New Faces And Awards

Something all new masons should strive to achieve! I wonder what the new awards will look like. 

Shortly after arriving at the lodge on Thursday night I was greeted by a few familiar faces as well as some men that I had only met just recently. This is quite the change from the past year as those new faces were those of petitioners and prospective candidates with whom I had primarily spoken with via email. In addition to this mix of men conversing just outside the front door, there were also numerous visitors to our lodge this week. Overall, the makeup of people at the dinner and during the meeting clearly demonstrates the growth of our lodge not just in numbers but in the quality of masons actively participating on a monthly basis.

Leading up to our monthly gathering it has been quite the task juggling the emails and phone calls that have occupied many of my days but it is the great kind of busy that really doesn’t feel like work. While it does take time to reach out and connect, the conversations that I have had over the past month have been very interesting and felt much like catching up with a long lost friend rather than a simple inquiry. While we already have many great masons in the lodge, that number is certain to grow given the interaction that I have had with many of those interested in joining the fraternity.

This convergence of good men striving to be better is what this is all about and I am excited to see how the remainder of the year will progress. We will, of course, be encouraging our new brothers to earn their Master Builder Awards and now we will also have many members of the lodge pursuing other awards that were recently launched… similar to that which is earned by first year masons but with a few differentiators. It will be great to see new brothers and their mentors striving to achieve these recognitions as they learn from their experiences and form a stronger bond as they simultaneously meet each of the requirements for their respective recognition.

At the same time, other lodge projects are moving forward. Some are through my office and others are completely separate from my duties (and I am absolutely okay with that). The whole situation really has me curious to see what we will be able to accomplish this year and the strong position that we will find ourselves in heading into 2017. But, I am definitely getting ahead of myself. The key takeaway so far is that it is going to be a busy year and, more importantly, an active year at the lodge and I am proud to be a part of this masonic experience.

Is This The Beginning Of A Masonic Renaissance?

Time seems to be back on our side!

Things seem to be getting out of hand a little bit at the lodge lately. Our extra meetings are going longer, there are more entries that need to be written in the ledger, a lot of campaigns and projects that are running or being organized, and more brothers that are attending meetings. While it is a little more work than in previous years, all of these things are great for the lodge.

Last night was a perfect example of all of these things converging on a single evening as I found myself running around the lodge for about 5 hours trying to keep up with everything that needed to be done. It was a long degree night with three scheduled and completed. The blood drive signup sheet got a few more names listed. And the ledger was filled in a little more than most nights.

I enjoy the nights when we are doing degree work as I am able to partake in the fellowship that eludes me during the stated meetings. Last night was a mix between the two as I was well prepared for the evening but all the other things that we have going on carried from one conversation to another. Some nights, some months, there is just too much that needs to be done to sit down and eat. I remember the meals when I had not yet received my degrees and while enjoyable, I prefer my current hectic routine. Everything has to be on the go right now because I don’t want to be the one to hold things up even for a little bit.

As this was happening I caught a glimpse of a new petitioner helping with the meal and conversing with his future brethren. It is because of this quality of candidates that we are slowly turning things around and growing the lodge not just in the basic membership numbers but with regard to the participation of the brethren. However, thinking about that time in my masonic life, it seems as though that was the start of this new trend and the growth that we are currently experiencing.

While I am certainly not the reason for this shift (far from it in fact), I am proud to play a small roll in welcoming new brethren to the fraternity and welcoming back brothers to the lodge. There are many masons that I have seen come in and I am excited by the quality of character and desire to learn that each one of them has demonstrated. This is why we are pushing forward and working hard because if we can keep things moving forward this could potentially be the beginning of a Masonic Renaissance.

Perfect Weather For An Open House

Yes, I know, this is an old stock photo. I keep forgetting to take a picture.

Friday night, just like I did on Thursday evening, I headed over to the lodge as soon as my work day came to an end. It was a much more relaxed drive as I didn’t feel as though I had to rush to make before any given time. Despite our big clean out having yet to happen, it was Open House time when we swung the doors open, put and Alex’s Lemonade Stand on the corner, and chatted with every person with whom we crossed paths. This is the first time that I have done this with the lodge and it was a great experience socializing with the brethren and those from the community, greeting new petitioners, and generally getting to know each person a little bit better.

Of course, during the slow moments during the night I was able to get a few things done and discuss a few potential projects with the Worshipful Master. Might as well, we had the time and it saved us from having to circle up over the weekend. Every now and again, a few new faces would round the corner with a few old faces sporadically walking up the front steps as well. We gave a few tours, accommodating everyone that asked to see the building, and made sure to promote the two businesses in the basement owned by brothers from the lodge.

Up on the corner where better foot traffic prevailed, a few other brothers (of various experience and degrees) ran an Alex’s Lemonade Stand. While the weather was beautiful with calm and cool temperatures and a bright blue sky slowly fading to star speckled black, there wasn’t much of a crowd out on the streets of Ardmore that night. Maybe we were too early, maybe we were too late, maybe the fact that it was the last day of school had something to do with it. Regardless of the crowd, or lack thereof, it was a great night for us all to get out, open the lodge up, and bond as brothers.   
Of course, the night would have been a little nicer had we raised more than $200 selling lemonade. However, we do have the opportunity to rewrite memory. Our generosity does not have to be confined to one evening selling lemonade along Lancaster Avenue as there are still a couple of ways that we can contribute to the cause. You can visit the lodge’s Alex’s Lemonade Stand event webpage and contribute by clicking the donate button near the top right of the page. The other option available for those who would like to contribute is to text “Lemonade E1113739” to 85944 (this will be recorded as a $10 charge and will be listed on your bill from your wireless carrier). Obviously, please feel free to share this information with any friends or family that would like to donate.

So, that was my exciting Friday night at the lodge. While it was slow this first time around I am sure that we will improve upon this experience in the fall when we will, once again, open up the lodge doors and welcome you all to the lodge. I hope to see you this fall!