Page 6 - 2017 Summer

Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic Tribune and ritual can provide that purpose. Ritual per-
Masonic Tribune
Volume XCVIII No. 4 - Summer 2017 Issue - Page 6 formed well is beautiful, but when done poorly is
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 of little value. A good friend said to me that it is
better to read it well with enthusiasm and emotion
REMEMBER THE THREE R’s TO GROW than to try memorization and bumble your way
YOUR Lodge: RETENTION-RESPONSI- through the ritual. There is a common thread
BILITY-RITUAL. between leadership and the ritual and that is the
willingness to put forth the effort to memorize. I
would like to direct you to the Grand Lodge Long-
Since being elected as your Junior Grand Warden Range Planning Committee article that will be
last summer, I have written three articles for the in the summer edition of the Masonic Tribune. I
Masonic Tribune. The subject I have chosen to urge you to read it, especially the content about
address in this article contains three issues that I membership experience and Masonic education.
believe are important for our Grand Jurisdiction to This long-range plan was developed by the gen-
grow and be here for our children and their chil- eral membership at the ground level and not a top
dren’s children. Membership and Financial re- down plan from the leadership of our Grand Juris-
sponsibility along with good ritual are all vital com- diction. I support this long-range plan and believe
ponents of Masonry that will contribute to both we, as a Fraternity, are headed in the right direc-
growth and survival of our Grand Jurisdiction. tion. We have some heavy lifting to do and it will
take time to turn the current membership trend
RETENTION=MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
Charles E. Wood traction problem because we are getting as many not what Masonry can do for you but what you
around. To paraphrase a former President, “Ask
JUNIOR Grand WARDEN
I have heard it said that we do not have an at-
can do for Masonry.”It is up to each Mason to “Be
new members initiated as we are losing through
the Difference”.
attrition. It has been noted that we are losing more
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Brother
through demits and non-payment of dues than we
initiate annually resulting in a slightly declining
RWB Charles E. Wood
membership over the past years. Therefore, as I
see it, we have a retention problem and not an
attraction problem. Today, the membership com-
mittee is using a questionnaire to find root causes Junior Grand Warden
for this current trend but I believe there is more
than just a single cause. It is up to each Master
Mason to search out and correct our membership made available.
problem just as it is the function of the Lodge to (Continued from page 5)
educate, mentor and give “good and wholesome
instructions” to our newly raised Mason “every Every state and local election is accompanied by
day and every way”. a voter’s guide that has pro and con statements
by proponents and opponents of Resolutions.
RESPONSIBILITY = FINANCIAL RESPONSIBIL- Our Resolution booklet provides no avenue for
ITY discussing the relative merits of each Resolu-
It is my belief that financial stability coupled with tion. Expect to see some mechanism developed
a stable membership is necessary for a Lodge to permit a broader discussion of issues to come
to be relevant in their community attracting men before the Grand Jurisdiction well in advance of
that share our beliefs and values. For example, if the time to ballot.
a business lacks funds to advertise their product We will raise the profile of our efforts to honor
and services, how long will they stay in business? and support our veterans and military. As MWB
A business that lacks quality sales staff will not Jim Mendoza pointed out, nowhere in our current
stay viable for very long. The same could be said WMC does the word “veteran” appear. That is a
of our Lodges and Fraternity, therefore one could serious oversight on our part and a glaring error
make the case that membership and financial sta- that needs fixed. We owe our veterans and cur-
bility have a direct correlation and could directly rent military more than a pat on the back and a
influence our survival. The Internal Revenue Ser- thank you.
vice is currently looking at our Lodges and build-
ing associations as business entities requiring More than revolutionary changes to our Frater-
all to file form 990 on an annual basis. Financial nity, I expect to see incremental and evolutionary
stability and a stable membership in my opinion changes. I can’t help but feel that the future is
go hand in hand, leading to a stable Lodge and bright for our beloved Fraternity, and each of us
building association. will have a part to play in that bright future.
RITUAL = GOOD RITUAL
The last item I would like to address is good ritual. Fraternally,
I have heard some Brothers say that ritual is the RWB Jim Kendall
key to our survival and I agree that memory work Senior Grand Warden
is important, playing a vital role in our ritualistic
ceremonies. It is my belief that younger members
are looking for something tangible to latch onto
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