# Experiencing a Surge of New Masons?



## Michaelstedman81 (May 15, 2012)

I have noticed something in my smaller lodge here in Burnet, and wanted to know if the same thing is going on elsewhere.  Lately, there has been sort of a "surge" of new younger Mason's petitioning at our lodge.  Now, some of you in the larger lodges may think of a surge as being like 15-20 guys petitioning at one time, or even more.  But in the past couple of months our small lodge has began receiving more petitions from more and more young men interested in joining.  We have initiated three, there have been another five that have petitioned, and this isn't including any of the older men that have petitioned and the older men that have been accepted in the same amount of time.

By younger, I am mean men that are around my age and younger.  Basically, from 18-35 is the range I am talking about here.  Like I said, that number may seem pretty small to other lodges, but it has kept our little lodge busy as heck.  I mean, we are starting to get pretty thin on instructor availability and we still havent initiated all of them yet...lol  I don't want, and won't, take credit for any of this, but this started out with a couple of close buddys of mine that I helped bring into our Fraternity.  The rest can be linked somewhere down the line.  

Anyway, I know the very nature of a surge is to come and go, but I'm hoping that this is something that we can ride for a good while.  I really like to see new men walking through the door and asking about joining, but I really love it when I see another man my age entering our gates.  This next Masonic year, I am supposed to be going into the South.  Even though my duties as JW are other things, I want to be able to do what I can to make sure that we keep this interest going.  And by that, I am meaning I want to keep these young Brothers interested in coming regularly and helping out.  I want to keep the interest going for the uninitiated.  

So, this post basically has two questions to it.  First, is anyone else experiencing this same thing in their lodge?  The second, does anyone have any ideas or thoughts on how to keep the interest going of these younger Brothers coming in, and keeping the interest going for those that want to join?  I know what keeps me interested in Masonry and I use that whenever I am talking to the newer and younger Brothers and those that express interest in joining, but I know that there has got to be some other Brothers out there that have some other likes that they share with with these guys.  Lol, I mean wouldn't it be pretty doggone awesome if we were on the beggining steps of another one of those time periods where all these good men flocked to join our ranks?  (haha I know, just dreaming)


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## Brent Heilman (May 15, 2012)

I wish I could call it a surge, but the last three petitions we have received at my Lodge have all been younger than me. The oldest of these is 36. We did the FC for one of them last night and he is the next oldest at around 30, don't know his exact age. I do know that there are a few of us that want to see this trend pick up steam. It sounds as if you all are doing quite well down there though. One of the Past Masters of our Lodge, who is now our DDGM, and I sat down after the FC degree last night and started brainstorming ideas to make our Lodge more attractive to a younger generation and try to start getting Lodge meetings more about Masonry and less about bills. It is nice to know that are people looking for something more than just a 2x a month getaway from the house. 

Good luck to your Brother I sincerely hope the trend grows for you guys and hopefully I will make it down there soon for a visit.


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## Star Mztyk (May 15, 2012)

Bro. Michael....

     Our lodge here in East Texas (Center) sort of dropped the ball as far as bringing in new Masons during the last half of the 20th century. When I was Master, I opened the lunch hall up to family reunions and other meetings like the DRT. I am an avid genealogist and at these meetings I would give the men tours of the lodge hall.....and show them pictures of their grand fathers, ggrands and ggg ancestors who were Past Masters on the Honor wall. I would even look through our registrys and find where they signed in....even for their EA,FC and MM degrees.  The Light in their eyes to see an ancestors very handwriting and the exact date decades in the past would overwhelm them. I even found where several greats and grands from both sides of the family were sitting in lodge together.  I would comment on such a rich family heritage and hint at future generations having the same experience as them. Verily, then would come the question. 

      I do believe that you are a leader.....and when the right young men open the door for themselves they set the example for their peers. That is what is happening here.


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## Daniel Mosmeyer (May 15, 2012)

Unfortunately, our lodge has not experienced this surge. I am the only new EA in something like 7 years......and I'm no spring chicken at 50.


