Yesterday MW Jim Mendoza sent me the following video. It is MW Raymond Dunn, Grand Master of Colorado’s address to his Jurisdiction.
Let’s head on over to youtube to watch it, and then return here to discuss his vital message:
We have discussed similar ideas here on Emeth over the past year, and I remain convinced that those Lodges which adopt them will see not only a better today, but a bright and thriving future.
I agree with what is said. I seek masonry because I seek the light of knowledge. I think lots of People today are looking for truth. If so we need to make that clear that we are providing truth to the wider community.
Bravo! I agree completely with his points and suggested changes. I sought truth, knowledge and growth and only experienced business matters and discussion of future meetings and events while in Lodge. All of which could have easily been sent in advance via email saving precious minutes for education. I personally stepped away from attending Lodge and continuing my advancement because my experience within Lodge meetings consisted of mostly business matters and virtually little or no education. My personal quest to learn felt stymied. Even as a First Degree my personal library at home of Masonic related books and authors was larger than anything I saw in the Lodge. I gained more education in a few brief casual conversations with a customer who is in Sottish Rite. We simply discussed some authors and books and some general broad topics which helped my personal growth immensely by pointing me in the right direction. Yes, please - education should be paramount over minutes, budgets and business. If a Lodge can send out a newsletter, it can also send or include the business information as well. As well as posting them inside the Lodge or hand out bullet point pertinent matters ahead of opening Lodge.
A couple of Lodges I belong to are coming around to some of these changes. While progress is slow, progress is happening. The Grand Lodge has a speaker's bureau roster for those lodges looking for programming. The short talk bulletin that's published on a regular basis is another source of lodge education ideas. In this day and age, most everyone has email and minutes and other business documents can be dispatched to members with the click of a mouse. At St. John's #9, we have regular monthly Zoom meetings that are clearly educational in nature. As a matter of fact, we had one education meeting that was fascinating involving Masonic help for people fleeing Ukraine and how surrounding countries are fearful of the conflict expanding beyond the Ukrainian borders. One of the regular virtual visitors to our lodge is a Mason in Finland and often times we compare and contrast Masonry in our two countries.
Amen! AMEN! I was *allowed* to join Masonry! I came for fellowship, a sense of belonging, and further light. I agree with the Colorado Grand Master's comments that minutes and communications can be posted at the Tyler's desk, leaving more time for education and discussion. I also agree with his position that we do not need new officers every year. "It's my turn" is not a viable reason for installing new officers every year. Not everyone is capable of being a good leader. Many men just don't have the skills or experience to step into the "line" and LEAD. I could write a book on what it takes to be a leader and why many simply cannot fulfill that role. "That's the way we've always done it" and "We've never done it that way before" are two of the worst reasons for continuing our meeting habits. Let's try a new way of doing things and see what happens. It may fail, but it might just succeed! Just my thoughts...
Some additional thoughts. Most lodges have a wonderful history because with the growth of our communities over the years, brothers have been part of the movers and shakers that influence how our neighbors grow in positive ways. A great education topic is to update those histories and talk about lessons learned and how we can use those lessons to make a better impact on our community. Other education resources: there's a large number of videos on You Tube that can be a catalyst for discussion and some jurisdictions have put their education programs online. One good source is the Rubicon Education Society.
And one more thing. MW Cameron and many others have always advocated guarding the west gate. I would submit we do the same for the East. Some people join the line who may not be qualified and lodges suffer. In a previous life, we had absentee leadership where for 3-4 years running, the worshipful masters were "no-shows" and brothers had to step up to fill the void. This is not fair. I've taught leadership and I always tell students that leadership is hard work. If you want to make a difference, have a vision and a plan. We need servant leaders at the head of our lodges, not "trophy hunters" because they feel entitled.
I think the devil is in the details. How do we change the structure of our leadership line, when lodges are barely able to fill the chairs? What truths do we teach, when we teach truths? Masonic education, is that just a rehashing of famous Masons from the past? Templar theories?
It’s my opinion that Masonry has a good program, introducing men to basic lessons in ethics and morality, and it skims the subject of spiritualty. It mentions the seven liberal arts, and that’s it. All this is fine, but what next? After a brother is raised, it-all-stops. There are brethren who go deeper, but they do it in solitude. The one area that we, as a community excel in, is Masonic history. What we used to do. Consider this, would Benjamin Franklin be interested in our current level of Masonic work? Would Albert Pike? Would Washington? We don’t do what we used to do.
