JOINT INSTALLATIONS
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
"A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"
"That noble contention or rather emulation of who best can work and best agree."
We are rapidly approaching the new year which for many Grand jurisdictions
means the installation of new Craft Lodge officers. There is a lot of formality
in such installations where officers must take an obligation to properly lead the
Lodge. Such programs are often open to the public in the United States but attendance
is usually low, normally reserved to friends and family of those being installed.
The public generally has no interest in such pomp and ceremony primarily because
Craft Lodges are no longer regarded as movers and shakers in the community. For example,
when was the last time your local Mayor attended your Lodge installation? Or the head
of the Chamber of Commerce, local school principals, members of the local clergy,
members of the press, etc.? Most people feel that after you've seen one installation,
you've seen them all so why bother attending? I even heard one guy describe it as
"interesting as watching grass grow."
One idea for stimulating interest is to perform a joint installation of officers
with two or more Lodges. I arranged to do this for my year in the East and it
worked out rather well. My Lodge and another performed a joint installation a
few years ago in front of a packed audience, which was much different than the
year before when the sidelines were bare for both Lodges. Attendees found it
to be a refreshingly novel approach for installing officers. Kind of like
killing two birds with one stone.
In planning the joint installation, I had approached other Lodges in our district
to participate. All seemed amenable to do it at first, but the elders of the
various Lodges eventually exerted pressure not to participate as it wouldn't be
performed on their Lodge's property and that they might lose their identity.
Holding it on my own Lodge's turf was inconsequential to me as I considered
the bigger picture of Freemasonry, not just my Lodge's. Frankly, the joint
installation went off without a hitch, everybody had a great time, and we had
a substantially larger attendance than the other Lodges. This also afforded
us the ability to defray costs for the reception afterwards, which was split
between the two Lodges. Because of this, I see joint installations as a
"win-win" situation.
As good as the joint degree was, I do not believe it is something you can
do on a regular basis as it may be deemed repetitive over time. Otherwise
I see it as a great way to generate interest in the Lodge. It encourages
cooperation between the Lodges, it makes a great media event, it stimulates
participation in the Lodge, it's different. And maybe that is the real lesson
here. Too often there is a tendency for Lodges to fall into a rut and are
content with doing the same tired thing over and over again to the point of
it becoming boring thus stifling interest in the Lodge. However, with a little
imagination and effort you can create "win-win" situations not only at the
beginning of the Masonic year, but throughout the year as well.
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein,
please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic
web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.
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Copyright © 2007 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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