|
|
ideas that work:
FROM THE FIELD
|
|
|
|
From the Field... -
May 2008
|
The following ideas were
submitted by Grand Lodge officers.
Open Up Your Lodge
Open the lodge after community celebrations and serve
free refreshments. It’s a great way to introduce the fraternity to your
community.
Visit
Other Lodges
Form a traveling team and go on monthly visitations
to other lodges. The experience builds camaraderie in your lodge and
friendships in other towns.
Area Degree Teams
Get three area lodges to agree to each form a degree
team and perform ritual work in each other’s lodge.
School Activities
Check the interests of your members, make contact
with local high school and get members involved in working with school
clubs (FBLA, FFA, National Honor Society, etc.).
Recruit Help with Ritual
Each month recognize the anniversary of
members raised that month. Invite them back to lodge and introduce them.
Ask them to comment on their raising, update on the latest happenings in
their life, etc.
Parades
Build a lodge float for local parades, such as the
July 4th and County Fair parades. It’s a great way to introduce
Freemasonry to your community.
|
|
|
|
Ideas from Lodges... -
April 2008
|
Scholarships
for Piano Lessons
Pomegranate Lodge No. 110 in
Ashland
has teamed up with Matthews Eastern Star Chapter No. 242 to offer local
children $100 scholarships to take piano lessons. Applicants complete
forms to provide information to help the scholarship committee choose
which students get the awards. Payment is mailed directly to the child's
piano teacher. One of the questions on the form is the name of a
relative or friend who is a member of either Masonic body. Each
recipient receives an award certificate and brochures about Masonry and
Eastern Star. Plans are to present the scholarships at recitals. If the
student doesn’t practice it’s a “deal killer,” the information states.
Information is attached.
Solomon’s
Building Permit
Geneva Lodge members were treated to a humorous play
written by Master Jeff Andrews and his father, Alfred. The two portrayed
King Solomon and Hiram Abiff in a discussion of the legal requirements
that must be met before they can begin construction of the
Temple. You could present the play before, during
or after a meeting. A copy of the play is attached.
|
|
|
|
From the Field... -
April 2008
|
|
The following ideas were submitted by Grand Lodge
officers:
Card Tournaments
Hold community bridge, cribbage, pitch or other card tournaments to
raise funds, such as scholarships. Publicize it to get the community
involved. Post winning teams in the community paper every month for free
publicity. Play monthly rounds from September thru April.
Fundraiser
Talk to local school officials so members can sell concessions at home
high school ball games.
Masonic Education
Hold a One Book, One Lodge activity. Select a book for all members to
read and then discuss it at or after meetings.
Public Relations
Invite several groups from the area (church, Boy Scouts, Masonic youth,
Knights of Columbus, etc.) to an activity (such as a boat ride on the
river). Hold a light dinner (sandwiches, chips, beverages) afterwards.
The lodge pays for everything, but donations are also accepted. It’s a
good way to raise awareness in the community and to get newspaper
coverage.
Recruit Help with Ritual
Seek the help from
area lodges when members from your own lodge can’t attend degree work.
|
|
|
|
From the Field...
- March 2008 |
|
The following ideas are from the Grand Lodge officers.
Youth Sports
Tournaments
Osceola Lodge
No. 65 hosts a softball tournament for girls ages 12 & younger, and a
basketball tournament for kids. The events each raise about $3,000, which is
used to fund community projects. Osceola Lodge has purchased and built a
backstop, and they’ve purchased uniforms and made donations to several local
projects. In addition, the money raised pays for scholastic and Masonic
All-Star Marching Band scholarships. Best of all, the two tournaments
involve members in activities outside the lodge. Older members take the
tickets and operate the concession stands, while younger members take care
of the field or umpire, which increases their commitment and involvement in
lodge.
Fellowship Over Coffee
To promote fellowship among your members, serve coffee
and donuts at your lodge on Saturday mornings, or meet where donuts are
served.
Fellowship After
Meetings
Tabula Rasa Lodge No. 332 in Lincoln
follows the English tradition of holding a Festive Board, or fine dinner,
after meetings. Pick a location for your lodge to go out together and have a
good meal after a meeting. Eat in a separate room, if possible, and keep the
discussion on Masonic topics. Consider holding Festive Boards once a year,
once a quarter or after every meeting.
Expediting
Meetings
A number of lodges around the state print their lodge’s
minutes, bills and treasurer’s report and make them available for members to
pick up as they enter the lodge room. This gives members time to review the
information before the meeting starts, thus saving time by eliminating the
need to have them read during the meeting. Your members will appreciate the
time saved in the meeting.
Recruiting
Members
North Bend Lodge No. 119 holds a
steak fry and invites members of the Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber,
etc. These organizations are a good source for new members. Make it a fun
gathering without pitching membership. Get to know them and later invite
them to join.
Bikes for Books
Cotner Lodge No. 297 worked with an elementary school to encourage students
to read more. Teachers selected books for students to read at each grade
level. Every week, students and their parents filled out slips of paper with
the amount of time they read at home. At the end of the reading program,
four names were drawn to receive a gift certificate for a bicycle provided
by Cotner Lodge. The school saw a 26 percent increase in reading
improvement.
|
|
|
|
From the Field... -
February 2008
|
|
Rusty Nail Degree
Many members
will never show up at your lodge out of fear of becoming embarrassed
because they don’t remember what they must do to enter a meeting. The
Rusty Nail Degree educates them about the steps, due guards, signs,
grips, and words of the degrees. This “degree” requires only a few men
to perform it and can be completed in about 35 minutes. An informal
version could be combined with a Saturday morning coffee. Individually
contact non-active members to attend, and offer to pick them up. If held
before a meeting, serve a dinner, perform the degree and urge them to
attend your meeting. The degree is available from the Grand Lodge at:
toll free – 800-558-8029;
Lincoln
– 475-4640; or
.
BBQ Fundraiser
Papillion Lodge No. 39 holds an annual BBQ which is
the lodge’s main money maker. Every member receives two tickets in the
mail with a request for payment, and a number of out-of-town brethren
pay for tickets as an opportunity to support the lodge. Awards are also
presented at the BBQ, including band scholarships and service awards to
non-Masons active in Papillion. For more information on the Masonic
Achievement Award and Masonic Community Service Award, go to:
http://glne.org/fileDownload.aspx.
Bottle
Auction Supports Charities
A highly-visible event for the Masonic family in Tekamah is a potluck
dinner and bottle auction held by the Lodge and Eastern Star Chapter.
Attendees wrap a bottle and it is offered for the auction without the
bidders knowing what’s inside the package. It makes for a fun evening.
Proceeds from the auction are given to local food pantries. The event is
open to the public and attendance has increased each year. Its first
year, the auction raised $300, $900 in the second year, and last year
the amount was $1,300.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|