May 11, 2009 - "HOT" GAVEL

Earlier this year, Dunedin Lodge retrieved the "Traveling" Gavel from Star Lodge No. 78 F.& A.M. in neighboring Largo (on January 3rd, the evening of their installation of officers). It therefore seemed fitting that Dunedin Lodge present the "Hot" Gavel to them at their EA Degree this evening. The gavels, which are sponsored by the SunCoast Masters & Wardens Association are used to promote inter-Lodge visitations. For the "Traveling" gavel (a fine looking large gavel), a Lodge must fetch it from another; for the "Hot" Gavel (an ugly chunk of wood), a Lodge must dispose of it at another Lodge. All of this is done in good humor and promoting camaraderie between Lodges. For a complete list of the rules associated with the gavels, click HERE.

Dunedin Lodge received the "Hot" Gavel from Sutherland Lodge No. 174 F.& A.M. in Palm Harbor on the occasion of our outdoor MM degree on April 29th.

Ten Brothers from Dunedin, including five sitting officers, were on hand to present the "Hot" Gavel to Star's Master who reluctantly, yet graciously, accepted it.

The gavel concept has been quite popular in the United States for quite some time and does indeed encourage inter-Lodge cooperation and awareness. If anything, it forces Lodges to get off their duffs and see what the rest of the Masonic world is doing. I have been visiting Star Lodge for over ten years now and know a lot of the members. Yet, the younger Brothers of our Lodge have not visited them, which is why it is important they be exposed to the Brethren and activities of other Lodges. I guess I kind of see it as a school "field trip."

I have been asked about the gavel program by other members of the fraternity in overseas jurisdictions who find the concept interesting. Hopefully this will shed a little more light on the subject.

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"

May 6, 2009 - INVESTIGATIONS

As is customary for me, I spent Wednesday night at the Lodge doing paperwork. However, this time it was a little different as we were visited by three men interested in joining our Lodge, one to pickup a petition, and two others for an investigation.

The first one was a young man (23) you was recently married and works for a large financial planning company with offices in our area. His grandfather had been a Mason, but not his father. He had also been in a Greek fraternity in college and understood the concept of brotherhood (although I told him Masonry was somewhat different than the college fraternities).

The other two gentlemen came to the Lodge as part of our investigation process. Both had relatives with Masonic ties, but we also talked at length about a fraternity was (and wasn't). We stressed that the Blue Lodge (aka Craft Lodge) was the keystone in the fraternity and that although there were other Masonic bodies (Shrine, York Rite, Scottish Rite, Grotto, etc.), it is the Blue Lodge that is the bedrock.

For all three men, they were very much interested in learning about the history of the fraternity, our community involvement, but more importantly, they were looking for a refuge from the helter-skelter of the real world. The Masonic tenants of "Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love" was very important to them, which I found very refreshing. People join the Masons for a variety of reasons: to move on to the Shrine, to establish business contacts, for political maneuvering, etc.; these are all the wrong reasons. This is why I found their rationale for joining very refreshing and I'm sure they will fit in nicely with the Brethren in our Lodge. I also find this is becoming typical of the young men joining the fraternity.

Some Lodges do a superficial job investigating candidates for the fraternity, but I consider the Masonic investigation process very important. Normally it should be conducted at the candidate's home so that you can examine his home life and how supportive his family will be. I also encourage investigators to check references as much as possible. If you do not do an adequate job of investigating the candidate early on, you will only be faced with problems later on.

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"

May 4, 2009 - FC LECTURE

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"

April 29, 2009 - OUTDOOR DEGREE

We held an outdoor Master Mason degree with dispensation from the Grand Master. This is the third year in a row we've conducted an outdoor degree, and every year it gets bigger and better. This year, we did a joint degree with Sutherland Lodge No. 174, our neighbor to the north of us and my old Lodge where I served as WM in 2003.

A crowd of over 60 Master Masons were on hand representing ten Tampa Bay Lodges, including representatives from Districts 20, 21, and 22. There were also visiting Brothers from lodges in Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ontario.

I have been receiving congratulatory remarks from the Brethren who attended the degree; for example, "What an outstanding night of fellowship; great degree work and a beauty of a night."

To read more about the event and see pictures from it, click HERE.

Although I have been involved with many such degrees in the past, and I heartily recommend them as a way of stimulating the Craft, it requires considerable organization, planning, and follow-up. As for me, I developed a checklist which helped me assign responsibilities and communicate it to the Craft (I would e-mail it out to the Brethren). I have checklists for all
three degrees, but an outdoor degree requires a little extra planning. Anyway, here is the checklist I used last night; I hope you find it useful:

MM CHECKLIST (Effective: 04/22/3009)
==============================================================
MM DEGREE: Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 7:00PM

CANDIDATE(S):

LOCATION: (address)

REHEARSAL: 7:00pm - Monday, April 13th @ Lodge

ASSIGNMENTS:

