Degree Practice and the accompanying fellowship are central to the survival of a lodge.
Out of 91 members on the rolls, we have a "core" or active group of 25. The balance on the roster being those who live out of the area, state or are on Life-Support equipment.
We practice Degree Work every Tues. Evening. A different degree every week. We move the Officers around to the different Places and Stations. (Including WM) This gives them the experience of each chair and an appreciation for the particular difficulty that each Officer faces.
Since Arizona uses a Plain English Ritual Text, they can read their lines if they haven't memorized them yet. This eliminates a lot of "unauthorized prompting" from others. We always have one person designated as degree coach for each practice.
We beleive in the "build it and they will come" philosophy. Last year we raised 6 good men to Master Mason. This year so far, just one and that was in January. Last Tuesday we inititated our first EA of the year.
Due to 7 months of practice without a "real" candidate everyone was sharp, eager and we put on an excellent degree.
Of the 6 we raised to MM last year, one is now our Senior Deacon, one is Senior Steward, one is Junior Steward and another is Chaplain. We offered them the opportunity to replace the Past Masters that were in those chairs. i.e. we put them to work. The Junior Deacon is not a PM, but a retired Computer Programmer from IBM who transferred from a Minnesota Lodge and affiliated the year before after attending a couple of practices and meetings. He observed the comeraderie with the easy going attitude and fellowship that prevailed and liked it.
We are now practicing for the new candidate's 2nd AND 3rd Degrees. All work being done by the appointed or elected Officers of the Lodge.
I have just received another application for the Degrees of Masonry.
We also have an Entered Apprientice who will be returning to Payson in November at which time he will be receiving his 2nd Degree. Which means we will be busy until the end of the year.
For a Lodge in a small mountain town of 15,000 to have every chair in the Lodge filled with enthusiastic officers, it has become unusual and not the norm.
We also have other programs going constantly for those who do not wish to enter the progressive line to Master. Bikes For Books, Essay Contest, Clothe A Child, and the Child Identification Program (CHIP). Plus the normal fund raisers such as the annual BBQ, Craft Fair and Rummage Sales. This is where the other two that were raised to MM are involved.
We have attracted a "Band of Brothers amongst whom no contention should ever exist but that Noble contention or emulation of who can best work and best agree." A really good "team."
All this in just the last few years in a lodge that was declared "dead" at one time when stated meetings were cancelled for a lack of enough Officers to legally open and close.
In my opinion therefore, the "synergy" created in degree practice even without any candidates waiting in the wings, is without a doubt the single most important function in a lodge.
Richard Skoglund, PM
Secretary
Payson Lodge No. 70
Payson, Arizona
