Diversity of Thought

Oct 2, 2022 | Masonic Education

MASONIC MENTORING

Diversity of Thought

How Freemasonry encourages collaboration and the exchange of personal viewpoints

Freemasonry is a social activity. I am a member of a Puerto Rican Lodge. I could seldom visit, so I joined the Liverpool Lodge. Then, I felt a need to meet District Brothers from other Lodges. I joined the District Deputy Grand Master’s family, visiting all Lodges in my District, and participating in Master Wardens and Deacons (MWD) Bimonthly Meetings, where I met and befriended many Brothers more. I then joined the Scottish Rite, where I befriended even more Brethren, from Masonic Districts adjacent to Onondaga.

My objective was much more than just social. The interaction with so many Brothers helped me grow Masonically, and provided many new ideas, some of which I have aired in this column.

Associations have at least two values: first, to fulfill the purpose for which they were created; then to put people in contact. MWD’s were created to help District Lodges coordinate their work and instruct leaders about issues of importance and concern to our Institution. Collaborating and exchanging views and information with others expands old ideas, fosters new ones and develops efficient ways to enhance joint programs. These are, possibly, MWDs most powerful functions.

Currently, our country is extensively divided on several central issues. The level of discord has become toxic. The Media is similarly divided into partisan lines; audiences join those outlets that reinforce their views. Organizations, where both sides of an issue are examined with balance and moderation are rare. Partisan deliberations of commentators and analysts, exacerbate things.

We believe Freemasonry can contribute two key components to help diffuse tension. First, it can provide information about the topics in question. Secondly, and perhaps more important yet, to examine them in a Tolerant atmosphere, showing that one can respectfully and fairly disagree on any subject. In these difficult times, this would be a great contribution to reduce friction.

Let’s provide an illustrative example: the voting system controversy. What is it? What does it pursue? What are its limitations? What alternative voting systems are there? Many discrepancies stem from a lack of basic understanding or of knowledge, of key facts involved in the problem.

This Mentor, strives to fulfill Love of Country and Service to Humanity obligations, while keeping Freemasonry’s rule not to conduct partisan politics. We believe that such can be achieved by carefully examining challenging elements of a conflicting issue, that often create tension among the contenders, without taking sides in the dispute.

For example, we can organize a panel with two Brothers that support one point of view, and two that support another one, plus a Moderator. Then we open the debate to the public. To attain success, the project needs Brothers from different District Lodges to help with event attendance and advertisement. Said project would first need to be discussed and planned in the MWDs.

What would Freemasonry gain from all this? People would notice our efforts to help lower the toxic levels of partisan disagreements, thus gaining in public appreciation for our labors.

Such approach is not new to Freemasonry. For example, the Grand Lodge of Cuba stated, in 1936, also during a very heated political period, the following opinion: Freemasonry does not intend to stop the struggle between ideologies, but to help create a climate where everyone can defend his principles using reason, and achieve success based upon the merits of his ideas.

Bro. Jorge L. Romeu
Onondaga District Mentoring Chair

Digital Marketing in Freemasonry

Jul 26, 2022 | Masonic Education

If I Can’t Find You On
Google, You Must Not Exist

How you can effectively
communicate with every
Brother in ONE click

As a digital marketer, it is painful to explain to brands the importance of an updated, relevant website. It hurts even more when discussing how social media platforms provide more reach and opportunities to connect with people interested in your brand. My internal voice screams, “IT IS ALMOST 2023!” Facebook is almost old enough to drive. The Internet and cell phones have been around since the mid-1990s! Why are we acting like a website or a digital plan is something new? Most Americans living today have always used some form of personal technology. Yet, one of the biggest challenges facing the oldest fraternity of men in the world occurs when you try to Google “Freemason lodge near me.” The results often lead to a “private group” on Facebook, a website launched in 1999 and left to float into the deep recesses of the interwebs, or worse yet, nothing.

