נובמבר 2007

 

רגע לפני שאני מעביר את "המושכות" לאלי זוננשיין נשיאה הבא של לשכתנו רק כמה מילים.

 

זאת הייתה שנה של תחילת שינוי קל בתפיסה ובגישה. זאת הייתה שנה שאמורה להיות שנה של לימוד והכוונה לבאים בהמשך המיידי אחרי אלי ובעוד מספר שנים.

 

בימים אלה נפלתי על מאמר של W\Tim Bryce מפלורידה ארה"ב אשר מתמצת את אשר אני מרגיש . יותר מכל סעיף 2 במאמר הקצר אומר את אשר אני חש בתוכי כבר זמן.

 

אני חושב כי תרגום של המאמר רק יפגע בתוכנו ולא יעשה עם הכותב צדק. לכן אני משאיר אותו כפי שקיבלתי אותו מתוך תקווה כי אחים יוכלו לקרוא אותו ולהפנים חלקים ממנו או את כולו.

 

קריאה מהנה.

 

 

 

Not too long ago I attended a roundtable discussion of local Lodge officers from my district to discuss the state of our Lodges and what, if anything, can be done to improve our current situation. Inevitably, the talks primarily focused on declining membership and rising operating costs of the Lodge. One question which caught my attention though was from a young Junior Warden who complained attendance at meetings was substantially down indicating apathy in the Craft. He claimed this was their Number One problem right now and was at a loss as to what was causing it. I looked at him incredulously and said, "You're kidding, right? You really don't know why they are not attending?"

He said no; the officers of his Lodge were baffled by what was going on.

I told him it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. There are primarily three reasons for apathy in the Lodge:

1. Lodge activities have become boringly repetitive; the same old things are said over and over again, the same old pasta or rubber chicken is served, and nothing of substance is happening. Basically, the Lodge has fallen into a rut and is having trouble getting out of it. To do so, it is necessary to somehow stimulate the Craft. This can be done many different ways; perhaps a guest speaker or special topic, perhaps a slight change in the format (hold refreshment before the meeting as opposed to afterwards or vice versa), serve meals on china as opposed to paper plates, perhaps a different kind of meal altogether (some day I'll have to tell you about my Deep Fried Turkey dinner or "Spamfest"), perhaps something as simple as a slight modification in dress, etc. Small changes add up over time and do not go unnoticed by the Craft. They should be viewed as positive, beneficial, and upbeat.
2. Attending Lodge has become very political in nature. Bickering and back biting is not conducive for attendance. Members experience enough of this during the day at work or in their personal lives, they don't want to listen to it in Lodge. I know too many Masons who stay away from Lodge for this reason alone. They want harmony in the Lodge, not contention; camaraderie, not competition. Petty political power struggles are costing Lodges a lot of sideliners.
3. It is perceived that attending Lodge does not add value to a person's life. Brothers will stop coming the moment they believe they are not getting anything out of attending Lodge. If they are not learning anything or enjoying some camaraderie, they will stop coming. Further, if they believe the Lodge is not accomplishing anything of merit, such as supporting a local charity or tackling some kind of project, that it is stagnant, they will lose interest quickly. If they believe the Lodge is apathetic, they will act as such in return. It is contagious.

These three reasons do not necessarily pertain to Brothers who live far away from Lodge or who cannot attend due to health reasons. But then again, maybe they do. For example, for those Brothers who live far away, has the Lodge made an attempt to find out what the Brothers are doing and reported it in Lodge (or perhaps in a Trestleboard newsletter)? The names of Brothers may become obscure over time but are rarely forgotten. Further, they like to be remembered, be it a birthday or some important anniversary. As to Brothers who have difficulty attending Lodge due to health reasons, has there been an attempt to contact the Brother and provide some assistance for attending Lodge? If a Brother is remembered by a Lodge, the Brother will likely remember the Lodge when it is in need of something, such as a donation.

Combating apathy in the Lodge requires some proactive leadership by the Lodge officers, not reactive. It is necessary to plan meaningful Lodge events in advance, promote and execute accordingly, and follow-up to review what worked well and what didn't. Before you can get the Craft to perspire, you need to inspire them first.

ההדגשה הזאת והבאה היא שלי א.ר.

You will not have any problems with apathy as long as the Craft believes the Lodge is fun and interesting; they will WANT to come to Lodge as opposed to feeling coerced into attending. But if Lodge is perceived as boringly repetitive, political, or lacks substance, your Lodge room will look more like a racquetball court as opposed to a Masonic Lodge.

 

 

אם בכל זאת רוצים תרגום של הקטע לעיל לחצו כאן

 

 

שלכם  בברכת אחים נאמנה ,

 

 

אילן רייזנר.