# If there is one thing you could change?



## JTM (Oct 9, 2008)

For me, stated meetings.  I wish they were more than just the "business" of a lodge.  Some light would be good.  More "master mason only" presentations, etc... basically, more masonic education about the degrees.  

Reading the minutes just kills me.


----------



## rhitland (Oct 9, 2008)

I am with you on that, but we have changed ours it is more education now and still alot of minutes but equal light. I bet if you show up with a Masonic paper your WM would let you read it to the Brothers, my sugesstion os to ease in and see what they like to hear. Next thing you know others will do the same.


----------



## rhitland (Oct 9, 2008)

forgot to answer your question, I would change GL law it is to robust and can easliy be used to stimy a lodge and there progress.


----------



## JTM (Oct 9, 2008)

rhitland said:


> forgot to answer your question, I would change GL law it is to robust and can easliy be used to stimy a lodge and there progress.



are there any examples of this that you can think of?


----------



## Blake Bowden (Oct 9, 2008)

JTM said:


> For me, stated meetings.  I wish they were more than just the "business" of a lodge.  Some light would be good.  More "master mason only" presentations, etc... basically, more masonic education about the degrees.
> 
> Reading the minutes just kills me.



I have too many to list but for starters:

1. Stricter dress code. Bring the suits, gloves, etc. 
2. Brand new Grand Lodge of Texas website
3. Rituals and degrees taken seriously. No giggles, winks, chuckles. Totally ruins it for a candidate.
4. More education
5. Seems that in almost every Lodge, 5% of the members do 95% of the work.


----------



## TCShelton (Oct 9, 2008)

I agree 100% with Blake.

Particularly about the dress code.  The whole "internal not the external" is a cop-out.  By the time a man is Raised, he should be at a level to realize that in many aspects, the external is a representation of the internal.  If a man wants to show up to a degree wearing shorts and sandals, he needs to realize that this greatly cheapens the experience of the initiate.  Dress with pride.  Let your appearance reflect how seriously you take Masonry.


----------



## Bro Mike (Oct 9, 2008)

TCShelton said:


> ...Let your appearance reflect how seriously you take Masonry.



I think this is where I am at, too. Tonight I was running out to Lodge just to practice me MM memory work.  I was in jeans and t-shirt but I changed clothes before I headed out there because we have several EAs about ready to turn in and I wanted to be dressed appropriately if one of those guys wanted to turn in his work.


----------



## TexMass (Oct 10, 2008)

In a recent post, it was also mentioned that they thought shorts were not a problem because it was the internal and not the external....  In my post previous to that I mentioned that a Mason should show respect to the fraternity and dress accordingly.  A church going man does not dress like he's going to church everyday, only when he's going to church.  This does not make him less moral on weekdays.  He pays respect to the church and his religion of choice by dressing appropriatly when attending services.  I see no difference for lodge meetings.  

As far as meeting content, I am totally with you on this.  We had a WM a couple of years ago who brought in guest speakers on non degree nights and one month we had an outdoor degree on a small island in Duxbury Bay.  This is what brings in members and affiliates (see link below).  Degrees can be held on "special" communications and regular meetings can be filled with education.  In MA we have a Lodge of Instruction where candidates who are going through the degrees must attend.  Kind of like a proficiency night.  After the candidates have been given instructions on their specific degree, the lodge is opened and we enjoy a guest speaker or several speakers for our education and entertainment.  

Outdoor Degree on Clarks Island


----------



## JTM (Oct 10, 2008)

"must attend?"   how many candidates do ya'll have and what %age show up to the lodge of instruction?


----------



## TexMass (Oct 10, 2008)

The Lodge of Instruction requires all officers of the Lodges with in that district attend (ours has 7 lodges).  The candidates that attend are from across the district.  I have seen as many as 28 candidates of various degrees in attendence.  They do not do open lodge proficiency up here anymore just the instruction at the Lodge of Instruction prior to the meeting.  The candidates will meet at 6:00 and the meeting will start at 7:45.  The Lodge of Instruction is usually open to Masonic guest so your spouse/girl friend are welcome and encouraged.  One month may be an exibition of DeMolay ritual, the next month could be the history of Prince Hall and another month might be the history of Albert Pike.  The officers for the LOI come from the various lodges.  We have our list of lodgesin our dist and each year the next lodge on our list will elect/appoint the JW for the LOI.  So your lodge will have to send an officer every seven years (seven lodges).  It is a big thing to be Master of the LOI.  The Master will determine the speakers and not all are interesting.  Like the night we had "Estate Planning" (snore..).  A good talk for the Brother in his retirment age but when you have candidates sitting in the room that could be in his early 20's...you've lost him.  The Albert Pike night may have been the best I've heard yet.  The Prince Hall night had good information but the presenter kept jumping around in the years and losing people.   The LOI is for the  candidates before the meeting starts, then it's for all Masons and guest.  It's a great reason to bring us all together across the district.  Can anyone in this forum name five Brothers from each lodge in your district?  I know I couldn't until I was required to attend the LOI  This is what these events do.


