I am not against the one day degree conferrals, but I wonder how often the new man is left on his own and not given proper instruction in Masonry.  Our Alternate Proficiency Program will teach many good and interesting things to a new member, but it is the individual help and discussion from a more experienced Brother that will make a big difference in his interest and development in Masonry.  Each Lodge needs to make sure that the coach or mentor really knows something about Masonry and is not merely passing on his opinions, misunderstandings, and criticisms to the new member.  Merely to pass from one degree to another in order to join another body, does no one any good.  The Lodge may have a member on the books, but the member gains little from the experience.

I am seeing an increase in interest in our ritual since having the printed out copy to take to Lodges.  Many are finding their mistakes and many are looking at it to learn new parts.  I am hoping that in a couple of years, the members of Grand Lodge (Masters, Wardens and Past Masters) will see the wisdom of making the book available to every Mason who wants one.  Any non Mason who wants to learn about Masonry can find books in libraries or book stores, but these are not our actual ritual.  Any wife, child, or other person who might find the ritual and read it will not become a Mason, and most probably would not want to bother reading it through.  Many of our younger Masons (not necessarily young in age) are taking a real interest in learning more about Masonry.  There are thousands of books, papers, and articles that have been written on the subject.  Even the anti-Masonic material can teach you something.  The web sites are loaded with material and give insight into the various ways different Grand Lodges handle their Masonry and their Masons.  The research Lodges have tremendous material that can inspire, teach, and answer questions on many subjects.

I started this by talking about games we play, and by that I meant that most Masons are merely playing the game that our Grand Lodge and Lodges operate.  They are not encouraged to dig deeper, to study more on various subjects or to ask questions.  It is really great when another Mason asks me a question.  I can't always answer him off the top of my head, but somewhere I know there is an answer and I try to get it for him.  The longer we merely play games and call ourselves Masons, the less actual Masonic work we will do.  Charity is not merely giving money, but really caring about our Brothers and their families.  Fellowship is not just coming to Lodge, but doing things together outside the Lodge.  Masonry is a big subject and it takes years to learn only a small part of it.  I would suggest that your game plan might be far more interesting and productive if you looked at the serious side of Masonry and took time to study what this game is all about.

Saturday, November 2nd at 9:00AM till Noon at Green Lake Lodge  307 Maple Leaf Place, near the Evans pool, you will have a chance to listen to a number of Grand Lodge Committeemen give a brief talk on what their Committee can do for you and your Lodge.  District Four and Five are joining in this project and all Masons are invited.  You can learn about long-range planning, getting and holding membership, research and education, and several other programs.  You will have a chance to ask questions and perhaps set a date for the committee to come to your Lodge for a longer presentation.  There will be another program set for the spring probably with some different subjects, but get out to this one and help start your Lodge in perhaps a new direction.  The games we play do matter and your participation is both wanted and needed for your Lodge and your Grand Lodge to grow.  At the same time, you will grow in Masonry and perhaps find new directions to go in your Masonic career.  I hope you enjoy your Masonry as much as I enjoy mine.