relapse98
Registered User
Attended the one this past Saturday at Al Zafar Shrine (followed up with dinner with the Grand Master and a few of the Grand officers at the great mexican restaurant down the street from our lodge before he presented our Centennial Certificate).
Was going along great until he hit upon the plan of bringing in lapsed EA and FC. Anyone else catch note of that at their conferences?
Gist of the plan is (and it only applies to those who have been gone for a year or more).. the lodge votes if they want to join this program. If they do.. they contact the lapsed EA and FC and give them a deal: We'll let you complete your degrees in 1 day. No memory work except for the Master's degree. 1 example candidate at the degrees. The idea is that there just isn't enough time for them to complete the memory work and do the degrees so that this would get them over the hump and they can then become active in the lodge.
I asked one of our brand new Master Mason's (we did 2 or 3 last month, and we are doing 3 this month). His response was along the lines of ^%&*%^(*&)(*^*&%^&%*&(&(*^. And I tend to agree. So they don't have enough time to do the degrees and memory work but they will then have enough time to come to lodge on a regular basis? BS. They know where we are, they visited us for weeks on end before petitioning and becoming a mason. They were told there is a time commitment before we vote on them. I just don't buy that they don't have enough time for that but will now. It was also sold as it could increase the revenue for the lodge because (here's the unstated part) you'll have yet another dues paying brother that doesn't visit. I appreciate that some brothers continue to pay their dues and don't visit for decades at a time. I appreciate your cash. But I would much rather you be an active part of the lodge and get more out of masonry. And you should want that for yourself.
I'll think long about this program, but it will never be approved by my lodge while I'm a member. That is ridiculous. 1 day Master, meh.
Thoughts?
SIAP.
Was going along great until he hit upon the plan of bringing in lapsed EA and FC. Anyone else catch note of that at their conferences?
Gist of the plan is (and it only applies to those who have been gone for a year or more).. the lodge votes if they want to join this program. If they do.. they contact the lapsed EA and FC and give them a deal: We'll let you complete your degrees in 1 day. No memory work except for the Master's degree. 1 example candidate at the degrees. The idea is that there just isn't enough time for them to complete the memory work and do the degrees so that this would get them over the hump and they can then become active in the lodge.
I asked one of our brand new Master Mason's (we did 2 or 3 last month, and we are doing 3 this month). His response was along the lines of ^%&*%^(*&)(*^*&%^&%*&(&(*^. And I tend to agree. So they don't have enough time to do the degrees and memory work but they will then have enough time to come to lodge on a regular basis? BS. They know where we are, they visited us for weeks on end before petitioning and becoming a mason. They were told there is a time commitment before we vote on them. I just don't buy that they don't have enough time for that but will now. It was also sold as it could increase the revenue for the lodge because (here's the unstated part) you'll have yet another dues paying brother that doesn't visit. I appreciate that some brothers continue to pay their dues and don't visit for decades at a time. I appreciate your cash. But I would much rather you be an active part of the lodge and get more out of masonry. And you should want that for yourself.
I'll think long about this program, but it will never be approved by my lodge while I'm a member. That is ridiculous. 1 day Master, meh.
Thoughts?
SIAP.