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## Michaelstedman81 (May 15, 2012)

Brother Brent,

I don't know if ya'll have thought about it yet or not, but an idea that I came up with for my lodge is making a Facebook "Page" for your lodge.  It is a bit different than just having a regular profile for the lodge that is set up like a person's profile, or even the Group thing on Facebook.  Really neat deal.  You can do the "Check In" thing on your mobile phone, can set up Events notifications to notify members of something coming up and even people of the community of what is going on with the lodge.  Facebook is something pretty much ALL the younger guys use, so when you post some pictures of a new candidate or a dinner, it can grab the attention of the younger guys out there a bit easier than just posting to a regular lodge website.  Pretty neat deal and I can't wait to get some more stuff added to our "Page".

Let me know if ya'll have an interest in doing that and if you have any questions about how to get one started and some of the tips that I have learned.  I think that it is just one more tool to be able to get the attention of younger Brothers and the younger guys that might have an interest in what the lodge is because they see their friends involved in it.



Brent Heilman said:


> started brainstorming ideas to make our Lodge more attractive to a younger generation and try to start getting Lodge meetings more about Masonry and less about bills.


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## Michaelstedman81 (May 15, 2012)

You know what???  That right there is an awesome idea!!  We are in a really small town and our lodge has been here since right before the town was founded (I believe).  There is one of those geneology groups that meets up at the library pretty regularly.  I'm betting that those folks have family members that have been in this area for generations.  It would be really neat to see if they would like to come check out our walls and see if they can find any of their family in the pictures.  And maybe even seek out information from the records that we have stored.   I think that I might approach the upcoming WM about that.  I mean, we or may not get some interest in joining out of doing that, but I think that would be absolutely awesome to give those folks something new to look at.  We have pictures of all the Past Masters going back to when the lodge was started back in 1856 (minus one or two).

And thank you for your compliment.  I just would really like to help the Fraternity grow and I know that there is a whole farm of young men out there my age (and younger) that would love to add Masonry to their lives and contribute back to the fraternity.  I just think that there is a little bit of a generation gap when it comes to knowledge about the lodge.  Sort of like how I was part of the generation from Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" anti-drug program.  I can still remember those commercials and ads all over the place.  It was a VERY big reason why I never got involved with drugs and tried to stay away from them.  However, as soon as she is gone, that program went with her and the focus was shifted to something else.  The kids a few years younger than I didn't get nearly as much attention to the anti-drug stuff and I can see how that lack of attention has turned out. 

I think that maybe the same kind of think happened with Masonry.  At some point there just wasn't a lot of interest of new members and so of course their sons and friends didn't know too much about it.  I mean, not too many lodges have neon "Open" signs and LED marquee banners on their lodges.  I know what it is like to drive right by a lodge and not even take notice of it, and even the times I did take notice, didn't think anything about it because I had no clue what it was.  Lol now, I don't think we all need to go out and buy neon signs, but I think we all should be proud of our Order.  I really love it when one of my buddies asks me about my ring or asks why I'm not out partying every night but instead hanging out with all of my married buddies...  It gives me a way to say something about Masonry and how it has impacted my life.  



Star Mztyk said:


> .....and show them pictures of their grand fathers, ggrands and ggg ancestors who were Past Masters on the Honor wall.


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## Michaelstedman81 (May 15, 2012)

Goodnes!  One EA in seven years?  Are ya'll in a really small area, or where are ya'll? 



Daniel Mosmeyer said:


> Unfortunately, our lodge has not experienced this surge. I am the only new EA in something like 7 years......and I'm no spring chicken at 50.


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## Bro_Vick (May 15, 2012)

In September we had 7 men who were petitioning, or were already EAs, of those 2 have made it to Master.  One has started working nights, others have stalled due to personal reasons (that don't need to be expressed here).  We had two other men apply one of which has health concerns and the other who won't return the investigation committees calls for an interview.

