Is your Lodge a success?



What does a successful lodge look like to you? Is it about numbers, impact, engagement, or something else entirely?

Today’s thought is again stolen from my jurisdictions Facebook page. This question was posted by Alex Powers the Master of our Lodge of Research.

I have kicked this around a bit and thought I had a good answer. Then I saw a post on our Lodges Discord server. Granted there are so many social media outlets and ways to communicate I do not get on Discord often. Maybe I should.

There are countless ways to make a Lodge successful. Sure, there are numbers. If your Lodge has 120+ members on the roles but only 10 make it to meetings. Is that Lodge successful? Maybe it depends on what those 10 are doing. If you have awards and certificates dripping off the walls. Does that make you a success?

Does your Lodge have so many in waiting that you hold degree work every other week and have to get special dispensation for a weekend or two? Yes, that could be considered a success.

All of that is nice don’t get me wrong. But what really makes a Lodge a success? How invested are you in your Brothers, notice I did not say members. There is a difference, but members with a bit of work can be good and strong Brothers.

One day a couple of years ago a Brother was getting ready for a major event here in town. He was running himself silly (as normal) and trying to get everything done. Another Brother asked if there was anything he could do to help. Jokingly he was told, well you can mow my lawn. So, the asking Brother grabbed a tux jacket and a top hat…and mowed his lawn. Was the hat and jacket a bit over the top? Sure, but this Brother is a Big Deal and wanted to have fun with it.

While on Discord I saw a call for help. The Master of my Lodge is moving and returning home from another state. Now while titles and degrees mean very little to me (and to him really) let me tell you what he has been doing. He is a member of a Lodge in another jurisdiction (a few hours away), the Master of our Lodge (and doing a great job of it), as well as a DDGM. He attends every meeting (yes, on a work night) and helps keep the lawn mowed and trimmed (he has help with this). He also assigns Brothers to different tasks such as getting the records digital and providing Masonic Ed, and reaching out to Brothers who are out of the country on a medical mission and arranging a zoom call so we can all show this Brother support and love.

The point is that this Brother has dedicated himself to the Lodge and Temple. He takes it seriously. How is this a success? This Brother is invested in the Temple and the Lodge. The Lodge being the Brothers.  This kind of action is infectious. May we all be plagued with it.

My Lodge knows that beyond what happens with in the Temple, Masonry MUST be taken outside of the Lodge and we HAVE to invest our lives into the lives of our Brothers. If not Masonry is just gold-plated tin. That is not what Masonry should be. It should be Gold all the way through.

So today I am going to go help the Master of my Lodge move back home and support him as he has supported us. Having a jacked up back I wont be moving any heavy stuff, but I can move some boxes.

Sure all that other stuff can make a Lodge a success…But, that stuff will not happen until we get Masonry out of the Temple, put it back in the Lodge and live it.

 

I Love you and may we govern ourselves accordingly. 

 

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