Reinventing the Wheel

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

One more charity fundraiser breakfast is in the books.  It was a great time of fellowship and charity in helping the local food bank with donations earmarked for children.  Our lodge hosted a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and French toast along with the usual milk, juice, and especially coffee.  When we began setting up at 5:30am, the coffee just didn’t brew quickly enough.  The usual suspects wandered in over the next ten minutes, and we had the lodge in good shape with the doors scheduled to open at seven. 

Afterward, we cleaned and took stock of what was used, and I noticed Brother Joe scribbling on a pad of paper.  I walked over and asked “Whatcha doing?” in a curious tone, to which he replied “taking notes”.  To frame this a little better, Brother Joe and I spent almost two hours after the last AMD meeting discussing exactly this:  The need for Masons to take notes and perform after-action reporting.  I was very happy to see the follow-through as it had stayed in my mind too. 

It doesn’t exist if it’s not written down.  This isn’t necessarily true in all conditions, but when it comes to making things easier?  Well, you know the answer to that.  We get done with a function, pack it all away, maybe make a mental note that something needs refilling, then it’s on to the next project.  There’s very little documentation passed down from project to project, and listing out lessons learned?  It’s a habit that we should consider for our lodges and our future generations of Masons. 

I propose we consider simply writing it down.  Write notes.  Write down what went well, what didn’t go well, and what suggestions you think might improve things next time.  Put it in a binder by the Secretary’s desk.  Better yet, make it digital, then organize it in a couple of different storage mediums.  We don’t need to argue in lodge for 30 minutes about whether we could have used social media more efficiently, as that’s not what I’m writing about.  In fact, I would ask that we never go down that bad path of bringing after-action reporting to the lodge except to say “the after-action report is completed” as part of any committee report.  

What difference does an after-action report make?  Plenty.  Why reinvent the wheel each time we plan a spaghetti dinner, trivia night, family movie night, or even a charity breakfast?  The notes from one can then be added to the next, and before you know it, there’s a self-improvement cycle created.  We’re Masons.  We like self-improvement, right?  We keep the notes from each pancake breakfast, then one year it’s time to pass the torch to someone else to take lead on the committee.  Maybe it’s time for a new Worshipful Master to do the planning.  And there it is, a template to help make it successful.  Again.  Better than last year, and with a few added notes, it will be better next time too.  What if we were to do that with all our activities?

~RS

Bro. Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a Bachelors's Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30 plus years teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12-year span. Randy's Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two Symbolic Lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, a full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

Recycling the Rubbish of the Temple

by Midnight Freemason contributor

Bill Hosler, PM

As Freemasons, we know all about and in many cases make fun of the dreaded fundraiser. Fish fries, pancake breakfasts, raffles…yadda, yadda yadda. They are all a part of lodge life. Sometimes a small profit will be raised but in many cases the cost of putting on the fundraiser can be more than the revenue which is generated. (Not to mention the difficulties trying to beg members and family members to volunteer to work at the event). Wouldn't it be great to have a fundraiser which doesn't require a huge outlay of capital, or the constant arm twisting of Past Masters to “Volunteer”?

No I’m not trying to convince your lodge to join me in a multi-level marketing scheme selling soap powder or vitamins to your friends. But I think I have stumbled across the perfect fundraiser!

Recently on a Scottish Rite mobile app I read a post created by Illustrious Brother Micah Evans, 33° who is the Secretary General of the Valley of Omaha , Nebraska. Brother Evans explained the local Knights of Andrew was holding a yard sale. This in itself isn't all that impressive but this was a special kind of yard sale. The Knights were holding a MASONIC YARD SALE!

The Brethren within the Valley of Omaha are asked to donate unwanted Masonic items like chapeaus, swords, Masonic watches, rings..etc and the items are offered for sale to the membership. The most recent sale brought in over nine hundred dollars from items that would have continued gathering dust in some dark corner of a Brothers home.

