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No longer Ask one to Be one

Payne

Registered User
I was informed that we may now recruit members instead of being ask. I was wondering has anyone else heard this?
 

JTM

"Just in case"
Premium Member
i doubt it. besides, this kind of change doesn't come in the middle of the year.
 

drapetomaniac

Premium Member
Premium Member
I would hope to see more innovative measures (engaging the public in a strategized way) before jumping straight to this.
 

drapetomaniac

Premium Member
Premium Member
I've always thought being active in the community was the best form of evangelism. I've had the same thoughts regarding masonry. People "see" masonry and masons and become curious about it. You shouldn't have to knock on their door.
 

kcir

Registered User
What do you regard as recruiting? Can we hold open houses, invite the public and answer questions,,,,,,,,yes.
 

MGM357

Registered User
An open house could be done as long as it isn't done just to have an open house. Maybe a fund raiser at the Lodge and while people are there, maybe they could ask about Masonry and then one thing leads to another....

I don't think we should invite the public to have a town hall meeting about Masonry. Instead of the public coming to us, we need to be out in the public more often.
 

Hippie19950

Premium Member
We had our Christmas Dinner, and several family members of each Brother attended. We have had a request for a petition from one son, and one son-in-law since that night. The son came to spend an evening with his dad our last Stated Meeting, brought a friend, they had the meal with us, and while we met, they stayed in the "Parlor" and played pool. On the way home after dropping off the friend, the son told his Dad "I think I'm ready to petition, what do I need to do?" Dad said "Son you have just taken the first step." I hope one day that is a conversation I get to have with one of my son's. The story of the son-in-law, I will leave to Brother LJ to pass on if he wants to. We are getting more active, and seen in our little community, and there are some positive things happening. Our Lodge did not dwindle over night, and we don't expect it to come back fast, but we are working on it. We have our monthly pancake breakfast that is open to the public, and we have subtle signs around the restaurant, and Brothers are there to answer questions as they may come. We are looking at ways to increase our financial stability, and this will lead us into the public sight more, and perhaps be able to get more to ask questions, and perhaps to ask THE question. It just takes work and dedication.
(No toes were stepped on this time) :)
Hippie...
 

TexMass

Registered User
What do you regard as recruiting? Can we hold open houses, invite the public and answer questions,,,,,,,,yes.

MA has received some criticisms for their approach to membership. We hold open houses to tell people who we really are and to show the historical connections to the community. We advertise so people know where to go if they are interested. We do not get incentives for "pitching and closing the deal". We try to present Freemasonry to the public to educate them. Freemasonry sales it's self. I've had people come in during an open house to say they have been living in this small town for over 25 years and never new this was a Masonic building. It's just remarkable how we can hide in plain site.

Oh yeah, we can approach a person that we feel may make a good mason and talk to them about it.
 

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
Well said Bro. Sutton. It's about time we Texans get off our butts and start becoming more engaged with the public. This notion that we shouldn't have open houses or that we'll attract members simply because we are Masons is hogwash. It's that mindset that has put Texas Freemasonry in the position we're in.....loosing thousands of members each year.....
 

jonesvilletexas

Premium Member
Not One Person
By Brother Dan Weatherington, from the Masonic e-mail journal CINOSAM
Not one person ever joined Masonry because George Washington was a Mason. Not one person ever joined
Masonry because Harry Truman was a Mason. Not one person ever joined because of any of our great Masonic
heroes. Joining doesn't make you any of those people.
Not one person ever joined in order to give a million dollars a day to charity, or homes, or crippled children.
You don't have to be a member to give money.
Not one person ever joined because our ritual is outstanding, or our minutes are accurate, or a hundred
other things we worry about. They don't know about our ritual.
They joined because someone they knew and admired was a Mason. It could have been a father, a friend, a
man down the street, or someone a thousand miles away.
Who, it didn't matter. They admired him and wanted to do the things he did, and they did it by the millions.
Want to help our growth? Be the kind of man someone admires. Someone will notice.
 