“Communication creates clarity” is a line I regularly use in my staff meetings. One of my big pet peeves is hearing “nobody told me” from colleagues and team members. The routine for my team meetings is to break down “three big things and end with a big clap.” In business, we are expected to deliver results yesterday while hitting moving targets. This is why I find the lack of communication ironic in Masonic lodges – especially with the members. Think about the opening and closing of the Lodge… if only the Master and Warders were in step outside of meetings as much as they are IN giving direction to the Brothers during stated communications.

I reached out to WB Curt Robinson III, Past Master of Denver Lodge #5 A.F. & A.M. of the Grand Lodge of Colorado. Denver #5 is an example of a Lodge that uses technology to communicate with members and guests effectively. “Masons are not on the ball when it comes to doing this,” WM Robinson stated when we outlined the “Google search” problem. Instead of focusing on what Lodges are doing incorrectly, I wanted to showcase Denver #5’s progress as a repeatable success opportunity for others to follow.

You can skip to the bottom of this article for a complete list of recommendations and low-budget/no-cost options to create your Lodge playbook. For now, we’ll break down the three significant components of Denver’s digital strategy.

Emails

When Facebook passed 1 billion members and Twitter hit over 225 million users, many of us believed that the days of email marketing were over. The average person now has two email accounts; I have five. Two are for work, one is my primary account, and the other is for school/personal projects that need their own Gmail account and Google Drive space. Email is still the primary method that many businesses, organizations, and individuals choose to communicate. Every time you log into a streaming service or app on your phone – that account is linked to an email address. Email isn’t going anywhere, even if you have over 7,000 unread messages in your inbox.

Each email from Denver #5 has a focus. Instead of a summons to the next event or call for a dinner reservation, Denver #5 regularly sends messages from the Master of the Lodge. “Many Worshipful Masters write their trestleboard, and they should,” said WB Robinson. As an email subscriber, I have received messages on the recent passing of Brothers, details on the next meeting, and ‘The Master’s Message.’ These messages are quick emails that the WM sends out to recap previous meeting highlights, thank presenters or participants, and give the reader a preview of upcoming items of interest on the trestle board. Imagine that? A monthly email from the Master of the Lodge! “Quite a few Brothers read them, and as WM, I set the craft to work and give them proper instruction. It does help to have a personal message to send every month that invites Brothers to come to Lodge, ready to participate.” In conversation, WM Robinson highlighted the Lodge’s 160th-anniversary celebration during his time in the East, including a visit from the Grand Master of Colorado. He also pointed out another successful visit from Germania No. 46 F. &A. M. of New Orleans, one of a handful of Red Lodges who performed an EA degree earlier this year. As they state on their website, Germania’s original German-language ritual is a hybrid of Scottish Rite Craft Masonry and early New York State Masonry. Much of the ritual follows (often verbatim) the text exposed by William Morgan in his Illustrations of Masonry. Germania’s current ritual amalgam Jacques Foulhouze’s 1861 Scottish Rite Craft Lodge ritual and Louisiana’s York Rite work. “It was wonderful! We had close to 400 people come from the degree. We did the 1st degree so that all Brothers could witness it,” WB Robinson exclaimed. He also pointed out that including that event in his emails assisted in creating buzz and excitement for a visit.

Website

Our conversation turned to the Lodge website’s starting point for most searches. Denver #5 has a very modern layout that is compatible with desktop and mobile devices. It’s up to date – containing more than just officer pictures, events calendar, and history page. They have an archive that dates back to 2016 with photos and posts of events and happenings. Not every Lodge has a Brother who can serve as Webmaster, but there are tools and resources a Master can use to connect with someone who can help produce a quality site. Denver #5 found the Brother with a talent in their Lodge, who now helps other groups in the jurisdiction. The most challenging part of launching a website is the pre-planning, content development, and design layout. The easiest part is adding new information, keeping the content fresh, and the page up to date. This is where the Lodge leadership shares the responsibility of passing along the knowledge of keeping their page relevant.

