To the Members of the Global Fraternal Network and to all my Masonic Brethren World-Wide:
As presented June 24, 2006 at our Utica Campus.Welcome, my Brothers, ladies, family members and friends, to St. John’s Weekend and to our magnificent Masonic Care Community. I hope you have had a great day touring around your campus and enjoying the grounds and visiting our new Health pavilion, the new Wiley Hall and our Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, and our Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge.
We Masons of New York have a lot to be proud of. I would like to thank the members of the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Hall and Home, Directors of the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory and the Trustees of the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge for making and maintaining these three special entities the fantastic places they are.
The challenges facing our Fraternity are many and sometimes seem impossible to tackle all at once. I come from a generation of men that believes one should never walk away from a challenge or a problem without first trying to, as they say, give it a shot. We look at problems and see where we need to be and say, “I have an idea on how this can be done.” We do the research, analyze the problem, put together a TEAM and get about working towards a solution to the problem, and say, “Why not?” I soon found out, however, that I am not alone. Many of our Brothers have the same vision for our Fraternity and would gladly participate in the dream. They are not only men of my generation, but men from every part of this state and from every generation working in our Craft.So we met and exchanged ideas and began to formulate a plan that you as Appointed Officers and members of our Fraternity in New York State have begun to see implemented. In the seven weeks since we all last met together we have found there are even more of our Brothers who want the same things we all wish for our beloved Fraternity.
Principal among those things are the basic tenets of our Craft. We have all realized that what makes Freemasonry so magnificent an organization is the very system of beliefs that led those who have gone this way before us to reveal it to the world in the first place. It is a place where men can come together to experience those values and share them with their Brothers over a lifetime.
The program that everyone has put together can best be remembered by use of the following acronym:CCER=M
It stands for Communications, Community Involvement, Education and Ritual equals Membership. The programs have begun to take shape and I would like to take a few minutes to communicate them to you.
COMMUNICATIONS:
1. Our newly laid-out Empire State Mason Magazine will continue to develop itself into an even better magazine than it has been in the past. Look for new content as the committee moves the project forward. Encourage your members to let you know their opinion of this very important component of communicating with our brethren and the world around us.
2. The new NETNEWS has received great reviews since it came on line on the 15th of this month. This new committee is to be commended for its efforts to get the NETNEWS ready and online for our brethren to share. Most of our members, and a majority of those that will be joining us in the years to come, depend upon or enjoy receiving their information electronically over the Internet. With the advent of this new communications method, our members will be able to find out what’s new and what is happening and will be happening in and around our state, monthly. Encourage your members to subscribe to it and ask them to participate by forwarding to the editor items of interest and, most importantly, current events and activities.
3. Lodge and District communications should be interesting, timely and include features that your brethren want and you as leaders of the Craft feel are important to communicate with them. The Masonic News Network (MNN) services a broad area of our state and its editors and staff will continue to need the support of the Lodges of your District in order to succeed. Work with the editors, or find those in your District who have writing skills and web skills and can assist the Lodges and District to communicate and share what is new and happening in the Lodges.
4. Public Relations is the place where we need to focus our attention. Notice there is no advertising component to this aspect of the program. Telling the world around us what we have done is a lot better than telling them what we are going to do. Reporting on the results of our efforts and making the communities around our Lodges aware of what we are doing is the key to new members and growth. That is not to say that you should not advertise the events that the Lodges are holding; rather, there is no need to advertise what Masonry is--instead let’s show them and tell them what we do. They will come and seek us out if they hear what we have done in the community.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
This committee is primarily responsible for bringing the Square and Compasses to the forefront of our communities throughout the state. It is involved with the development of programs that aid those around us.
Through this effort our communities observe firsthand who the Masons are and what they do. Additionally, this involvement brings together three generations of Masons (21 - 40, 41 - 60 and 61 and above) who work together for a common goal and enjoy the camaraderie of working with their Brothers throughout their District.
1. Our Masonic Blood Donor Program is a great way to show our concern for our fellow man. Many of our Lodges and Districts, along with the American Red Cross, sponsor events to bring together those who are ready and able to donate this very important and vital source of life. We need to do more events and publicize them to the community.
2. The future of our nation and our Craft are our children--not only our own, but also those in the community around us. The Child ID Committee has worked hard for many years to make this program grow. The next step is to make it easier to provide the important and relevant items needed by Law Enforcement groups to help recover or identify missing children and young adults. The committee has found a system that is affordable and provides more information than ever before to the families who bring their children to participate in the events held throughout the year.
We have set a new goal of at least 60,000 attendees to be processed this year. This program is growing and, as the jurisdiction that created it, we should be proud of what we have accomplished and should be setting goals for each Lodge and District to achieve.
3. The Masonic Student Assistance Training Program has long been a favorite community involvement objective of our Craft in New York State. We truly understand the value of teaching a school team to work with others at a school to identify kids at risk and develop a school-based intervention program to help children and make their educational and life experience a little better and more meaningful. We are one of the biggest supporters of this program and we will continue to be so.