When I show up for a meeting, I come for, in addition to seeing my friends and brothers, personal growth. I come to enjoy the fruits of Masonry, and I expect to be challenged to grow. I think this video lays out the structure of a better Masonry, but structure is just the skeleton. I think what we need to do is flesh that skeleton out. What does that mean? A discussion, an institutional conversation about redefining who we are, what we do, who we will become. We need to design a program that is actively engaging Master Masons after raising. If we do THAT a Master Mason’s ring will be the emblem of an accomplished man, a man possessing of some level of wisdom. If we do that, our brethren might begin to guard the west gate, because they will have the wisdom to judge a good man with the potential of becoming a better and they will have the courage to say no, and face the risk of diminished numbers, having faith that in time we will grow again, healthy and strong. I think if we do this, our selection of a Worshipful Master will result in a man worthy of admiration and emulation, knowing he is skilled in more that our ritual, and possibly worthy of more than a one-year term. I think if we do this, men of the mundane world will see a Mason as an Adept of being the best kind of human and wish to be his student. If we can do all this Masonry will not just be a fraternity, but a force in the world for good. I think the world needs that.
I completely agree with M:W: Dunn's message, and have heard similar from various Masonic leaders over the years (some heeded, some not). In every body I have had the privilege of presiding over (blue lodge, YR, SR, etc) I actually have tried to keep to a 25%/75% rule in terms of business/personal growth activities (education, discussions, sharing journeys, etc), and at the same time kept meetings to a respectful length for people's time. Most Brothers were very thankful for it, some decried my tossing of the "suggested agenda" in the trash can as M:W: Dunn put it.
As a younger member of the Fraternity (in age) the time wasting meeting is the worst possible Masonic experience. I spent two years as a District Grand Lecturer in Louisiana, my district had 19 Lodges and I was to visit them all at least once, with a goal of twice. I cannot being to describe how utterly pointless and without any sort of Masonic meaning a lot of those Lodges put on. If it weren't for the opening and closing ritual it could have been a meeting of the budget committee of any organization. Once I had kids my tolerance for those sorts of meetings (which was low already) vanished.
I often see people commenting about the fact that our meetings are competing with modern entertainment, and ease of staying home, etc. I can tell you as a young man with a family what you are competing with is spending time with my kids while they are little. We ask our younger members, with young and growing families, to give up a night with their kids to come to Lodge, and when we offer them nothing that is worth not being home to tuck their kids in they are not going to come back. I had one Lodge that I would regularly attend dinner for the excellent fellowship, and then leave and go home to tuck my kids in because their meetings were so lacking in anything worth spending the nearly 2 hours that they would spend rehashing the treasurers report and trying to figure out ways to raise money.
If we expect our members to attend and be active we have to understand what they were looking for, what they are trading off to attend our meetings, and then make it worth their while. Too often we do not ask anything about those items to be able to understand what to program, but I can guarantee that no one joined Masonry for minutes/bill/droning committee reports.
Then again, I feel like anyone reading this probably feels the same way and this is a bit of preaching to the choir :-)
is included their lastest vision and mission statements. The key for implementing what the Grand Master and these statements say, will depend upon a number of critial things. These would include but not limited to:
1. Have the current GL officers entirely bought-in to these statements to ensure the continuation of these efforts?
2. Were these mission and vision statements developed after seeking input from the local lodge level?
3. Will there be action plans developed to acheive the mission and vision.
4. Is the Grand Lodge prepared to continually fund this effort and provide proper training and education for those who will train the local lodges?
5. Will the Grand Lodge create a reward system that will support the emphasis on education?
6. Are they prepared to let lodges fail and go out of existence if they can't refocus on education?
I totally agree with the Grand Master's statements, but if they are not followed by purposeful action over a long period of time, his statements will join a long list of prominent Masons who have made similar statements over the last 100 years.
Step 3: Consider how to incorporate masonic themes/elements.
Step 4: Build an outline, define the 'point' of your presentation. (How will the Brothers be 'better' afterwards? Art appreciation, skill knowledge, interpersonal communications. )
Step 5: Build a Power Point or other visual/tactile/sensory element.
Step 6: Speak with WM. Work with him to develop a meeting theme around your presentation.
Step 7: Suggest to the WM other poetry, art, or scientific disciplines that are inline with your presentation.
Step 8: Theme the meal to the meeting theme.
Step 9: Execute.
For example, we recently held a meeting where we went over the history of Origami. Then, each Brother was handed a sheet of Origami paper and we all started folding. Some Brothers required assistance, which others were happy to provide. Everyone eventually folded a heart. Then, each Brother was asked to pass their heart to the person next to them. The point? We're all here doing our best and giving freely to each other. And, while we may be highly critical of our own work, we are overly generous and supporting seeing others work. Then, there was a call to action for Brothers to take on larger pieces of ritual. It proved to be a very positive experience and, in my humble opinion, made each man there a little better.