It’s shocking that in 2022, there is a discussion on the need for a Lodge to have a digital presence. While everyone from your dentist to your kid’s school is EXPECTED to have a functioning website, Freemasonry takes a pass. This is unfortunate because so many Lodges without a website are missing the opportunity for men searching for Light online. A Facebook page is a great start, but if you make it closed or private – people will find you but won’t be able to connect. Now you are asking the seeker to take an additional step and find an alternate way to communicate with you. That’s a BIG ask! Especially when it’s easier to click on a working link.

A website does more than allow you to share your message and start a conversation; it is the first impression. Let me put it this way, if you were looking for a dentist for your kid, would you want to visit the office with a site that looks like it was launched in 1996 and left alone… or a dentist with an interactive page? The same is true with your Lodge page.

WB Robinson recognized the added value of having a web presence early during his time in the East. “I had a clandestine Mason contact me. In Colorado, he can visit for dinner, but that’s it. This led to a discussion with our Grand Lodge for direction on what to do next.” Imagine that! Due to timely notice, instead of a surprise drop in your lap, or in this case, walking into your Lodge. “Our website does bring visitors for dinner. We have 5-8 visitors for every meeting night. This is one way to get to know people when they find us.” This does bring up an important rule to follow online as in real life: follow-up.

A crucial part of your Lodge digital plan must include an engagement point man. Here’s why: no one wants to fill out a form or share their personal information (like their name, phone number, and email) with an unknown group — NEVER to be contacted. “That is a major problem,” WM Robinson noted. I have created the “Three Touch Rule” in my digital marketing plans to cover engagement. Every prospect is immediately followed by an automated reply, “Thanks for your interest; we’ll be in touch soon!” This message lets your potential visitor know that you are going to work.

The second step is a personal email follow-up. It can be a few sentences or paragraphs but should include:

The person’s first name
An original acknowledgment of their inquiry
A request to contact by phone or in-person
Finally, a phone call to the prospect. This call can be right after the email – most of us have more than one email account and may not check them frequently. The follow-up call can follow the same script as the second email, in a friendly tone and personal touch in a quick voice mail.

Create promoters

While we have focused on the digital side of Denver’s strategy, there is a fundamental human element. Nothing can top our contacts. Endorsements are still the most potent form of communication. WB Robinson realized this while he was on the road to the East. “Not every Brother does this, but once I became a Master Mason, I joined some concordant branches. I’m very involved with the Scottish Rite and in the Templars. I have met so many wonderful Brothers because of this. I use those meetings to spread the news of my Lodge. I also LOVE my phone! I may send a text message to all 150 Brothers in my contacts to let them know what’s going on at Denver #5. I did this for my table lodge with great success. I had 70 men respond to my message,” said WB Robinson. Does building these connections take time? “Absolutely! But if you are organized and good at the “copy and paste” method, it can be done!”

Digital resources

Ready to start building your digital presence? Here are a few resources that can get you started.

✔ Mailchimp. Hands down, Mailchimp is the only email marketing platform I recommend – personally and professionally. Why? It’s easy to use; you can create sharp-looking emails without knowing HTML coding. It works, and depending on the subscribers you have – it’s free.

✔ WordPress. Like Mailchimp, it’s the only website builder I tell my friends to use. While you must purchase your site domain name (website address) and hosting service, WordPress sites are easy to use. The days of having to type lines of HTML code are gone! You can drag and drop your way to building a new site. Within hours, your site is live and ready for people to find!

✔ Google Drive. Over ten years ago, Google opened up its storage space and software to everyone for free. You can create a Lodge Gmail account and use Google Drive to create or store documents, spreadsheets, presentations, photos, and videos — for free. They give you 15 GB, use it! I like using Google Forms to create sign-up sheets that can be sent directly to my email account to start the “Three Touches” quickly.