When I read about this program my mind began to wonder. During my misbegotten youth I used to be the building manager of a Masonic temple. Several times a month I would get a call from a widow or the child of a Mason. They would tell me their father or husband had passed away and they had an whole trunk of “Masonic stuff” the departed member had left behind and wondered what to do with it.

I've known several times my lodge came upon the same issue. In many cases, a member of the lodge would pick up the items and put them in a closet in a dark corner of the temple where these items would reside until it was decided they needed to go into a dumpster.

So many times you see a Masonic item listed on eBay which were purchased in an estate sale and put up for sale to the profane world for some crazy opening bid (You know the person believes the piece is priceless because it's Masonic, and all Masons are rich). Wouldn't it be better if these pieces of Masonic history be offered to the membership and help to raise funds for a lodge or another Masonic body?

My thought is if one Brother (or several) would be willing to gather items donated by members or members families, sift through the donations and throw away stained or broken items and price the remaining merchandise, then before stated meetings and degree work (or any Masonic event) the items could be placed on a table and offered for sale. Capital outlay is virtually nothing so if your revenue was only fifty dollars at each meeting and you made the same amount over the course of a year, this small enterprise could bring in five hundred dollars! That is five hundred dollars which in many ways would be like “found money” which could be used in a number of ways.

If this venture is deemed to be a success, you might even consider setting up your stand alongside the information superhighway. If you have a member who is somewhat tech savvy you could even offer your merchandise for sale on a site such as Etsy, or even start an eBay store of your own. The sky is the limit!

I'm not saying your lodge will get rich or save your temple from the auctioneers hammer but let's face it, neither will a fish fry or flipping pancakes. In my opinion, this is a great way for your temple or lodge to make some money and help recycle some once treasures Masonic items which would otherwise end up in a dumpster or cluttering your house.

~BH

WB Bill Hosler was made a Master Mason in 2002 in Three Rivers Lodge #733 in Indiana. He served as Worshipful Master in 2007 and became a member of the internet committee for Indiana's Grand Lodge. Bill is currently a member of Roff Lodge No. 169 in Roff Oklahoma and Lebanon Lodge No. 837 in Frisco,Texas. Bill is also a member of the Valley of Fort Wayne Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Indiana. A typical active Freemason, Bill also served as the High Priest of Fort Wayne's Chapter of the York Rite No. 19 and was commander of of the Fort Wayne Commandery No. 4 of the Knight Templar. During all this he also served as the webmaster and magazine editor for the Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne Indiana.

Freemasonry is Worth More Than...

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Robert H. Johnson

Often while swiping through the conversations on Facebook and social media regarding Freemasonry there are numerous threads talking about the lodge dues. Too high, too low… When we advocate for higher dues, the argument is that we’re pricing good men out of the craft. When we price too low, we argue that the craft will surely die.

Arguments for both sides are many. Some argue that dues should remain low and that a lodge should off set costs by holding fundraisers. Others say that the public shouldn’t flip the bill for an organization's existence.

Others maintain that the cost to join has been kept the same over the years, which is why the big temples closed. While the cost of everything around us increased the dues stayed the same. Those who advocate for higher dues structures will point out the Freemasonry doesn't cost that much, in many cases yearly dues are less expensive than the monthly cost of a service a brother indulges in.

Recently, a brother posted something interesting on Facebook. He said, “Add up all your dues, divide by 365 to determine the cost of Masonry per day, post your results below!” Tons of people did this. I decided to take the data and determine the average. Out of fifty random responses, the average a man pays for membership in total for all the bodies he belongs to is about $1.12 a day. The highest amount a man paid per day was $5.38 per day, whilst the lowest was a mere $0.10 per day.

