Missing the Social Networking Boat

After looking around the internet, I have noticed a major problem with the reach that Freemasonry has on the Web. On many of the social networking sites, there are no mentions of Freemasonry. The major news article that appeared in the LA Times about Masonic Resurgence has only been dugg 2 times on the Social News site Digg.com. (Digg is a site that allows users to vote up on the importance of a story.) I checked Del.icio.us and have noticed that very few Masonic websites are being bookmarked. In fact, the Freemasonry Watch website that attacks Freemasonry has more people bookmarking it than most other blog. This is a problem. I believe one of the best methods of bringing our organization is for our members to begin actually participating in these social websites making people aware of our existence. It is easy to sign up and when we put a positive spin with respect to the great things our organization does, we can really connect to those not only in the "blogosphere" (terrible term) but throughout the entire swath of Web 2.0 sites.

I believe that we have made some great strides especially with all my fellow Masonic bloggers but this is not enough. Increasingly, the web is being used to share and collaborate and we are missing good men who are unaware of our existence. M.W. Bro. Neddermeyer listed on his research that only 25% of men even know what freemasonry is.

We are losing the battle to increase our profile on these social networks. I am calling on all our brothers to mention what networks they take a part in and how they use communication to get in contact with their fellow brothers. This is the space that the next generation of Freemasons and we have to do all that we can to understand the new order. Hopefully, through the connections that we can make on the web, we will be able to introduce people to the great activities and hopefully, introduce those men that seek the same social belonging to the Fraternity.


: millennialmason
: millennialfreemason
: millennialmason
: millennialfreemason

: millennialmason

Happy Second of July?!

Readers,
I want to wish all of you a Happy Fourth of July with an interesting fact I found. (Not Masonic related)


John Adams declared that future generations would remember July 2, 1776, as "the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America" and celebrate it as their "Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." (The article can be found here.)

That's right, the second day of July was to be our Independence Day. Whenever we celebrate it, it should be a fun time for all. Again, have a happy and safe Independence Day.

Some Thoughts about Membership from My Brother Steve

In my Lodge, there is a very wise brother who is currently the Senior Deacon of the Lodge named Steve. I have decided to reprint a comment that he left on a previous post as I think he has some real insights into how we as officers, seasoned brothers and newly raised Master Masons can improve our Lodges throughout the Masonry.

Steve writes,

In my humble opinion, it is very important that the new member be allowed the opportunity to take up work, such as they are able, and as soon as possible. It is important to "Get" involved in order to "Keep" involved.

Whenever I hear well-intentioned Brothers call for a meeting of "Key Officers" I look around the lodge and wince, because I see new, motivated, and enthusiastic Master Masons realize that they have no role to play, and no voice. We need to make full use of the knowledge and enthusiasm of all members, not just those who are able and willing to be at a certain point 'in line'.

As someone who has watched Millennial-era Master Masons upon their entry to the lodge, this seems even more evident in light of the fact that they come to the first meeting well informed in Masonry. It is time for us to make use of the heritage of our founding fathers and truly make the lodge representative.

We have had discussions in and out of lodge about the value of brotherhood. I would call to attention the particular value of matching new Masons with the 'more seasoned'. The veterans will be invigorated, and the newer members of the fraternity will benefit by the guidance and steady hand of those who have practiced the craft through generations.

I think Steve has some very good points concerning Masonry and how we as Lodges must meet the expectations of members. Many of the brothers that are finding us today are coming as individuals with very little knowledge of the actual members of a particular Lodge and are finding us through means such as the Internet. These members need to be presented with opportunities or they will just demit and be done with us. I thank Steve for his thoughtful comments on this subject and I hope that he and I can implement his thoughts into our Lodge.

First Membership Committee Meeting Wrap-up

We have just finished the first Membership Committee Meeting for Corinthian Lodge #67 and I want to thank my fellow brothers who came. I think we were really able to get some good ideas fleshed out. Some ideas that the group came up with included: inviting members of the community to talk, having brothers give short 10 to 15 minute presentations on some Masonic subjects that interests them and inviting the brothers over during Football Sunday with the Vikes, (or other sports like baseball).

Concerning the Friendship Night, two ideas really stood out: 1) Present a "Cliff Notes" version of the History of Freemasonry. This point means that most of the history of Masonry can be found in many great books such as Freemasons for Dummies by Chris Hodapp or the Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry Dr. S. Brent Morris in easy to comprehend forms; many of these brothers have already read both of these books and it is unnecessary to waste their time. Friendship Nights should be there to show that the Fraternity is also a modern organization, we just follow ancient traditions. 2.) Allow the potential candidates to ask questions of the brothers, including subjects such as Masonry, occupations and so forth. This will allow possible candidates to become comfortable and realize one of our major tenets, Brotherly Love.

I would like to add that we have merely set sole to path and I hope that we can make some very good progress in future meetings. I really think that it is important to focus on all three tenets of Masonry and with the membership committee, we can take care of at least one and hopefully with overlap of the other two.

Theatre Group Uses Masonic Symbols

I was reading in the paper today a story out of Winona where a theatre group uses Masonic backdrops in their plays. The “Drops and Drama” festival run by the Theatre du Mississippi performs at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Winona using backdrops with Masonic themes. (If you look at the picture on the website, you may recognize some symbolism.) One of my favorite lines of the article is “We can’t use a lot of the backdrops because they have Masonic themes; [w]e don’t know what all of them mean.”

Many readers may find the idea of using the Masonic backdrops as a problem or an affront against the sacredness of our themes but I believe that the use of these pictures is a great use of recycling. People watching the play may not know what the painting means or what they represent, but I agree with reusing those items for non-Masonic purposes. I read an article a few years ago, where a woman bought an old Masonic Temple and converted the building into a fabric production studio. While it is sad that a Lodge Building was abandoned and the Lodge was disbanded, the Lodge Building still survives. There are many examples in my state where a Masonic building has been changed has been converted into a new purpose. One of the best examples is the Hennepin Center for the Arts which is housed in what was the downtown Masonic Center. (A good historical description can be found.)

We, as Masons, are builders; we build structures, communities, charities and so forth. Sometimes we lose our stately structures but if the building can remain standing without being torn down, our memory may remain in the collective mind of the community.