✔ Email Me. Yes, you can reach out to me to set up a time to discuss your Lodge needs or to have a deeper conversation on the points in this article. I’m always happy to help a Brother out!

Bro. Michael Arce Co-Founder, Craftsmen Online Mt. Vernon #3, Albany, New York St. John’s #11, Washington, DC

The Great Secret of Masonic Education

Jun 20, 2022 | Masonic Education

The Great Secret of Masonic Education: Leave it Alone

Keys to teaching newly made Masons “The Work”

My favorite part after the first degree is when the newly made Brother is given their cipher. In my jurisdiction, it’s a little blue book that accounts for the experience of becoming an Entered Apprentice. Typically, it takes a new Brother a few months to learn how to read it, master the catechism, and commit it to memory. Newly-made Masons in New York State are required to display proficiency in Lodge to advance to the Fellowcraft degree. No matter how much they are prepared to do “The Work” of learning our ritual, I smile when a newly made Brother opens his cipher book for the first time, stare at the jumble before him, then looks up with a look of complete confusion and bewilderment.

“How am I supposed to learn this when I can’t read it?” they ask. “You’re not,” they are told. And so the schedule of Masonic Education begins.

In my mother Lodge, that meant meeting with the other Brothers from my class (there were 7 of us) at the office of our instructor on Monday nights after dinner. Each of us took a turn in reading a paragraph, passage, or page under his attentive ear until we worked up to the point when we no longer read from the pages but instead looked across the table, able to recite portions from memory. One by one, we stood up after a few weeks or months of work and were able to say it all. I still remember the cold sweat in the middle of my back the night I was tested. That was my experience. For the new Masons I work with now, these sessions happen before or after our Lodge meeting, in the study room of our temple, or on the phone on a weeknight where we both have an hour or so free to connect. This is their experience. How we meet is not relevant; what is essential is the lesson flow. The back and forth, learning through the ancient practice of mouth to ear. The student with their cipher book in hand, the Master prompting from memory, helping them form the words and learn the meanings. When I began my graduate studies, one thing that has always fascinated me as an adult learner is how things we do every day have a real name (some of which I will share in a few moments) and how quickly new knowledge can be implemented. Part of my Master’s degree work was focused on learning new methods; the other half was on practical applications. Through this experience, I have discovered three ways to teach Masonic Education to new members.

Performance vs Mastery

Cognitive Apprenticeship is a theory that implies we learn from one another through observation, imitation, and modeling. It would be best explained in the traditional sense of the teacher writing a math problem on a chalkboard along with the steps to solving the equation. The student would then solve a similar problem using the same method. This is how most of us learned that 2 + 2 equals 4 in grade school. Chances are you learned your multiplication tables this way, memorizing that 6 x 6 is 36, not understanding the operation performed by a pair of numbers to derive a third number, called a product. We learned our 6’s (6×1 through 6×10) to advance to 7’s on the multiplication table. Memorization isn’t wrong; the problem is that it doesn’t allow for true mastery of a subject.

In his TedTalk on self-paced learning, Salman Khan described the difference between memorization and mastery. As he said, “The first time that you are trying to get your brain around a concept is when another human asks, ‘do you understand this?'”

In the video, Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects.

Memorization creates a barrier to the student’s advancement. A traditional lesson plan is a routine of homework, lecture, homework, lecture, and snapshot exam. The class moves on to the next concept, whether the student passes or fails. Good students will struggle, despite the teacher or their ability.

Mastery is taking the time to “teach” the student the subject, its theory, and its principle – where the student is motivated by his ability to master a concept instead of getting a better test score. Think about the difference between a Brother you have heard who has memorized ritual versus a Brother who has mastered his role. There is a massive difference in their confidence and ability to articulate and convey the lesson’s point. Masters become good teachers who teach great students.

