Grand Lodge Solomon
Clockwise from top left: UGLE Grand Secretary and CEO Dr David Staples, the HFAF’s Grand Master Christine Chapman and Third Grand Principal Gareth Jones OBE
YO U R DA I LY A DVA N C E M E N T LIVE! After digesting its online wisdom, the Solomon team realised there was an appetite for interactive discussion between brothers – so Solomon Live was born W O R D S O M A I D H I WA I Z I P O R T R A I T S D R S TA P L E S A N D M A R K O R M R O D - J O O N E Y W O O D WA R D , C H R I S T I N E C H A P M A N - C R I S T I A N B A R N E T T, M I C H E L L E W O R V E L L - A L U N C A L L E N D E R
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olomon Live was launched during the COVID-19 lockdowns to help Freemasons continue making a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge. The Learning & Development Group had been discussing how the power of the Solomon platform often emerged through the conversations that are sparked after a paper or nugget is read, building on the learning experience of the content. Also during lockdown, there had been a rise of webinars on Freemasonry. However, many of these followed a standard format of a presentation (often on an obscure topic), a speaker reading monotonously, followed by never-ending questions. They’d go on and on, with the occasional audience member unmuting and complaining about their tea. This got us thinking that a great formula for a Solomon webinar could be a lively conversation, like two friends in a coffee shop discussing a topic, with other friends listening and chipping in here and there. So the idea for Solomon Live was born: short, lively discussions 48
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featuring popular and interesting topics on different aspects of Freemasonry, delivered monthly as entertainment rather than a lecture. Solomon Live premiered on 6 April 2021, with UGLE Grand Secretary and CEO, Dr David Staples, answering the question ‘What is Freemasonry?’ posed by host Brody Swain, Provincial Communications Officer of Worcestershire, who is also an experienced broadcaster. A total of 1,281 people watched the lively discussion with David, who gave us a thorough overview of progress at UGLE, his exchanges with the media and his future plans. Next on was Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons/Freemasonry for Women Grand Master Christine Chapman
‘Lively discussions featuring popular and interesting topics on different aspects of Freemasonry’
who discussed ‘Freemasonry – for Women’, including its origins, how it enhances women’s lives and future plans. Her analogy between male and female football teams – ‘same rules, different teams’ – to explain how male and female Freemasonry happily but separately coexist really resonated. Then, 1,215 tuned in to ‘Mysteries of the Royal Arch’. Here, Third Grand Principal Gareth Jones OBE drew back the veil on the Degree: its history and its teachings. He explained the Royal Arch’s connection with the Craft as an arc of four stages: birth, life, death (Craft) and our relationship with God (Royal Arch). ‘Freemasons & Charity’ was our next topic, where Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence explained the aspect of being charitable in our nature, and Les Hutchinson, CEO of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), giving an overview of our grants and donations. Things then took an interesting twist with ‘Freemasonry from a Non-Mason’
FMT Spring 2022
09/02/2022 15:16
Solom
