The moment a recruit enters Basic Combat Training, they are given a purpose. Their purpose is to train to be the best of the best. They train to fight this nations wars against all enemies, foreign and domestic. When the recruit finishes Basic Combat Training, they attend their Advanced Individual Training or commonly referred to as AIT. In AIT the recruit will earn the job title they enlisted to be, that can be Infantryman, Artilleryman, Medic, Communications Specialist or any number of jobs the United States Army provides. Their purpose in their individual training is to learn their job. Once they graduate and have their job title, their purpose is to perform their duties as a Soldier and the job requirements within their title. They move on to a unit in what we call “Big Army”. They may have sufficient time to conduct additional training before being utilized in the nation's wars. Either way if they don’t immediately deploy to a combat zone, their purpose and mission in life is to be the best they can be physically and mentally fit. A Soldier has a purpose from day zero. Yet, what happens when the wars are slowing down and deployments become few and between? For the Military Occupational Spec
Freemasonry is very much like the military in this instance. From the moment a fellow knocks on the door, his purpose is to learn the information given within each degree: The Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. With some lodges, the very next purpose of the newly raised brother is to prepare his travels through each individual chair. Unfortunately, some of these brothers are not quite ready to enter the line— They are still trying to grasp the concept of what it means to be a Master Mason. Yet, some of these brothers are eager to learn and willing to accept the challenges set ahead. God bless these brethren, for when a lodge doesn't have new leadership, lodge nights can become very monotonous. It is then the job of the older brethren to guide and help shape the leadership styles of the new. Everything within the lodge is cyclical. If you are not learning the information pushed forth from the degree work, you should be learning the job of the office ahead of the one you already hold. For example: If a brother is seated in the South, it is his responsibility to learn the job of Senior Warden. He should already know the job of the Junior Warden and his duties there. It is the purpose of the current Senior Warden to help groom and guide the Junior Warden in preparation for the West.
When we accept the jobs and duties of assisting a brother going through the chairs, and we take care of our lodge needs, we can move outwards and focus on other duties that are the purpose of our Fraternity. Just like the individual, we must focus on ourselves before we can care for others. The common question asked to all Soldiers preparing to take a leadership role is: If you can’t take care of yourself, how do you expect to take care of others? The answer, you can’t! We need to accept that within our Fraternity as well. The community outreach and lodge life coincide together. If a community isn't doing well, a lodge is more than likely failing as well. If the lodge isn't doing well, it cannot provide help for the community. We must take a closer look at our individual lodges before we can take a look at the community. If you are a Worshipful Master of a lodge, it is your task to ask the important questions, but, it is also the task of every brother to ask and answer these same questions.
What can we do to ensure the brethren entering are worthy?
What can we do to ensure the bills are paid and still have enough to take care of a brother in financial difficulties?
What can we do to ensure education is sought by every brother?
With what we have already, what can we do to help provide for the community?
Where are we now in terms of Masonic Education, Brotherly Outreach within the lodge, Community outreach and our financial situation?
How are we doing with the current state of our lodge?
Where do we want to be?
How do we get there?
Feel free to copy and paste these questions to a document for your lodge.
Remember, Lodge needs are dependent on each individual lodge. It may upset some of those in Grand Lodge to accept this, however, there is no cookie cutter design that will help your lodge. Designs of how a lodge should operate, cannot be solely on the Grand Lodge. Our individual lodges must be proactive in their individual purpose before the Grand Lodge can succeed in their mission. Much like the idea behind our nation’s founding, Lasiez-faire is the best operation for any Grand Lodge wishing to succeed. That does not mean a Grand Lodge should not set its goals and purposes. Without a road map for the subordinate lodges to follow, the individual lodges cannot and will not succeed in preparing their own individual road maps.
If you have ideas that have worked for your lodge, keep them, share them. Invite brethren from the surrounding lodges and brethren from across the Fraternity to see your lodge in action. What works for your lodge may not always work for another, but it doesn't hurt to try. Once we find our purpose within the lodge and our purpose in our communities, we can and will succeed as a Fraternity.
Remember, a lodge with no purpose is a lodge that has no life.
AG.