EDUCATION:
The committee’s mission:
The Masonic University of New York (MUNY) concentrates on delivering the “E” of “CCER=M.” The aspect of education that is the most important to Freemasons is leadership development. To that end MUNY provides a series of courses offered to enhance the leadership skills of Lodge, District and State Masonic Officers:
the Individual Development Course (iDC), Leadership Development Course (LDC-8) and continuation of the Road to the East (RTTE), Lodge System of Masonic Education (LSOME), and Masonic Development Course (MDC).
What makes this great Craft of ours different from most other fraternal groups is the fact that in reality we are an educational institution dedicated to assisting our members to improve themselves by learning the meaning of the basis of a good life. It is one of the core reasons for the existence of our Fraternity and the catalyst to keeping it growing in the future.
1. Each Grand Lodge Staff Officer knows that in the District he is assigned to he is responsible for holding educational programs, which include the Masonic Development Course, Road to the East and the use of the LSOME program.
2. The new Leadership Development Course (LDC-8) is now available and provides a basis of understanding the essence of Masonic Leadership. It is available through the Masonic University of New York (MUNY) and is open to all Brothers after they have been Raised.
3. The new 24-Inch Gauge Masonic Resource Guide replaces the 24-Inch Gauge. It is the beginning of the development of a great volume of knowledge about our Craft, our jurisdictional organization and of the tools our members will need to succeed as leaders in our Fraternity. A great effort has been made to revise, expand and bring it up to date. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with its content and to encourage others to use it and to add to its wealth of information.
4. The iDC is entering its second year. Response to year one has been overwhelming and year two will feature many innovations as well as possible advanced courses in its fundamental programs. This program was developed to answer in part the question, “How do we take good men and make them better?” The skills being taught are not only useful in the Masonic area, but provide attendees with knowledge and skills that will benefit them and their families beyond the environment of their Lodges. Make sure that the qualified and interested Brothers are made aware of the program so that they can benefit from its content.
5. The Speaker’s Bureau (part of MUNY) is growing. Brothers are coming forward to provide lectures and programs that will greatly add to agendas of Lodge, District and area events. Keep it in mind for use in a District activity this year and encourage members who have topics they like to discuss to come forward and join the group of men who have already volunteered to give their time and knowledge to this program.
6. Each Master has the requirement to provide Masonic Education in his Lodge at each meeting. In order to achieve this goal, the Grand Lodge has prepared a book entitled, “The Compleat Master: A Primer for the East” for each Master. It will be distributed upon receipt by Grand Lodge of the respective Lodge’s Election Reports. The Compleat Master provides a wealth of knowledge that not only will please the members to hear, but also will promote discussions and further study after the subject matter has been presented. Additional copies will be made available to all Brothers who are interested in obtaining copies.
7. Our Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge is a jewel in the rough and it is now being developed as the premier source of information about Masonry in our state and elsewhere around the world. Encourage the members of your District to be involved with the reading courses, book borrowing, and looking into the extensive artifact collection found in the two branches. Urge them to make use of its online book catalogue and the artifact images and information in its online museum. The tools are in place to deliver on the promise and goal of this great institution. It is now the time to use them and make Masonry a truly lifelong experience.
RITUAL:
The Custodians of the Work and the Grand Lecturer are a team of Brothers who work together and whose entire focus is on the heart of Freemasonry, the Ritual. Their mission is to consider Ritual changes, preserve the Ritual from change for change’s sake, and to promulgate education about the meaning and philosophy of the Ritual. The Ritual is what sets our Craft apart as a fraternal order and the Grand Lecturer and Custodians are committed to seeing that the Ritual continues to have vibrancy and meaning in the lives of our brethren. There have been some changes to our Ritual in the Public Installation Ceremony as well as the Investiture of the new Master of a Lodge. I commend our new Custodians of the Work for the expedition shown by them to insert the changes and have the materials available to our Lodges on a very timely basis.The Ritual of our Craft is what distinguishes us from other fraternal and charitable organizations and because it is used to convey the teachings of our Fraternity it should be, at all times, delivered in a most serious manner. The Standard Work is to be given in its entirety at each Degree and during the opening and closing of our meetings.
The Assistant Grand Lecturers are a very important part of our TEAM and the part they perform in the Craft as instructors of the work is as important as the District Deputy Grand Master’s, who is responsible for the administration of the District, and the Grand Lodge Staff Officer’s, who has in his care the education of our Brothers from the time they show an interest in the Fraternity until they become leaders in their Lodges.
MEMBERSHIP:
It is the intent of the Membership Committee to rely on the integrity of Masonry as the tool designated for the attraction of new members to our beloved Fraternity. Men join Freemasonry because of a positive feeling they have about a Mason they know or because of the good works of Freemasons in their communities. It is our intent to attract new members through the use and delivery of Communications, Community Involvement, Education, and Ritual= Members: CCER=M.