The great secret of a good teacher

I was surprised when I heard Itzhak Perlman as a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, “Here’s the Thing,” hosted by Alec Baldwin. I say surprised because Alec usually invites an eclectic lineup of guests on his program to discuss everything from art and culture, to public policy, to business. The last person I expected to hear on the stage was the world’s greatest violinist. Of course, Itzhak shared how his love of the sound of the violin on the radio led to his fantastic performance career. In the story, Alec focuses on his “discovery,” which is when Itzhak reveals that the great secret of a good teacher is “not only what to say but knowing what not to say.” Their exchange was brilliant.

After being labeled a musical genius at the age of 9, Alec started by asking him how he now teaches young prodigies. “Everyone has their own schedule of development,” Alec began. “But how do you work with those that have that great gift, that naturalness?” “You leave them alone,” Itzhak answered without thinking. “You leave them alone! You don’t want to hurt them. Let the talent develop. Usually, things get better as you grow older. When a teacher has such incredible talent in front of them, they want to give you their all, and they become too picky. Leave them alone! There are certain things you cannot teach.” Itzhak’s words were cemented in my mind the day after we made a new Brother at my Lodge. This Brother was unique in that, while I was doing my role in the Questions & Answers for his degree, I would have sworn that I saw him staring at the floor the entire time.
Now, we’ve all been in that spot during a degree, especially the first, when you have been exposed to so much that your brain is full. You have more questions in your mind than space to fill it. When he was handed his “little blue book” after his degree that night, he immediately asked me pointed questions about his experience. And these questions were beyond the typical decoration of the Lodge room. That evening, he was able to not only retrace his steps – but recall the exact words that were spoken to him, along with some of my part. I was floored! I asked him how he knew this. His answer, “I was memorizing what you were saying as you said it. Isn’t that what I was told to do?” When we work on his ritual proficiency over the phone, this Brother and I spend about an hour going over the lines and an additional hour of me answering his pointed questions. I thought of Itzhak when this Brother asked, “what books can I read now?” To others, I would have told them to focus on the cipher. For him, I wanted to say, “all of them.” Instead, I reminded him of what the Master told him about The Bible during the degree. Now he is texting Bible passages for the group chat to discuss.

Scaffolding

Of all the learning principles I have been exposed to, this one has a dual meaning—making it somewhat Masonic. Scaffolding is the process of supporting students in their learning. Just as construction work requires a raised support system for men to work, the same applies to how we learn. The teacher’s goal is to have more of a mentor/facilitator role rather than the traditional professor of ideas. Students share the responsibility of learning, taking ownership of the class’s success. Scaffolds can be small groups where individuals demonstrate their mastery of an area to other students – speaking to them in their language – fostering peer teaching and learning. For complicated or abstract material, scaffolding can help bring support through group learning to understand complex ideas. This method also allows the instructor to break the class into groups, which are smaller, more manageable teams, rather than trying to teach to the whole class. Masonically, we can adopt this practice in our ritual practices. One of my Brothers suggested the idea a few years ago of organizing our degree rehearsals like a theatre production: principles, backups, secondary performers, ensemble, and then we all meet for an entire cast run-through. Not only would this allow for time to focus on the individual roles in small groups off to the side, but as the cast is slowly integrated into the whole production, each participant would learn the flow of the ritual instead of just sitting in their spot, waiting for their time to speak. I often wonder of the Freemasons of years gone by, back when we still rode horses or walked to get from place to place. How in that time, when the printing press was in its infancy, and most Americans didn’t know how to read, “mouth to ear” learning was to learn. Now I can be on the phone in my living room, talking for an hour with a new Brother who is driving home from work. Interestingly, while the times and technology have changed over the centuries, “mouth to ear” is still the most valuable and rewarding form of learning. There isn’t a video series (yet) to teach our new Brothers this important Masonic Education. Knowledge is still passed from the Master who speaks to his apprentice who listens. As the old saying goes, “The word ‘listen’ contains the same letters as the word ‘silent.'”

Bro. Michael Arce Co-Founder, Craftsmen Online Mt. Vernon #3, Albany, New York St. John’s #11, Washington, DC