This literally happened to me a few months ago. We had a newly initiated Brother who was sitting all alone waiting for the lecturer to get the computer fired up for the slideshow that goes along with the lecture. I noticed he was sitting there all alone as the rest of the Lodge was sitting together. I got up and took a seat beside him so he would not feel alone.
YES!!!! This type of innovative thinking, that diretly confronts weaknesses in our system, is exactly the kind of out out of the box intervention that we need. Thank you, Bro. Cameron!
In Silverdale Lodge No. 311, the Senior Deacon sits next to our newly obliged Entered Apprentice Mason as he receives the Lecture.
The Worshipful Master assigns a coach and mentor when giving his instructions, and that coach and mentor will give weekly progress reports on our EA’s proficiency. Our brother will have the same coach and mentor until he is Raised. This approach seems to work well for us.
My Lodge takes a "village" approach to mentoring. We hold regular informal meetings where candidates can come and work on their lessons with any and all Brethren who are also in attendance. Typically the candidates will gravitate to one Brother to be his primary mentor, however, with so many other there it's rare that others aren't pulled into the conversations and lessons.
I am of the like opinion that Masonic Education should be front-loaded into Lodge meetings and business issues at the tail end. Being a former Lodge Treasurer, I am sensitive to time issues, and I managed to keep business time to a minimum. When a Lodge approves a budget, certain items are monthly reoccurrences and really don’t need to be reported. Variances would be brought to the officer’s meeting and approved/disapproved by vote and variances would be reported to the full Lodge. Takes about 30 seconds unless there are questions. Other business items should be sent to the Lodge Secretary for review and inclusion, if appropriate. We don’t need to spend 30+ minutes listening to the various committee and youth organizations that have nothing to report. (Which happens a lot more than you think [yawn])
This gives us more time for education and working with new members. As a matter of fact, new members generally do a lot of study for their next proficiencies, and this might be a time to give them assignments for the next batch of candidates. Have the coaches work with them to help educate the new guys, since a lot of material will be fresh in their minds. When we do rituals, give them something simple like the Working Tools to orate. This gets everybody involved and the new brothers feel like they are part of an ongoing process, learning and doing at the same time.
There are a lot of things to learn, and I am ashamed to say that I did not realize there was something called catechisms that I should have learned as an Entered Apprentice. Nobody taught them to me and I found them by accident while researching something else. Time to get back to basics. The British Parliament has something called “Question Time” where members can lob all questions of the Prime Minister. This would be a good time for new members, as they progress in their studies, to lob all questions to the Master and the Wardens. This keeps everyone on their toes and reminds veteran members of things they may or may not have known. I know I can never know too much.
Well as a long term EA haha I have had PLENTY of time to think about this... And here's my thoughts...yes sitting alone can be in comfortable...however me personally I was to focused on what was being said to me and the deep moving realization of what was being said to me about what I had just gone threw... Maybe a brother next to you would be a distraction? Just a thought... Anyway if a new brother is focused on what's going on and being said to him I believe he fill enjoy it eather way but most likely better with someone around him... SECONDLY. Afterwords there really wasn't much going on.... A few people talked but most left... There was a brief meal between half's and there was little "groups" around talking amongst themselves but I was sitting with my mentor and a few other brothers asking me different questions about what I was feeling after the first half....but that's really it. It would have been alot better if there was more of a focus on making the brother feel welcome by everyone and everyone trying to talk to him or at least welcome him... By this time there where still some brothers that I had barely even spoken too and these brothers never made a effort to talk. And I am by no means out to complains.... This was just my experience....never the less...the brothers that did reach out and make me feel welcome and talk made the experience tremendously powerfully and something in will never forget .
Excellent post. In addition to what you've outlined, we explain that our Lodge's proficiency comes in three parts; the catechism to memorize the work, our jurisdictions New Candidate Education Program to learn the 'book answer' to things, and the requirement for them to present an original masonic educational piece in Lodge to prove they've thought over the lessons and come to their own understanding. Masonic education is not only fun, it's fundamental!