1. Talk about our Masonry. Tools have been provided for you: an online newsletter, the Net News, an improved Empire State Mason magazine. Improve your District’s inter-Lodge and intra-Lodge communications so that the brethren will be proud of what we are doing and want to participate in the lifelong program of Masonry. Encourage members to speak up to their families and friends about the great things that we do as Masons. Use the Masonic Compact, publish it, let it take wings so that the membership and those who wish to join understand who we are, what we are dedicated to, and what they can expect from our Craft and what in turn it expects of them.
2. Use the new membership cards that were in this edition of the ESM magazine. Encourage our members to hand them out. It helps our members to explain what we are and what we hold as the important values of our Craft. It also directs the recipient where to find additional helpful information to decide if the Craft is something he wants to make his own.
3. An audio presentation on one person’s reasons for joining the Craft as well as a DVD entitled “Freemasonry in New York State” are being completed and will be ready for distribution in the next few weeks. One set will be sent to each Lodge and additional sets will be made available at a minimal price. Use them in the Lodge and give them to prospective candidates before a Brother Bring a Friend Night program. They are great tools that work.
4. Brother Bring a Friend Night programs are to be scheduled at least once a year in each Lodge in the jurisdiction. This program works and if done successfully will ensure the Lodge the opportunity to grow and have more Brothers and families to join in the Masonic Experience. The program is available through the Grand Lodge website (www.nymasons.org).
5. Interviewing Committees are extremely important to success in bringing the lifeblood to the Craft and also helping it grow. It is the duty of the committee to make diligent inquiry into a candidate’s moral character and this is so important to the growth of our Craft. Finding out about our prospective new member is a vital part of continuing the great reputation of our Fraternity. It also affords us an opportunity to learn what our potential new member and his family feel about the organization and what their expectations are. This first meeting with them, if done correctly, can be a major part of retaining the Brother in the years to come. Encourage our Lodges to use this tool well.
Mentoring: the key to membership retention. Each Lodge needs to assign a Brother to work with, stand by and aid a new Brother and his family from the time he is voted into membership in the Lodge and for a minimum of one year thereafter. Masonry is not doing Degree work, coaching proficiency and then leaving a new Brother to find his way without someone to guide him. Masonry is a lifetime experience. The sooner we help our new Brothers to start that experience and nurture them along the way, the better chance we have of seeing them start a successful Masonic career and watching our Craft begin to grow.
We have established a Mentoring Tracking committee to ensure that every new Brother has had a Mentor assigned to him, and to see how he feels about the idea of having someone work with him for the first year of his membership.
6. Many Lodges are in need of help and assistance in revitalization in the areas of membership, program planning and community service. There is a new committee that will, when called upon, bring experienced and successful members of our Fraternity to provide the skills needed to help the Lodge work its way back to good health. The Lodge Renewal Task Force and its Co-Chairmen, Brothers Martin Kanter and Chris Heberle, are always available to help. Please advise the Lodges of your District about this committee’s work. If we are successful in implementing this program, in the years to come we will see a reduction in the number of NPD’s that we are currently experiencing.
DISPENSATIONS:
Our Grand Secretary and his staff have been answering many requests for dispensations from Lodges that want to confer Degrees on more than the constitutionally permitted maximum of five. It is encouraging that Lodges have so many candidates. We must not lose sight of the fact that our three Degrees are the first exposure of our new Brothers to the Masonic Experience. This is the best opportunity to make an everlasting impression by creating a dramatic event in line with the purpose of the Degrees. Please work with the Lodges requesting dispensations so that the ultimate decision takes into account the need to make the Degrees what they were truly meant to be.
Furthermore, I have informed the Grand Secretary that I will issue dispensations to those Lodges wishing to confer Degrees on candidates who will shortly be commencing military service or have been called to active duty, where the constitutional time requirement between Degrees needs to be reduced.
Everything we do, every day, is a component of our ongoing program to keep our members enjoying their membership in our Craft. When we lose sight of that fact we break down the fibers that hold our Fraternity together, that allow it to grow and be an integral part of our lives, as of the lives of those that have been here before us.
Charity is a fundamental part of our Craft and we need to continue the development of our annual Masonic Brotherhood Fund Drive. It will have new goals and will begin earlier this year. A mailing has already gone out about a special program to help promote our Drive as well as celebrate our 225th Anniversary.
Patriotism has always been a part of this Fraternity's experience. Our commitment to aid and assist our veterans is never ending. Our Military Outreach Program is charged to help those who defend our nation and our right to be free. Our support for the efforts they have made in our behalf, both in prior years and for those now serving, is recognized and strong. Encourage your District members to support the VA Hospital Visitation Program and to develop new programs that promote patriotism among our members and the community at large.
These are the basic components of the Trestleboard of our Craft in the coming term. If successful we will begin to move this Craft to heights that it has not seen in many, many years. A shared purpose combined with a positive attitude constitutes an unstoppable force. All of us, working together as a TEAM, can be that unstoppable force. The development of a new and better Masonic Experience will insure that the greatest years of Freemasonry are before us, not behind us. Let us together work for that goal.
M.W. Neal I. Bidnick
Grand Master