I agree with what is said. I seek masonry because I seek the light of knowledge. I think lots of People today are looking for truth. If so we need to make that clear that we are providing truth to the wider community.
Bravo! I agree completely with his points and suggested changes. I sought truth, knowledge and growth and only experienced business matters and discussion of future meetings and events while in Lodge. All of which could have easily been sent in advance via email saving precious minutes for education. I personally stepped away from attending Lodge and continuing my advancement because my experience within Lodge meetings consisted of mostly business matters and virtually little or no education. My personal quest to learn felt stymied. Even as a First Degree my personal library at home of Masonic related books and authors was larger than anything I saw in the Lodge. I gained more education in a few brief casual conversations with a customer who is in Sottish Rite. We simply discussed some authors and books and some general broad topics which helped my personal growth immensely by pointing me in the right direction. Yes, please - education should be paramount over minutes, budgets and business. If a Lodge can send out a newsletter, it can also send or include the business information as well. As well as posting them inside the Lodge or hand out bullet point pertinent matters ahead of opening Lodge.
A couple of Lodges I belong to are coming around to some of these changes. While progress is slow, progress is happening. The Grand Lodge has a speaker's bureau roster for those lodges looking for programming. The short talk bulletin that's published on a regular basis is another source of lodge education ideas. In this day and age, most everyone has email and minutes and other business documents can be dispatched to members with the click of a mouse. At St. John's #9, we have regular monthly Zoom meetings that are clearly educational in nature. As a matter of fact, we had one education meeting that was fascinating involving Masonic help for people fleeing Ukraine and how surrounding countries are fearful of the conflict expanding beyond the Ukrainian borders. One of the regular virtual visitors to our lodge is a Mason in Finland and often times we compare and contrast Masonry in our two countries.
Amen! AMEN! I was *allowed* to join Masonry! I came for fellowship, a sense of belonging, and further light. I agree with the Colorado Grand Master's comments that minutes and communications can be posted at the Tyler's desk, leaving more time for education and discussion. I also agree with his position that we do not need new officers every year. "It's my turn" is not a viable reason for installing new officers every year. Not everyone is capable of being a good leader. Many men just don't have the skills or experience to step into the "line" and LEAD. I could write a book on what it takes to be a leader and why many simply cannot fulfill that role. "That's the way we've always done it" and "We've never done it that way before" are two of the worst reasons for continuing our meeting habits. Let's try a new way of doing things and see what happens. It may fail, but it might just succeed! Just my thoughts...
Some additional thoughts. Most lodges have a wonderful history because with the growth of our communities over the years, brothers have been part of the movers and shakers that influence how our neighbors grow in positive ways. A great education topic is to update those histories and talk about lessons learned and how we can use those lessons to make a better impact on our community. Other education resources: there's a large number of videos on You Tube that can be a catalyst for discussion and some jurisdictions have put their education programs online. One good source is the Rubicon Education Society.
And one more thing. MW Cameron and many others have always advocated guarding the west gate. I would submit we do the same for the East. Some people join the line who may not be qualified and lodges suffer. In a previous life, we had absentee leadership where for 3-4 years running, the worshipful masters were "no-shows" and brothers had to step up to fill the void. This is not fair. I've taught leadership and I always tell students that leadership is hard work. If you want to make a difference, have a vision and a plan. We need servant leaders at the head of our lodges, not "trophy hunters" because they feel entitled.
I agree with everything he said.
I think the devil is in the details. How do we change the structure of our leadership line, when lodges are barely able to fill the chairs? What truths do we teach, when we teach truths? Masonic education, is that just a rehashing of famous Masons from the past? Templar theories?
It’s my opinion that Masonry has a good program, introducing men to basic lessons in ethics and morality, and it skims the subject of spiritualty. It mentions the seven liberal arts, and that’s it. All this is fine, but what next? After a brother is raised, it-all-stops. There are brethren who go deeper, but they do it in solitude. The one area that we, as a community excel in, is Masonic history. What we used to do. Consider this, would Benjamin Franklin be interested in our current level of Masonic work? Would Albert Pike? Would Washington? We don’t do what we used to do.
