Reboot Your Lodge Meetings, Part 2 (Adding Enlightenment to the Masonic Experience.) By Mikel Stoops, DSM, Grand Senior Warden
Masons? Masonic philosophy such as charity to Ed. note: Previous articles in this series are in the
mankind and service to our community. Masonic
April and May 2020 Kansas Mason Pulse editions
symbolism like the Lambskin or the Point within
available online only at KansasMason.org
the Circle. Why 3, 5, and 7? The methods used to make your educational
In my previous reboot articles, I discussed the need
presentation are up to you. Some typical examples
to enhance the Masonic experience. Part 1
are PowerPoints, oral, video, flip charts, and audio.
explained ways to eliminate the mundane business
The most important aspects to remember are to
of the Lodge from our meetings. Now, in Part 2, I
make the attendees and the presenter comfortable
will discuss ways to add Masonic education to our
and do proper justice to the topic. For example, if
meetings.
you are talking about a Masonic musical topic, you
Masonic Education is a wide and varied topic.
need a way to play the music, and if you are talking
The only topics truly prohibited for discussion in
about a Masonic sculptor, you should have a way to
Lodge are politics and religion. Remember that only
show his works.
topics associated with Masonry can be used as education in a tyled meeting. But that is very vague.
resources than any Masons that came before us. We
All Master Masons have received instructions to
have little excuse not to be able to find something to
study the seven liberal arts and sciences, and a few
present. If you need a starting point, here are a few
of those are explained to us. With that thought, are
ideas. The Masonic Service Association’s Short
these topics not associated with Masonry? If that is
Talk Bulletin has been published once a month
the case, then there is more information just in those
since 1923. These are over one-thousand readymade
seven broad topics than anyone could cover in a
Masonic Education presentations. Our Grand Lodge
lifetime. If you are in doubt as to the Masonic
has many resources available like The Kansas
association of a topic, simply have your educational
Mason and the Mentorship Guide. There are
time while the Lodge is at refreshment.
thousands of books on the topic of Freemasonry like
Here are a few examples of some topics that
Morals and Dogma and The Lost Keys of
could be of interest. Historic Masonic figures like
Freemasonry. And there are sources in popular
Winston Churchill, John Wayne, George
culture like the movie National Treasure and
Washington, and Harry S. Truman. Masonic history
potentially the upcoming TV series The Lost
such as Masonry in the American Revolution,
Symbol.
Masonry’s role in the establishment of the British Parliament, and Were the Templars the first 4
In the information age, we have access to more
