July Kansas Mason Pulse

Reboot Your Lodge Meetings, Part 2 (Adding Enlightenment to the Masonic Experience.)

By Mikel Stoops - Deputy Grand Master

In my previous reboot articles, I discussed the need to enhance the Masonic experience. Part 1 explained ways to eliminate the mundane business of the Lodge from our meetings. Now, in Part 2, I will discuss ways to add Masonic education to our meetings.

Masonic Education is a wide and varied topic. The only topics truly prohibited for discussion in Lodge are politics and religion. Remember that only topics associated with Masonry can be used as education in a tyled meeting. But that is very vague. All Master Masons have received instructions to study the seven liberal arts and sciences, and a few of those are explained to us. With that thought, are these topics not associated with Masonry? If that is the case, then there is more information just in those seven broad topics than anyone could cover in a lifetime. If you are in doubt as to the Masonic association of a topic, simply have your educational time while the Lodge is at refreshment.

Here are a few examples of some topics that could be of interest. Historic Masonic figures like Winston Churchill, John Wayne, George Washington, and Harry S. Truman. Masonic history such as Masonry in the American Revolution, Masonry’s role in the establishment of the British Parliament, and Were the Templars the first Masons? Masonic philosophy such as charity to mankind and service to our community. Masonic symbolism like the Lambskin or the Point within the Circle. Why 3, 5, and 7?

The methods used to make your educational presentation are up to you. Some typical examples are PowerPoints, oral, video, flip charts, and audio. The most important aspects to remember are to make the attendees and the presenter comfortable and do proper justice to the topic. For example, if you are talking about a Masonic musical topic, you need a way to play the music, and if you are talking about a Masonic sculptor, you should have a way to show his works.

In the information age, we have access to more resources than any Masons that came before us. We have little excuse not to be able to find something to present. If you need a starting point, here are a few ideas. The Masonic Service Association’s Short Talk Bulletin has been published once a month since 1923. These are over one-thousand readymade Masonic Education presentations. Our Grand Lodge has many resources available like The Kansas Mason and the Mentorship Guide. There are thousands of books on the topic of Freemasonry like Morals and Dogma and The Lost Keys of Freemasonry. And there are sources in popular culture like the movie National Treasure and potentially the upcoming TV series The Lost Symbol.

Masonic education does not have to be a four-hour dissertation on the cosmic origins of our Craft. The key is to make it interesting and fun. Have an Entered Apprentice give a presentation on what it meant to him to receive his First Degree. Movie night is also a great way to sneak in some Masonic education. Have a Lodge movie night by viewing one of the “National Treasure” movies or a darker one called “From Hell” or any number of other “Masonic” movies. Then discuss the masonic symbology in the movie and how it was or was not represented in its true Masonic context. Some of the best Masonic education experiences are those presentations that lead to open discussion among the Brothers.

Following the recommendations in Part 1, we have made the time. Now we need to use that time to spread LIGHT as we said we would.