Traveling

We decided several years ago to have two stated communications a month instead of one. We were getting petitions at a rate that had us conferring a degree every month, leaving no time for anything else (and making long evenings with business and a degree) so we decided to meet the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. At the first we conduct business and have Masonic education; at the other we do a short business session and then confer degrees.

Just an update here.

I brought this idea up in lodge this morning, and I half-expected there to not be a lot of interest in it. I mentioned that anyone interested could talk with me about it in the dining hall after the close of our meeting. Well, roughly six of the fifteen or so Brothers at lodge joined up with me. I was pretty surprised at how inviting they were of it all. One of my biggest concerns was that I would be patronized or that people would humor me and allow me to go through with it, but that there would be no genuine interest. This didn't appear to be the case at all.

We had a round table discussion for twenty minutes or so about all the different proposals I was making. People were sharing stories from the Civil War (one of which was fascinating, and I'll dig up more on it if I can), and they were talking about little interesting pieces of Georgia history. They brought up (not me) exploring all the various aspects of the floor work -- why we do what we do. It was refreshing.

I mentioned targeting some of the meetings at EAs and FCs specifically. In Georgia, you don't really attend lodge meetings until you're a MM. That was shocking to me having come from Texas. During those discussions, we would only talk about things pertaining to the lower degrees, and it would allow any EA or FC from any lodge that could attend to feel like a part of Masonry. I think that will be a key function of this -- to keep new members engaged. The group welcomed this idea.

Next month will be the first real meeting of this group. I'm both excited and terrified, and hopefully, I'll bring a few topics worthy of discussion. It will be rough in the beginning, but maybe something worthwhile can grow out of this.

I was raised a couple of months ago at a lodge that is very active and growing. However, as I understand it, 12 years ago, they were having enough people show up to open a lodge for a stated meeting. What has changed? As a new guy, I can't speak to that. I can tell you what they are doing right now though that is keeping all us newbies excited and engaged. First off, they have a masonic academy EVERY weekday morning. Have questions? Feel free to show up. Want to work on something, there will be brothers there to help. Just want to get together and have a cup of coffee with your brothers before heading to work? Come on! This is held at a site away from the lodge except Friday. Fridays, the meeting is at the lodge so that we can practice floor work. It's great. They have made a concerted effort to include me in various chairs so that I can get a feel for it. This great bunch of guys makes the Esoteric work fun and exciting. It's almost as good as competing in athletics as we strive to get it word perfect every time. So in short, being engaged quickly, being shown from the outset that the brothers care about me and my masonic growth, being accepted and worked with everyday have really gone a long way in my opinion to making this lodge exciting and growing.

To me, one of the great things about Freemasonry is that there is something for everyone. Some Brethren like the fellowship & socialization, some the charity work, some the educational & philosophical aspects, some the ritual.

Most smaller Lodges have a hard time providing all of the above, but all it takes is one Brother to show an interest in what he likes & spread the word, and those who share his interest will come to participate.

Otherwise, a Brother can find a Lodge which seems to emphasize the facets of the Craft which interest him, and begin to attend that Lodge in addition to his own. One of the reasons I belong to 5 different Lodges is because each of them provides me with something the others don't.

Bill_Lins77488 said:

To me, one of the great things about Freemasonry is that there is something for everyone. Some Brethren like the fellowship & socialization, some the charity work, some the educational & philosophical aspects, some the ritual.

Most smaller Lodges have a hard time providing all of the above, but all it takes is one Brother to show an interest in what he likes & spread the word, and those who share his interest will come to participate.

Otherwise, a Brother can find a Lodge which seems to emphasize the facets of the Craft which interest him, and begin to attend that Lodge in addition to his own. One of the reasons I belong to 5 different Lodges is because each of them provides me with something the others don't.

Click to expand...

You said it. Each lodge that I have visited can provide something different. I belong to a small home lodge and it is in the next town over. It only has stated meetings during alot of the year. I being such a new mason, needed to find one more locally that focusses on more. The new lodge is less than 8 minutes away from house and focusses on ritual and other things. They have a degree team that meets weekly to practice degrees. I really like this side of the work, and one perk is that when you go back to your home lodge is that you are more confident and you know the work really well and every one looks at you with pride.

Bro. Bennylee said:

You said it. Each lodge that I have visited can provide something different. I belong to a small home lodge and it is in the next town over. It only has stated meetings during alot of the year. I being such a new mason, needed to find one more locally that focusses on more. The new lodge is less than 8 minutes away from house and focusses on ritual and other things. They have a degree team that meets weekly to practice degrees. I really like this side of the work, and one perk is that when you go back to your home lodge is that you are more confident and you know the work really well and every one looks at you with pride.

Click to expand...

AND can teach the work to others in your "home" Lodge! :wink:

Absolutely!

:thumbup:

There is always help from and support in many different areas of the craft. I'am humbled by the help that I receive and I have found myself under great supervision. The growth of our craft, should be growing the way I feel. I have no positive numbers. I feel the growth in my heart.

I recently traveled to Little Rock on business and found a Lodge to visit. They had a Candidate being Initiated so I was able to see the Arkansas Brothers at Work. It was really beautiful. I was most impressed! Visiting Lodges has been one of my favorite parts of my Journey. Within Texas has been great to meet new Brothers and actually participate when they were in need. Out of state was a whole other story! I'll probably write a blog post about it. It was pretty interesting...