It seems to go in cycles, sometimes there are more petitioners than we know what to do with, other times it is super calm.  I know that since we live in a urban area vice rural we will have more of the younger candidates.  The main issue is getting them over the hump of the EA, after that they usually see the three degrees.

Just my observation.

S&F,
-Bro Vick


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## Michaelstedman81 (May 16, 2012)

Yea, I have been noticing the EA hump with one of our EAs lately.  I have pretty good faith in him that he will go ahead and continue pressing forward with it and have no problems at all.  How do ya'll combat that EA hump?  I don't hound him, but I do talk to him a lot and reassure him that he is doing great and that he has plenty of time.  I think that he sees our other buddy just getting raised as a MM in a VERY short time as a sign that he is taking too long.  I told him to not pay attention to that because the other guy had literally unlimited amount of study time.  But, I just keep talking to him and offering to give him a ride to lodge since he is along my way.  Since we hang out all the time anyway, him and I will walk off some place on the property for 10-20 minutes and practice the work just to keep him interested if work kept him from being able to make it up to practice night.  Curious how ya'll comabt it though.  Do you just leave them be and hope that they keep showing up?  Or are ya'll proacive in some way?


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## Bro_Vick (May 16, 2012)

Michaelstedman81 said:


> Do you just leave them be and hope that they keep showing up?  Or are ya'll proacive in some way?



I think trying to be flexible and motivating is the best way.  If you are too judgmental about them not being a 100% committed than it can turn real sour real quick (that happened to one of the EAs we had and his instructor).  Also, the instructor and the EA have to click, if they don't then it is usually doomed before it starts.  But in the end there has to be some type of commitment from them, and you can't force a horse to drink, or something.

The EA hump is difficult, because you are still learning everything, and it seems so damn long that it can become discouraging.  So like I said, one part motivator and one part flexibility seems to get the men through the degrees.

S&F,
-Bro Vick


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## Michaelstedman81 (May 16, 2012)

Yea, that is very true.  Thankfully, this EA is really committed to things.  His work takes him out of town for a night or two at the last second, but I think he is just really excited to get the work done and saw our other buddy get all the way done in such a short time that it kind of made him feel like he wasn't doing so good and was taking forever.

Cool deal, thanks a lot.



Bro_Vick said:


> But in the end there has to be some type of commitment from them, and you can't force a horse to drink, or something.


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## Brent Heilman (May 16, 2012)

Bro. Michael,

The Facebook page was one of the things I was thinking of in particular. Also I was looking at maybe a website. As many here have probably experienced we have a few of the Brothers who want things to stay the same. I guess it all revolves around their comfort levels. The thing that got me to thinking about it was how difficult a time I had in contacting the Lodge for a petition. I don't want it to be that difficult for the next guy. The only way we have currently for someone to contact is by phone. The problem is that the phone is only manned by the Secretary for 2-3 hours a day. I almost petitioned another Lodge further away because of that reason alone. The way I am figuring it is that we must first make ourselves known and then leave and easy way to contact us if we want to see more people. I know of one Lodge that had basically advertised the GM "chance-to-advance" class to everyone they could to get the members and to generate cash flow. In the last 3 months leading up to the first "chance-to-advance" class they initiated somewhere in the range of 75 people. I am not looking for that kind of influx because 99% of those are done now that they made it to MM. I want us to see a growing number of new Brothers that are dedicated to the Craft much like we are. I just need the ideas and more backing me in the Lodge. Luckily I have a few so it won't be a total uphill battle. When I get permission to do the Facebook page I will PM you for some pointers.


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## Daniel Mosmeyer (May 16, 2012)

Michaelstedman81 said:


> Goodnes!  One EA in seven years?  Are ya'll in a really small area, or where are ya'll?


 
We're in Floresville....south of San Antonio about 30 miles. John may jump in here and provide a little more info....he's the Secretary.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Floresville-Lodge-515/371926636610


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## Daniel Mosmeyer (May 17, 2012)

Michaelstedman81 said:


> Goodnes!  One EA in seven years?  Are ya'll in a really small area, or where are ya'll?


