|
ideas that work: AWARDS
|
|
|
|
Rock Maul Winners Hold Active Years
- February 2008 |
|
Lodges that earned awards at Annual Communication filled
the past year with busy schedules and creative activities.
Cotner Lodge No. 297 in Lincoln won the large lodge Rock
Maul Award. Among the activities it held:
-
A community concert performed by the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Symphonic Band comprised entirely of Masonic
composers.
-
The Master and Wardens each completed a plan for the
year they will serve as Master.
-
Held a George Washington dinner and the meal was made
from recipes from the colonial era. In addition, a Washington
impersonator provided a presentation on his life and the UNL Brass
Quintet performed.
-
Lodge members visited four other lodges.
-
Hosted the widows of deceased members at a dinner at
a restaurant.
-
Held a community blood drive.
-
Worked with elementary school students to promote
reading by providing four bicycles for a drawing.
-
An outdoor meeting and a Table Lodge.
Hooper Lodge No. 72 in Hooper won the small lodge Rock
Maul Award. Among the activities it held:
-
A Table Lodge.
-
Three special Masonic events.
-
Two activities in support of an organization or
school.
-
Prepared a lodge brochure to give to prospective
members.
-
A Friendship Night and presented a program to
prospective members.
-
Three fellowship-building activities.
Both lodges completed plans for the year and distributed
them to members by the second meeting of the year.
|
|
|
|
Active Lodges Earn Awards at Annual Communication
- February 2008 |
|
Awards were presented at Annual Communication to the
following lodges:
Rock Maul Award (large lodge)
Winner – Cotner Lodge No.
297, Lincoln
1st Runner-up – Mizpah
Lodge No. 302, Omaha
2nd Runner-up –
Plattsmouth Lodge No. 6, Plattsmouth
Rock Maul Award (small lodge)
Winner – Hooper Lodge No.
72, Hooper
1st Runner-up – North Bend
Lodge No. 119, North Bend
2nd Runner-up – Custer
Lodge No. 148, Broken Bow
Gold Pan Award – North Bend Lodge No.
119
Membership Awards
Large Lodge – Cotner Lodge
Small Lodge – Minnekadusa
Lodge No. 192, Valentine
Grand Master’s Recruitment Award – 1st
place – Patrick Barger, Cotner Lodge, Lincoln; Pepper Aasgaard, Nebraska
Lodge No. 1, Omaha
Grand Master’s Leadership Award – John
Ramsay, Hooper Lodge; Doug Rasmussen, North Bend Lodge; Bill Lichtenberger,
Custer Lodge; and Dean Stockman, Mizpah Lodge.
Grand Master’s Leadership Award with Distinction
– Patrick Barger, Cotner Lodge.
Master of the Year – Patrick Barger,
Cotner Lodge.
Nebraska Pillar Award – Plattsmouth
Lodge, Hooper Lodge, North Bend Lodge, Custer Lodge, Cotner Lodge and Mizpah
Lodge.
|
|
|
|
Awards Offer Activity Ideas and a Plan for Your
Lodge - January 2008
|
|
If you’re looking for ideas to plan a good year for
your term as Master, you can find answers in the Grand Lodge awards
program. While the awards offer you and your lodge opportunities for
recognition, they can more importantly serve as a planning guide to
provide ideas to ensure your time as Master is filled with activities
that will move your lodge forward.
The programs are designed with the intent to provide
you a plan, as Master, for a successful year for your lodge. Throughout
the forms for each award are ideas and requirements to include when
planning your lodge’s activities, which can serve as great
idea-starters.
Grand
Master’s Leadership Award
The Grand Master’s Leadership Award is an incentive
to Worshipful Masters to gain recognition for their efforts to lead
their lodge to greater growth and development. It includes three facets:
the Grand Master’s Leadership Award, the Grand Master’s Leadership Award
with Distinction and Master of the Year. Any
Master can earn the Grand Master’s Leadership Award by completing the
required activities. This award aims to encourage Masters to plan
and implement activities that will result in a successful year for their
lodges and members. After all the entry forms
are received, one among that group will be selected the Master of the
Year. In addition, the Grand Master’s Leadership Award can be earned
with distinction by achieving the Grand Master’s membership goal for
your lodge. You can find the 2008 information on this award here:
GMLead.pdf.