This literally happened to me a few months ago. We had a newly initiated Brother who was sitting all alone waiting for the lecturer to get the computer fired up for the slideshow that goes along with the lecture. I noticed he was sitting there all alone as the rest of the Lodge was sitting together. I got up and took a seat beside him so he would not feel alone.
YES!!!! This type of innovative thinking, that diretly confronts weaknesses in our system, is exactly the kind of out out of the box intervention that we need. Thank you, Bro. Cameron!
In Silverdale Lodge No. 311, the Senior Deacon sits next to our newly obliged Entered Apprentice Mason as he receives the Lecture.
The Worshipful Master assigns a coach and mentor when giving his instructions, and that coach and mentor will give weekly progress reports on our EA’s proficiency. Our brother will have the same coach and mentor until he is Raised. This approach seems to work well for us.
Have a blessed Sunday.
My Lodge takes a "village" approach to mentoring. We hold regular informal meetings where candidates can come and work on their lessons with any and all Brethren who are also in attendance. Typically the candidates will gravitate to one Brother to be his primary mentor, however, with so many other there it's rare that others aren't pulled into the conversations and lessons.
I am of the like opinion that Masonic Education should be front-loaded into Lodge meetings and business issues at the tail end. Being a former Lodge Treasurer, I am sensitive to time issues, and I managed to keep business time to a minimum. When a Lodge approves a budget, certain items are monthly reoccurrences and really don’t need to be reported. Variances would be brought to the officer’s meeting and approved/disapproved by vote and variances would be reported to the full Lodge. Takes about 30 seconds unless there are questions. Other business items should be sent to the Lodge Secretary for review and inclusion, if appropriate. We don’t need to spend 30+ minutes listening to the various committee and youth organizations that have nothing to report. (Which happens a lot more than you think [yawn])
This gives us more time for education and working with new members. As a matter of fact, new members generally do a lot of study for their next proficiencies, and this might be a time to give them assignments for the next batch of candidates. Have the coaches work with them to help educate the new guys, since a lot of material will be fresh in their minds. When we do rituals, give them something simple like the Working Tools to orate. This gets everybody involved and the new brothers feel like they are part of an ongoing process, learning and doing at the same time.
There are a lot of things to learn, and I am ashamed to say that I did not realize there was something called catechisms that I should have learned as an Entered Apprentice. Nobody taught them to me and I found them by accident while researching something else. Time to get back to basics. The British Parliament has something called “Question Time” where members can lob all questions of the Prime Minister. This would be a good time for new members, as they progress in their studies, to lob all questions to the Master and the Wardens. This keeps everyone on their toes and reminds veteran members of things they may or may not have known. I know I can never know too much.
Well as a long term EA haha I have had PLENTY of time to think about this... And here's my thoughts...yes sitting alone can be in comfortable...however me personally I was to focused on what was being said to me and the deep moving realization of what was being said to me about what I had just gone threw... Maybe a brother next to you would be a distraction? Just a thought... Anyway if a new brother is focused on what's going on and being said to him I believe he fill enjoy it eather way but most likely better with someone around him... SECONDLY. Afterwords there really wasn't much going on.... A few people talked but most left... There was a brief meal between half's and there was little "groups" around talking amongst themselves but I was sitting with my mentor and a few other brothers asking me different questions about what I was feeling after the first half....but that's really it. It would have been alot better if there was more of a focus on making the brother feel welcome by everyone and everyone trying to talk to him or at least welcome him... By this time there where still some brothers that I had barely even spoken too and these brothers never made a effort to talk. And I am by no means out to complains.... This was just my experience....never the less...the brothers that did reach out and make me feel welcome and talk made the experience tremendously powerfully and something in will never forget .
Excellent post. In addition to what you've outlined, we explain that our Lodge's proficiency comes in three parts; the catechism to memorize the work, our jurisdictions New Candidate Education Program to learn the 'book answer' to things, and the requirement for them to present an original masonic educational piece in Lodge to prove they've thought over the lessons and come to their own understanding. Masonic education is not only fun, it's fundamental!