Compare these numbers with the average services or indulgences we pay for today:

Sunday Ticket: $269 per year, $0.73 per day

Cable in whole: $1,188.00 per year, $3.25 per day

Starbucks: $1300.00 per year (5 days a week), $5.00 per day (5 times a week)

Tobacco: $2,321 a year, $6.36 per day

Netflix: $100.00 per year, $0.27 per day

Hulu: $96.00 per year, $0.26 per day

Microsoft Office: $84.00 per year, $0.23 per day

Alcohol: $548 per year, $1.50 per day (2011 survey adjusted for CPI)

Fast Food: $2,619 per year, $7.17 per day (2011 survey)

Lottery Tickets: $52 per year, $0.14 per day (One ticket a week)

Gym Membership: $360 per year, $0.99 per day

Freemasonry $408.80 per year, $1.12 per day.

So I think this is an interesting and solid way to look at things. The fraternity surely needs the funds, there is a lot to pay for. Meals, per capita, buildings, maintenance etc. Look at the gym membership numbers alone. To quote WB:. Scott Dueball, "Shouldn't we at least value spiritual and mental health as much as our physical?" Surely Freemasonry is worth more than all the things in the above list, isn’t it? In fact, I’d say it's worth more than all these things combined! When you say that Freemasonry isn't worth $100 or more a year, you're directly saying that you value any one of those things listed above (or anything else you want to figure out the values for) more than Freemasonry. It's hard to see the value in Netflix or Hulu when you don't turn on the TV, the same could be said by not attending the lodge. Perhaps, it might be time to reevaluate things.

~RHJ

RWB, Robert Johnson is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 where he is a Past Master. He also serves as the District Deputy for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry and is also an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays and one on Occult Anatomy to be released soon.

Budgeting the Lodge - For the Better of the Fraternity

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Aaron Gardner

We all see the saving tips and how to turn your dollar into a million plans all over the Internet. Rather they are get rich schemes or legitimate savings tips and ideas, they are all over the place. In today’s world of credit it’s easy to see why. So many individuals are actually going further in debt to pay off other debt. Which is ridiculous, however we do have a Government that shows that it is perfectly all right… No, I am not going to start giving ideas on how we can fix our Federal Government’s current financial predicament. Although, in our fraternity we do have a similar situation—on a much smaller scale that is.  

Countless times I have talked to brethren across the nation and even in different countries to find one problem that we have in our society. Our lodges are struggling to provide for the communities they serve, the buildings they use and sadly the brethren who sit inside the lodge. 

Every lodge has a minimum amount of funding they have to have in their given financial institutions. It could be a zero balance or it could be ranging anywhere from $1 to $5,000 dollars.  Regardless of what they have in the account, there is a troubling situation when our lodges are having a hard time coming on top of their overhead.  Many point the finger at the loss of memberships and lack of petitions. When the bills start piling up, are those really the problems we need to identify? 

I’d like to make a couple suggestions on where we should focus in order to be sure we have enough money in our lodge for our usual expenses, emergency expenses as well as expenses for new programs. 

First, for those lodges who have lost members, yes this is tragic, however it doesn’t mean that your lodge can’t come out on top.  We may be suffering from fewer members than in previous years; however, our fraternity has lasted through out the centuries despite the challenges set against us.  If you have a masonic body made up of fewer than 10 members who regularly show for stated meetings, perhaps its time to consider consolidating with other local lodges. 

I know, this is not in the best interest for the history of your lodge and you want to uphold that history. Yet, is it really upholding the lodge history when you may have to close the doors due to lack of membership? Remember, when we close a lodge we always ask the members if they have anything for the better of the fraternity; trying to uphold one particular lodge’s history is not for the better of our organization. Let’s consider the benefits of consolidating: 

• Bills would be shared amongst a different lodge. 
• We can always learn from other lodges experiences.
• We can be a part of history and create a newer lodge in the community and create fresh ideas out of the rubble of two or more closed lodges. The phoenix of your community. 
• A larger community to reach out to and possibly receives more petitions.
• With a larger body, the sometimes-lacking ritual can be restored without more than one person sharing roles. 

These are just a few benefits that our local lodges would experience. There are a lot more and together we can contemplate these. I just suggest our WM’s and PM’s and officers alike consider these when sitting at the trestle board trying to save their lodge. 

