main areas where I have seen the use of virtual platforms stand out, is the ability of local lodges to host guest speakers from across the country, giving presentations that would have otherwise been impossible due to the time and expense of travel and lodging.
With a modest investment in necessary equipment such as a projector connected to a laptop with an Internet connection, and a decent set of external speakers, this technology could bring guest presenters to local Lodge meetings in a virtual format that immediately overcomes the limitations previously preventing many smaller Lodges in remote areas from offering their members access to popular Masonic speakers and educators.
I think this is exactly right. Properly set up and used it puts the most remote of Lodges on the same footing, with the same opportunities, as Lodges in the biggest of cities, and it also equalizes the poor Lodge that could never afford to bring in a named speaker with the wealthy Lodge that can.
I really hope that when this pandemic finally ends our Lodges will seriously put this technology to work.