 
Spoke the the Secretary last night.  Turns out there have been a few EAs but only one (besides myself) ever began work on the proficiencies. The other one that has studied was just recently passed after two years of studying.....I believe he has a hectic work schedule.


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## promason (May 17, 2012)

I can humbly confirm there is a growing interest and appreciation of Masonic ideals and way of life,icluding in my country,where people are more and more fed up with extremism and need fresh and new air


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## promason (May 17, 2012)

Masonry is deep,fascinating,and inspiring,Masonry is great


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## Preston DuBose (May 18, 2012)

We typically initiate 2-4 people a year in our lodge. Maybe 25% continue the work and make it to Master Mason, but I've tried to do my best this year in the East to keep our candidates interested and engaged and let them know that even when life gets in the way (as it does for all of us), they still have a lodge to call home and brothers always ready to greet them.

Last week I had the distinct honor of performing a back-to-back initiation (also my first EA as Master), which for our lodge is practically unheard of over the last decade or so. They started their work this week and I'm told that a recent FC at practice that night demonstrated the entire EA work for them. Their eyes got pretty wide. Fortunately, both new brothers work together with a third who is a Master Mason. I think they'll get plenty of encouragement and time to practice.


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## SeeKer.mm (May 18, 2012)

I have noticed a small surge here in CT...heck I am part of it! woohoo!


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## Star Mztyk (May 19, 2012)

The WM of a lodge nearby...gave his newest EA my number  and we began to study. Tonight (18th) we went to the next town so he could watch an EA Degree..less than 3 weeks he  is learning the Ob. 

   I am a 3rd Degree Mason....Blue Lodge.  I believe this is where I am suppose to be.....because if Masonry does not have those EA mortar boards to mix on.....they never get Tempered.


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## Michaelstedman81 (May 19, 2012)

Good stuff!!!  Glad to hear us Brothers in the southern states aren't having to pull all the weight hahahah JK  Really is good to hear that membership of younger men is on the rise anywhere.



SeeKer.mm said:


> I have noticed a small surge here in CT...heck I am part of it! woohoo!


 
Very well said.  Good job on working with that EA that well.  



Star Mztyk said:


> because if Masonry does not have those EA mortar boards to mix on.....they never get Tempered.


 
Congrats on getting to perform your first EA degree as Master.  I can't wait for the day that I get to do that.  Several weeks ago we did a back to back initiation as well (if you are meaning two different initiations done one after another in one night...lol).  One of them was my close buddy that I have referred to as totally blowing throw his work and is now a MM.  I tell you what, that night we did both initiations was a lot of work haha.  I had asked the WM if there was a way that I could take part in the degree from my buddy and was thinking about just the MC role.  However, he said he would rather me do the SD for him.  It was my first time ever to take part in a degree AND I only had one day to practice...lol  Then I got blindsided with the fact that there was going to be a second degree as well haha.  I think I was sweating ALMOST as bad as the candidates haha.



Preston DuBose said:


> Last week I had the distinct honor of performing a back-to-back initiation (also my first EA as Master


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## bubba806 (May 27, 2012)

I can't speak for the other lodges in our town but I am 1 of 3 new EA's in my lodge within a months time and I am the oldest at 26


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## Texas.mason (May 28, 2012)

Fraternal Greetings from Kelly Lodge #1131 San Antonio. We have had a "revival" in the past year. 
I developed a Facebook page and group for the lodge. The group is for communication and Masonic education. 
Masonic education is crucial. Many new MMs are left with questions after being raised. I recommend a series written by my friend Bro. (Dr.) John S. Nagy, "Building Builders. " I will post a link later. 
I believe that we are in a Masonic Revival!


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## Brok357 (May 28, 2012)

Brother, 
Your story seems to have a common trend in my Valley.  Thanks for your confirmation.


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