For those lodges that are not lacking in membership, but are still having a hard time paying the bills, let me ask you a simple question. What is your lodge’s primary means of income? If you answer with your member’s dues, are they high enough? If they are low enough for a member to pay out of pocket change, perhaps you should increase them. I have talked to brethren across the country about their dues and they all seem to agree about a months worth of pay should be average for the year. Now, of course this all is depending on your location and the average income for a household in your community. It is up to your lodge to find a medium with your members on what their membership is worth to them.  

If your member’s are already paying a considerable amount for their dues perhaps it is time to look at your expenses. If you have a large enough body of members and they are paying a substantial amount for dues, where is your lodge’s money going? What programs is your lodge participating in that could use some readjustments? I suggest you write down all of your bills in order of precedence. First and foremost you need to pay overhead. That is the most important bill, there would be no building without it. Overhead consists of the usual, Property Tax/Rent, Electricity, Gas (If you have it) Heating and A/C. Then write down the programs your lodge is funding in order by expenses, The Most expensive first. 

Once you have all your outcome money written down in order of precedence, start looking at the programs and figuring if any of the programs can be either scrapped, consolidated or you can provide less money for any of them. If there is a program that seems to not be going anywhere, and is more costly than producing results, GET RID OF IT! These types of programs are toxic to our society and more damaging to your community. Yes, I understand your lodges “Christmas Bike Program” is a great and noble cause, it works in other lodges and your hoping it will eventually become worth the money spent and the time invested.  Well, until that time don’t fund it. It is important that your lodge stays above water or else it wouldn’t be very beneficial. 

Refocus your lodge’s money through the programs. If you are spending a substantial amount of money on one program but not another, ask why that is. It could be that one program legitimately needs that money dedicated toward it. It’s also possible that some of those funds are not functioning the way they should.  The solution to this is rather simple; pull some of those funds and divide them amongst other programs that may need more attention. If none of this helps get your lodge back above water, there are other solutions to the funding issues. 

Do you have a lack of obedience in your lodge?  Are members causing distractions during degree work? Fine them. There are plenty of lodges across this nation who are known to cite a fine toward their members if they are being less than productive during work.  It is a simple way to earn money in the lodge and it helps instill discipline.  A win-win if you ask me, although I really do not want to be the member that has to pay the fine. 

Finally, there is one more solution I have in my toolbox that we can use across all of our lodges. It will, possibly, cost some money at the beginning if your lodge is lacking in maintenance. However, turn your lodge into something that could bring money in from the community. When I was raised, I was raised in the very lodge that accepted my family and friends into their fellowship hall for my graduation/going away party when I was 18 years old and heading off for the Army.  Flushing Lodge #223 rents out their fellowship hall to members of the community for a decent price.  It is a great way to bring in some kind of external revenue to help alleviate the woes of the recession our country and world is going through.  Not to mention bring in potential petitions. Once you get your lodge up to standard and make it more of a sellable product you can become more visible in your community. I will not take any thunder away from fellow Midnight Freemason contributor W.B Greg Knott.  He is working on his series of “Increasing Your Lodge’s Visibility. It is a great series and beneficial to lodges looking for a way to breathe again in the recession. You can find his article here. 

With these set in place our lodges can become the shining light in our community, they once were. A community coming together for the better, our Craft of Freemasonry upstaging the conspiracies and allowing the public to see us in a different light.  Now that really is a Win-Win. 

~AG

Bro. Aaron Gardner was raised as a Master Mason in his hometown lodge of Flushing, Michigan. He has served in active duty with the United States Army for the last seven years in which he has become well traveled around the world. He is currently stationed in Lawton, Oklahoma where he is a member of Triangle Lodge #548. When Bro. Gardner is not defending the nation, he takes great pride in writing articles for his blog Celestial Brotherhood, writing his fiction novel and researching all he can involving the Craft.