----------



## rhitland (Oct 10, 2008)

I have to disagree on the dress code, if GL set a dress code that would be anothrer law we could use against one another when we get mad at each other, if someone does not want to dress up maybe we should not vote him in, but I do know we should not worry about what someone is wearing to Lodge that kind of thinking is divisive. Actions are what we are about, I refuse to believe the clothes make the man.  

Brother JT as far as skiming down GL law, how bout the law that states the kinda hat the WM can wear in Lodge, I mean are you kidding me are we that childish we can not adhere to tradtion of a full brim hat, we could probably drop the part about jurisdiction, and what about the silly law that you cannot print an EA or FC name in a publication. We could in no way function as well as we do without GL lodge law and also from what I understand Texas laws are in better shape than most but like most could stand to lose a few pounds.


----------



## Joey (Oct 10, 2008)

rhitland said:


> I have to disagree on the dress code, if GL set a dress code that would be anothrer law we could use against one another when we get mad at each other, if someone does not want to dress up maybe we should not vote him in, but I do know we should not worry about what someone is wearing to Lodge that kind of thinking is divisive. Actions are what we are about, I refuse to believe the clothes make the man.



*I agree because not everybody is in good enough financial shape to afford suits and ties.*


----------



## TexMass (Oct 10, 2008)

I have expressed that slacks (even denim slacks) and collared shirt be the minimum.  I have never said that suits should be the norm.  I know the TX heat and suits are not cheap except cheap suits (yuck).  But when you think of all the places you make a point to dress well for would you rank your lodge up there with them to deserve the same respect?  Being a Mason has nothing to do with your clothes.  I have only expressed paying respect to your lodge and the fraternity by being presentable.


----------



## rhitland (Oct 10, 2008)

I am all for an individual Lodge setting a tradition for a certian dress requirment but I think there should be no recourse. We at 148 always try to wear a black suit and tie to our degrees and I think it looks so sharp I look forward to wearing my suit now and even Brother Josh bought a suit, so in my opinion if you want a Lodge to have a dress code, dress that way and I bet eventualy if you stay at it others will follow suit. ha ha I punned that one, get it suit. I know I am corny. I also believe God likes it when we sacrifice to make something more special to someone else and dressing up for Lodge does just that in my opinion.


----------



## TCShelton (Oct 10, 2008)

rhitland said:


> ...dress that way and I bet eventualy if you stay at it others will follow suit.



Nope, because you always have that one knuckle-head who can't take a hint.  I agree with Mass on this.  Slacks and a nice shirt should be the minimum.  If you can't afford that, you can't afford dues.


----------



## rhitland (Oct 12, 2008)

I do not think we have enough experince in dressing up at Lodge for everybody to get the hint especially the knuckle head, our tradition at 148 has been shorts and that does not change over night. Most if not all GL official wear suits and they do not have a dress code, just years of tradition. Just a short time ago Brothers did not step into Lodge without their best clothes on but that tradition was lost b/c they passed it to us with fear and not love. Brother Sutton mentioned in TX he wore decent clothes but when he moved to a Lodge with the tradition of really nice dress he adhered and bought a tux. Maybe after 10 or 15 years of dressing up it will catch on, if not that will give us a soap box to preach the importance of dressing up if we so choose to, right now though it seems dress should be something we worry for ourselves and not worry what others are wearing. To each his own right?


----------



## TCShelton (Oct 12, 2008)

rhitland said:


> ...though it seems dress should be something we worry for ourselves and not worry what others are wearing. To each his own right?



Well, I don't think that anybody is seriously WORRYING about what others wear.  Nobody has stated any intentions of actually proposing a dress code or anything, we are just simply gathering opinions.


----------



## Blake Bowden (Oct 13, 2008)

TCShelton said:


> If you can't afford that, you can't afford dues.



Yup! I agree!


----------