ncm_pkt

Registered User
One of the things my Lodge is doing to let the public know we're here is CHARITY work. Go to your local Walmart...there IS a manager that helps organizations with philanthropies. An easy one that we do, is you tell the manager you would like to collect canned goods, or dollar bills to donate. When people find out that the Masonic lodge is helping out the needy because you're out there in a group keeping each other company it looks REALLY GOOD!! The needy, your lodge and Walmart benefit. The needy get the food, your lodge gets the recognition, and Walmart gets the money from all the cans purchased. When we did this, we had traveling brothers ask about our stated meetings, Mason's wives stop and talk to us about their husbands, interested men asking questions, and every once in a while funny looks, but who cares?? It's still ASK...and I like it that way...we currently have 3 EA degrees coming up, 3 investigations, and a few Master Mason degrees in the next few week. It looks to me as if Masonry is slowing headed in the better direction again. Keep your head up, wear your Masonic rings and pins, not to brag about Masonry, but to let people know we still exist, we're still active and we lodge our Craft!!
 

TexMass

Registered User
In MA, the GL has set up what's called "The Angel Fund". It allows lodges to hold an account, seperate from all others, that can help a child with items such as new glasses, winter coat etc. Usually 2-3 Masons will over see it, The only contact they have is the school nurse and they must be prepared to respond with in 24 hours. We don't advertise this and we don't pat ourselves on the back. We do it because we're Masons. Some lodges have 1,000 dollars in that account, some have more and some a lot. In May of 2008, my good friend and Master of Rural Lodge in Quincy, MA Steven Whittmore, contacted the nurse at the local school to let here know that the Masonic year was coming to an end and she had not contacted them for any assistence. She said all was fine unless they wanted to buy a wheel chair accessible school bus since it had been scratched off the budget for the upcoming year. The next day he and a few Masons presented the school with a check for $49,991.42 to cover the cost of one. They had a huge surplus. It was a day that made many of us proud.

Quincy Masons donate wheelchair accessable school bus.
 
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tomasball

Premium Member
I was informed that we may now recruit members instead of being ask. I was wondering has anyone else heard this?

Perhaps you could tell us who informed you of that.

The laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas spell out what is permissible and what is not on that topic. I suggest you start there. It runs somewhere along the line of it being okay to initiate a conversation with someone about masonry, tell him about it, answer questions, you just can't "ask" him to join.

Tom Ball
pm San Juan 1173
 

MGM357

Registered User
One of the things my Lodge is doing to let the public know we're here is CHARITY work. Go to your local Walmart...there IS a manager that helps organizations with philanthropies. An easy one that we do, is you tell the manager you would like to collect canned goods, or dollar bills to donate. When people find out that the Masonic lodge is helping out the needy because you're out there in a group keeping each other company it looks REALLY GOOD!! The needy, your lodge and Walmart benefit. The needy get the food, your lodge gets the recognition, and Walmart gets the money from all the cans purchased. When we did this, we had traveling brothers ask about our stated meetings, Mason's wives stop and talk to us about their husbands, interested men asking questions, and every once in a while funny looks, but who cares?? It's still ASK...and I like it that way...we currently have 3 EA degrees coming up, 3 investigations, and a few Master Mason degrees in the next few week. It looks to me as if Masonry is slowing headed in the better direction again. Keep your head up, wear your Masonic rings and pins, not to brag about Masonry, but to let people know we still exist, we're still active and we lodge our Craft!!

Thats how Masonry should be "solicited".
 

MGM357

Registered User
Not One Person
By Brother Dan Weatherington, from the Masonic e-mail journal CINOSAM
Not one person ever joined Masonry because George Washington was a Mason. Not one person ever joined
Masonry because Harry Truman was a Mason. Not one person ever joined because of any of our great Masonic
heroes. Joining doesn't make you any of those people.
Not one person ever joined in order to give a million dollars a day to charity, or homes, or crippled children.
You don't have to be a member to give money.
Not one person ever joined because our ritual is outstanding, or our minutes are accurate, or a hundred
other things we worry about. They don't know about our ritual.
They joined because someone they knew and admired was a Mason. It could have been a father, a friend, a
man down the street, or someone a thousand miles away.
Who, it didn't matter. They admired him and wanted to do the things he did, and they did it by the millions.
Want to help our growth? Be the kind of man someone admires. Someone will notice.

Very well said!!!!!!
 
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