Several years ago WB Mike Burt uttered a phrase which I've have quoted on numerous instances. "Traveling is one of the hidden gems of Masonry." Whenever I have spoke these words, credit is always given to WB Mike.
Recently a very active traveler asked me the question, "Why is it that the number of brothers traveling has decreased so much over the past few years?"
Unfortunately, I don't have a real good reason for the recent decline. I suppose like all things in life it goes in cycles. Masonry is on the cusp of being great again, in my opinion.
Leadership is a main driving force in most things in life. Traveling needs leadership, whether from the elected officers of the lodge or a small catalyst of brothers who know and recognize the benefits a lodge receives from traveling to other lodges.
Traveling is responsible for a multitude of things that benefit any lodge. Good attendance at the regulars, good attendance at degrees, good attendance at district/regional meetings, good attendance at fund raisers, good attendance at installations.
During this time of the year, installation time, it's very evident by the number attending the installation as to the dedication of that lodge traveling to other local lodges throughout the year.
If a lodge has a WM that is able and willing to travel and takes the initiative to invite all the brothers of the lodge to travel with him, the lodge will thrive in many different areas. If the lodge has good fellowship among it's members, that is infectious......regardless of what lodge they are at.
Too often brothers and the leadership of lodges tend to throw cold water on some of the Grand Lodge plans and programs. Two that are coming on line now, need to be utilized to the utmost; the 6-step process and the mentor program.
For years when a man approaches us about membership, our first reaction is to put a petition in his hand, rush him through the process, raise him, all in a hurried fashion, then we never hear from him again. The 6-step process moves the petition to the last action taken after getting to really know the man and for him to get to know us....in other words we are seeking to discover if it's good fit for him and for the fraternity.
When the man is approved to receive the degrees of Masonry, a mentor needs to be assigned to that man. One of the things that the mentor should do is to expose the new brother to the art of traveling.
Imagine that, after taking the EA or FC degree your mentor invites you to travel to another lodge and see the degree and experience what you've just went through. Not only does the degree take on new meaning but you get to experience a new building and a new set of brothers.....hmmmm....imagine that.
Another factor in our local area which is causing all of us to pause and contemplate the current position of the fraternity is the constricting of lodges. As Genesee county and surrounding areas have lost population base and job base....our lodges are in a position of reexamining their position in the communities where they have been for decades.
Due to the diminishing membership rolls, the increased costs of maintaining a building, the tax rate, the cost of insurance, and the cost of utilities have caused all Masonic lodges to take a hard look at the financial feasibility of remaining in their building.
One Past Master's favorite saying was, "All of these problems could be eliminated with 300 or 400 new members." One thing that I always hear from the old-timers(which I am beginning to fall into)are stories from long ago about men standing in line to join and how the numbers of active members is staggering compared to today's numbers. An odd side note to this; one of my customers brought me an apron which belonged to his wife's father.....it's still in the large manila envelope it came in with his name written on it.....in examining the apron, I lifted the flap and there was only one date, for the EA degree. When I questioned my customer about it, he remarked that his father in-law started and his job changed and he was unable to finish....the date, 1955.....so the challenges have always been there.
We hear much today about Social Media.....my position is that Freemasonry is the original Social Media....through the ages it has provided an outlet for men of like mind to socialize outside of the norms of conventional society. With all of the "electronic media" available to us, young men are discovering the need of social interaction away from their computer screens is a tremendously valuable asset which fills a basic human need......thus was man formed for the social and active life, the noblest part of the work of God....
Mentoring is a key element for the new Mason, leadership is a key element for the three primary officers of a lodge, not just for the new members but also for the pre-existing members too. True leadership adopts the proven methods of the lodge and helps foster their continued growth....implementing change for the sake of change can often be fatalistic....one has to question how will this make things better. In the example of traveling, if the new Master recognizes a lack of traveling.....then changing that behavior will result in many positive results....thus change toward a more active traveling agenda helps all involved.....but it requires work, dedication, and leadership.
One of the sad duties we must all perform are Masonic memorials....this is a form of traveling but is also a means of honoring a fallen brother. Believe it or not it's also a source of Masonic friendship...and like it or not the attendance at a Masonic memorial is directly proportional to the amount of ....you guessed it.....traveling that the departed brother took part in.....sad but true.....however, we should always strive to attend memorials as a small token of honoring the fallen brother and to display the affections of the fraternity to his family and friends.
WB Carl Davis gave a great explanation several years ago about how the various lodges in our area function on a monthly basis. For sake of discussion lets say we have 15 lodges and let's say 11-12 lodge buildings. We meet during the first week for the regular, at this meeting we pay the bills, plan how to raise money to pay the bills, then we travel among the lodges and perform degree work and at the beginning of the next month we go our separate ways back to our home lodges....pay the bills, work on ways to raise money....and then disperse and "travel" from lodge to lodge performing degree work.
Wow...obviously it's very slow today, given my long rant. If we are to weather the storm we are currently in, several things must occur to preserve this fabulous fraternity. One is to adhere to the 6-step program, next we need to adopt the mentor program in every lodge, and last we need to resume our once vibrant traveling in and out of our area. We need to support each other and teach our new brothers the joys of one of the hidden gems of Freemasonry....traveling.
Safe travels my brothers, I look forward to seeing you in lodge......this is a good wake up call to myself because I know I have strayed from this vital part of this great fraternity.
