At last night's Called Communication, we passed two more Brothers to the degree of Fellow Craft. The degree went off fine, but the real point of interest was a Brother delivering the FC lecture for the first time. In Florida, the lecture is rather lengthy and there are becoming fewer and fewer Brothers devoting the time to memorize the work. Frankly, I foresee the day in the not too distant future when the lecture will have to be delivered through some other venue, perhaps a DVD as Ohio has developed.
Nonetheless, the Brother who delivered the FC lecture was understandably nervous prior to the meeting. Anytime you have to memorize something of this magnitude and give it back in Lodge, you are understandably nervous. Prior to the meeting, we all tried to comfort him and instill confidence in him, but you could tell he was zoned-out thinking about the lecture.
Actually, he did an excellent job with the lecture, particularly as this was his first time. As WM, I stopped the meeting, came down on the level, and gave him a handshake and a warm "Well done." When I shook his hand, it was wet from perspiration, but I could tell in his eyes he was glad the ordeal was over.
Masonic lectures provide some important lessons in terms of Masonic Education, but I am worried it is becoming too laborious a task to do. Further, for those Brothers who have heard the lectures several times before, it gets rather boring, thereby you see Brothers falling asleep on the sidelines (which does not leave a good impression on our new Brothers). I also wonder how much the new Brothers are able to absorb, particularly following a Masonic degree. I tend to believe Masonic lectures should be handled separately so the Brothers can fully understand what is being said, but unfortunately, this is not how it is done in Florida.
To find out more about last night's degree, please see the "News" section of our web page.
Until next time.
All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It's my understanding that the Ohio DVD is more of a slide show of pictures that replaced an ancient slide carousel of pictures to augment the FC lecture, not replace it. For what it's worth.
ReplyDelete