1ST SECTION

WM -
SW -
JW -
Trs -
Sec -
CH -
Mar -
SD -
JD -
SS -
JS -
Tyl -
Con -

2ND SECTION

KS -
GSW -
GJW -
Trs -
Sec -
Cha -
Mar -
SD -
JD -
SS -
JS -
TY -

RUF1 -
RUF2 -
RUF3 -

FC10 -
FC11 -
FC12 -

9 FC -

SC/WFM-


Lecture -
Charge -
Bible Pres -

Dress: 1st section -
2nd section -

Props: Trowell, Senior Deacon's tool;
Slips of paper with names of Brothers;
Slips of paper with MM song; Bibles

Bible Passage: Ecclesiastes Chapter 12

Refreshment: Before the degree and brief one at Half Time

MATERIALS

ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS

Dispensation
Request for Courtesy Work
Sign-In Sheets
Master Bible & Square/Compasses
Bibles
Dues Cards
MM Booklets
Names of Candidates
Minutes (template)
Funeral Dirge - paper
American Flag (and anchor)

COOKING & PARKING ITEMS

Safety Vests
Barbecue
Folding table from Lodge
Cooking Implements
Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Condiments
Refreshments + Ice
Donation Basket
Garbage Bags & Cans

DEGREE ITEMS

Lighter for 3 great lights
Costumes
JW's Jewell
Square & 24" gauge
White Gloves
Low Twelve Gong
Secretary's Scroll
Altar + Cover
Knee Rests
Lesser Lights/Tiki Torches
Mite Box
WM-SW-JW Podiums & Gavels
SD-JD-SS-JS Rods & Holders
Wooden Rod Tappers (floor)
Senior Deacon tool
Aprons & Jewels
Visitor aprons
Working Tools
Lawn Chairs

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Music - Prelude & Half Time & End
Photographers
Lodge Room Setup
Parking -
Cooking -


I hope this helps you. As an aside, I have also learned to review and update the checklist following a degree in oreder to improve it.

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"

April 27, 2009 - MONTANA 3-7-77

I was the guest speaker for our April "Festive Board" where I told the story of "Montana 3-7-77" which describes the role Freemasonry played in bringing law and order to Montana in the 1860's. This was based on a paper I wrote in 2003. For the Festive Board I created an MS Powerpoint presentation to help me tell the story which was well received.

It's actually an interesting story; one which Hollywood should be interesting. If you're interested in reading it, you can find it on the Internet by clicking HERE. I hope you enjoy it.

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"

April 22, 2009 - COAT OF ARMS

I picked up the Lodge's Coat of Arms last night from the framer. This is a project we have been working on for quite some time.

I originally suggested the Coat of Arms in 2007 when I was Secretary under W:.Chris Schlenker, PM, Master. Consequently, a motion and committee was formed on February 26, 2007 to study the problem and make a recommendation. The committee consisted of W:.BJ Sammon, PM (2008; Senior Warden at the time), W:.Ken Giesow, PM (2006; and Marshall at the time), and myself. As part of its requirements, the committee wanted Masonic symbolism included in the Coat of Arms, along with something from our past. Consideration was given to adding a distinctly "Dunedin" flavor to the Coat of Arms, but this was eventually considered trivial and irrelevant. The expression "For the Good of the Order" came from studying the early minutes of the Lodge, whereby it was frequently stated that this or that was done "For the Good of the Order".

After determining their requirements, the committee contacted W:.Joseph Duhammel, PM (2005) of Clearwater Lodge No. 127 who was a well known graphic designer. W:.Joe produced a few designs for the committee to consider; one was selected and fine-tuned until the committee was satisfied. The Coat of Arms was then presented to the Craft in the Stated Communications of September 10, 2007 where it was adopted as the official graphic.

The Coat of Arms as shown herein was officially framed and presented by yours truly to the Lodge where it will proudly be displayed in the Lodge room.

A unique Coat of Arms may seem somewhat trivial, but I think it is important for a Lodge to develop its identity thereby creating pride and dedication in the institution we belong to. The concept is obviously not new and is commonly found in European Lodges, but very few in the United States (I don't know of any in Florida). Regardless, the graphic makes a nice addition to the Lodge and I hope you enjoy it.

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"

April 20, 2009 - MASONIC EDUCATION

At our April Stated Communications, I invited a guest speaker for the Masonic Education portion of the meeting. Fortunately, I was able to get Bro. John Nagy, an old friend and Brother from the Tampa Bay area. Our paths haven't crossed in a while, but John recently wrote a new Masonic book entitled, "BUILDING HIRAM" (ISBN: 978-0-9793070-3-4) which is based on his research of Masonic symbolism. John has always had an inquisitive mind which has led him to ask a lot of questions about the meaning of Freemasonry. From this, he wrote his book as a series of catechisms explaining the meaning of our degrees and symbols.

In our monthly meeting, he read one of the catechisms which explained the 3-5-7 stairway in the Fellowcraft degree. It was very interesting and the Craft seemed to enjoy it.

Bro. Nagy is a good man and Mason who likes to ask the questions few people want to. I just hope his work is not misconstrued by the powers that be in the fraternity and he is not prohibited from continuing his research. Such work is very important, particularly now as young men join the fraternity and are looking for answers to the many questions they have regarding Freemasonry.

As I have said on numerous occasions, Masonic Education is extremely important to the vitality of the Lodge and the earmark of a successful one.

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"