When I show up for a meeting, I come for, in addition to seeing my friends and brothers, personal growth. I come to enjoy the fruits of Masonry, and I expect to be challenged to grow. I think this video lays out the structure of a better Masonry, but structure is just the skeleton. I think what we need to do is flesh that skeleton out. What does that mean? A discussion, an institutional conversation about redefining who we are, what we do, who we will become. We need to design a program that is actively engaging Master Masons after raising. If we do THAT a Master Mason’s ring will be the emblem of an accomplished man, a man possessing of some level of wisdom. If we do that, our brethren might begin to guard the west gate, because they will have the wisdom to judge a good man with the potential of becoming a better and they will have the courage to say no, and face the risk of diminished numbers, having faith that in time we will grow again, healthy and strong. I think if we do this, our selection of a Worshipful Master will result in a man worthy of admiration and emulation, knowing he is skilled in more that our ritual, and possibly worthy of more than a one-year term. I think if we do this, men of the mundane world will see a Mason as an Adept of being the best kind of human and wish to be his student. If we can do all this Masonry will not just be a fraternity, but a force in the world for good. I think the world needs that.
I completely agree with M:W: Dunn's message, and have heard similar from various Masonic leaders over the years (some heeded, some not). In every body I have had the privilege of presiding over (blue lodge, YR, SR, etc) I actually have tried to keep to a 25%/75% rule in terms of business/personal growth activities (education, discussions, sharing journeys, etc), and at the same time kept meetings to a respectful length for people's time. Most Brothers were very thankful for it, some decried my tossing of the "suggested agenda" in the trash can as M:W: Dunn put it.
As a younger member of the Fraternity (in age) the time wasting meeting is the worst possible Masonic experience. I spent two years as a District Grand Lecturer in Louisiana, my district had 19 Lodges and I was to visit them all at least once, with a goal of twice. I cannot being to describe how utterly pointless and without any sort of Masonic meaning a lot of those Lodges put on. If it weren't for the opening and closing ritual it could have been a meeting of the budget committee of any organization. Once I had kids my tolerance for those sorts of meetings (which was low already) vanished.
I often see people commenting about the fact that our meetings are competing with modern entertainment, and ease of staying home, etc. I can tell you as a young man with a family what you are competing with is spending time with my kids while they are little. We ask our younger members, with young and growing families, to give up a night with their kids to come to Lodge, and when we offer them nothing that is worth not being home to tuck their kids in they are not going to come back. I had one Lodge that I would regularly attend dinner for the excellent fellowship, and then leave and go home to tuck my kids in because their meetings were so lacking in anything worth spending the nearly 2 hours that they would spend rehashing the treasurers report and trying to figure out ways to raise money.
If we expect our members to attend and be active we have to understand what they were looking for, what they are trading off to attend our meetings, and then make it worth their while. Too often we do not ask anything about those items to be able to understand what to program, but I can guarantee that no one joined Masonry for minutes/bill/droning committee reports.
Then again, I feel like anyone reading this probably feels the same way and this is a bit of preaching to the choir :-)
In the the last Grand Lodge newsletter http://www.coloradofreemasons.org/pdfDocuments/2022newsletters/MarNewsletter.pdf,
is included their lastest vision and mission statements. The key for implementing what the Grand Master and these statements say, will depend upon a number of critial things. These would include but not limited to:
1. Have the current GL officers entirely bought-in to these statements to ensure the continuation of these efforts?
2. Were these mission and vision statements developed after seeking input from the local lodge level?
3. Will there be action plans developed to acheive the mission and vision.
4. Is the Grand Lodge prepared to continually fund this effort and provide proper training and education for those who will train the local lodges?
5. Will the Grand Lodge create a reward system that will support the emphasis on education?
6. Are they prepared to let lodges fail and go out of existence if they can't refocus on education?
I totally agree with the Grand Master's statements, but if they are not followed by purposeful action over a long period of time, his statements will join a long list of prominent Masons who have made similar statements over the last 100 years.
Masonic Education Made Easy
Step 1: Find an interesting video on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e16DmKH01s)
Step 2: Use VCL or similar program to download clips. (https://www.videolan.org/vlc/)
Step 3: Consider how to incorporate masonic themes/elements.
Step 4: Build an outline, define the 'point' of your presentation. (How will the Brothers be 'better' afterwards? Art appreciation, skill knowledge, interpersonal communications. )
Step 5: Build a Power Point or other visual/tactile/sensory element.
Step 6: Speak with WM. Work with him to develop a meeting theme around your presentation.
Step 7: Suggest to the WM other poetry, art, or scientific disciplines that are inline with your presentation.
Step 8: Theme the meal to the meeting theme.
Step 9: Execute.
For example, we recently held a meeting where we went over the history of Origami. Then, each Brother was handed a sheet of Origami paper and we all started folding. Some Brothers required assistance, which others were happy to provide. Everyone eventually folded a heart. Then, each Brother was asked to pass their heart to the person next to them. The point? We're all here doing our best and giving freely to each other. And, while we may be highly critical of our own work, we are overly generous and supporting seeing others work. Then, there was a call to action for Brothers to take on larger pieces of ritual. It proved to be a very positive experience and, in my humble opinion, made each man there a little better.