Nebraska
Pillar Award
The Nebraska Pillar Award recognizes lodges that
perform a minimum number of activities that will lead to a successful
year, a stronger lodge and a fulfilling experience for members. Any
lodge can earn this award. The qualifications to earn the Nebraska
Pillar Award are considered by the Grand Lodge to be basic activities
every lodge should complete in a year. Meeting the requirements of the
award should set your lodge on a course to success, especially if the
award is earned each year. Information about this award for 2008 can be
found here:
NEPillar.pdf.
Rock Maul
Awards
And, don’t forget the Rock Maul Awards, which are annually
presented to a large and a small lodge that are the most active in the
state. Awards are also presented to the three runners-up in each area.
While the form includes more than 100 ways to earn points toward the
award, it also serves as a good source for activity ideas in a variety
of areas in which a lodge should work. Among the areas of work are:
Grand Master’s Activities, Leadership, Lodge Meetings and Operations,
Ritual Work, Grand Lodge Activities, Fellowship, Community and Fraternal
Service, Membership, Communication and Lodge Finances. The Rock Maul
Award 2008 form can be found here:
RockMaul.pdf.
The awards encourage a Master to earn the Grand Master’s Leadership
Award, and with more effort the lodge can earn the Nebraska Pillar
Award. Through additional effort, the lodge may find itself in the
running for the Rock Maul Award.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan How to Win the Twain Award for Your Activities
- January 2008 |
|
Participation in the Twain Award is simple and with a
plan to meet the objectives of the program, it is attainable.
To participate, you must register your lodge as a
participant by June 1. The deadline for the submission of entries is
December 1. For more information, go to:
http://www.msana.com/twainaward/call.html.
The purpose of the award is to not only recognize lodges
that achieve greater Masonic awareness in their lodge and community, but
also to share their award-winning activities with other lodges across North
America.
Winners of the award for 2007 activities will be
announced in February at the Conference of Grand Masters. Up to 50 lodges
can win the award each year. The final year of the program is 2008.
A lodge can win the award by demonstrating its commitment
to energy, innovation and creativity toward achieving the objective of
moving Masonry into the 21st century. It provides evidence of activities
that clarify and communicate Masonic identity.
The award was named in honor of author Mark Twain who was
known as a lively, innovative communicator, whose work consistently
challenged his listeners and readers to think and act responsibly, to ask
questions, and to seek enlightenment.
|
|
|
|
Twain Award Provides Ideas for Lodge Activities
- January 2008 |
|
Listed below are suggestions from the Masonic Information
Center’s Twain Award Web site to focus your lodge on using its time to its
greatest Masonic advantage:
-
Apply concepts of education and self-improvements to
current print and non-print communications tools of individual lodges,
Grand Lodges, and national Masonic organizations and societies.
-
Improve the environment of lodge-based fellowship;
refresh the look of the lodge; welcome new members; improve presentation
skills; provide mentoring to study degrees; strengthen communications
skills.
-
Organize group activities based on education and
self-improvement that can enrich lodge-centered fellowship such as:
welcoming committees, lodge renovation and clean up campaigns,
leadership development conferences, mentor meetings, workshops on such
things as Masonic ritual, history, symbolism, architectural works, art,
and cultural works.
-
Initiate workshops on Masonic personal growth topics
such as leadership, stewardship, ethics, philosophy, and spirituality.
-
Call on local educational faculty to present on
topics that enrich the body, mind, and spirit of the brothers.
-
Tap the talents of individual members and build a
community of experts to help facilitate Masons to improve themselves and
their community.
-
Improve community accessibility to Masonry through
public outreach activities and program or group hosting, tutoring, and
mentoring.
-
Offer Masonic recognition and incentive programs for
educational initiatives, visitor programs and Chamber of Commerce
presentations.
-
Honor the Mason within yourself.
-
Share success stories with other lodges through the
Twain Award network.
-
Communicate regularly with neighboring lodges.
|
|
|
|
|