July 2025:
Is Your Lodge Ready for Prospects?
First off, congratulations to everyone who participated in last month’s #WeAreMasons social media challenge. The results of that three-week campaign are in, and they look great: More than 500 hashtag mentions, 27,000 likes, and a reach of 3.4 million users. This year’s effort generated our most engagement to date. As a result, more than 150 prospects reached out to us to inquire about membership.
Museum Monday !
For this week’s Museum Monday, we are bringing you a 1961 Stewards Jewel for The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution started when United Grand Lodge of England inaugurated the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund for Men in 1842 and the Female Annuity Fund in 1849.
The following year, the first Home was opened in East Croydon named the “Asylum for Worthy, Aged and Decayed Freemasons”, and The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI) was established. The home remained in Croydon for over 100 years until 1955, when, due to the need for bigger premises, the Home was transferred to Harewood Court in Hove, East Sussex.
Between 1960 and 1985, a further 14 Homes were set up or acquired around England and Wales. Four more Homes have been opened since then bringing the number of Homes run by RMBI Care Co. to 18, The organisation’s Head Office is based in Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street along with the Masonic Charitable Foundation.
This Jewel was donated to the Museum in 2024 by the Great Grandson of WBro P Le Moal, who having seen a previous Museum Monday Post made contact.
WBro Moal was the Master of Mariners Lodge No.168 at the outbreak of the Occupation and resumed as Master of the Lodge when meetings began again in 1946.
#history #museum #monday #alderney #WeAreMasons WeAreMasons guernsey freemasonsci mariners jewel charity
Visit our website for more items from the museum: https://guernseyfreemasons.org.uk/museum/
Women’s Freemasonry !
Here are the First photos of our newly initiated lady freemasons from Guernsey, which occurred as of 1pm today in Guilford. They will be carrying out their 2nd Degree tomorrow. And will have their 3rd Degrees carried out in Guernsey in due course.
The Head of Guernsey Freemasonry Philip Falla said “My congratulations go out to them and I offer my full support”.
Another 10 ladies will be initiated in the new year.
Well done to all the ladies who were all initiated in the presence of no less than the Grand Master of HFAF [Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons] #WeAreMasons #freemasonsci #masons #together #ladies #HFAF
To find out more about joining the Female Freemasons visit our website https://guernseyfreemasons.org.uk/women-freemasons/
***ANNOUNCEMENT***
ALL MASTER MASONS WELCOME!!!
As we,
The Brethren of Redlands Masonic Lodge #300
Raise Brother Mike Saucedo to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on the evening of September 29th.
#redlandsmasoniclodge
#masonsofcalifornia
#WeAreMasons
#2B1ASK1
Museum Monday !
This week’s Museum Monday we are looking at a Secretary’s Collar Jewel, the Jewel is Sliver and dates from around 1830 and is two quill pens in saltire along with the “Mystic Tie” or Bow. The reverse of the Jewel it appears to have scratched into it the number “243”, so may have belonged at some point to Loyalty Lodge No.243.
Loyalty Lodge No.243 was warranted on the 18th August 1810, and consecrated on the 16th October 1810 it received it Centenary Warrant on the 12th July 1910 and Bicentenary Certificate of Illumination on the 16th October 2010.
The role of the Secretary is key to the smooth running of the Lodge he has many tasks as laid down by the Book of Constitutions, the Provincial and Lodge By-Laws, such as submitting returns to Grand Lodge and Provincial Grand Lodge.
He is also responsible for distributing the Lodge Summonses for the meetings and ensuring the business of every meeting of the Lodge is performed and will record minutes of each meeting, he will also communicate to the Brethren communications from Grand Lodge and Provincial Grand Lodge.
#freemasonsci #monday #together #freemasonry #history #WeAreMasons #Freemasons #start #museum #jewel
It is an honor… thank you to all my brothers, it is a big day for me as I’m passed to the degree of master, from apprentice, to fellowcraft, to master. I have found a true brotherhood amongst you gentleman, one that I’ve never known before. Sincerely, thank you for the honor, the privilege, and the opportunity. #wearemasons #brotherhood
🕯️DOUBLE FC degree this Thursday! Masons only.
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Chain of Union ceremony to follow the degree, then refreshments!
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Please arrive by 7:00 pm and BYOB (Bring Your Own BADGE of a mason - the lambskin apron), limited loaners available. Dark suit.
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#fellowcraft #wearemasons #masonic #lodge #whenyoubondyoubuild #freemasonry #imamason #2b1ask1 #get2it #claremont
2025.06.07 Россия, Москва. Юбилейная Ассамблея Великой Ложи России - нам 30 лет!!! Я с женой irusya930206 на банкете по этому случаю.
#масон #масоны #масонство #масонствороссии #freemason #freemasonry #Freemasons #russianmasonry #glor #grandlodgeofrussia #WeAreMasons
2025.06.07 Россия, Москва. Юбилейная Ассамблея Великой Ложи России - нам 30 лет!!! Я с женой irusya930206 на банкете по этому случаю.
#масон #масоны #масонство #масонствороссии #freemason #freemasonry #Freemasons #russianmasonry #glor #grandlodgeofrussia #WeAreMasons
That last point is key, because beginning this month, the Grand Lodge will be running its third annual awareness campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and—for the first time, LinkedIn. As current members, you aren’t being asked to do anything for this effort, and in fact you may not even encounter it on social media. However, it’s important to know that it’s running for 10 weeks through September, because in years past, this program has led to more than 3,000 new prospects entering the system. That, in turn, led to the greatest number of applications to lodges in a decade.
All of which means it’s once again shaping up to be a busy season for local lodges.
How can lodges prepare for a crush of inquiries? Here are a few key steps.
- Appoint a Lodge Prospect Manager: Last year, the Grand Lodge introduced this new lodge officer position, to be appointed by a lodge’s prospect committee chair. They are responsible for managing all inquiries in iMember, reaching out to prospects, maintaining communication with them, providing monthly prospect reports to the executive committee, leading efforts to convert prospects into applicants, and more. For more on this position, review the Prospect Manager Association report here.
- Review Best Practices: Michael Roberts, the Grand Lodge manager of membership and lodge development, has established a series of best practices for reaching out to and maintaining connection with lodge prospects. Among them: Don’t rely on one communication channel. An email is easy to miss; a voicemail may go unchecked. Make sure you’re reaching prospects where they are, whether that’s text, WhatsAapp, or even snail mail.
- 1-2-3-4-5: Remember the “Take 5” method. One prospect should have two hosts at the lodge, who should welcome the prospect to three get-to-know-you meetings, which should be followed by invitations to a minimum of four lodge events. The whole process should take five months.
Register today for one of the upcoming Grand Lodge-led training sessions for the new iMember Accounting system. Get trained this summer! As of December 31, Intacct will begin charging a $10,000 fee for lodges and halls still on the platform. Members of the Grand Lodge Finance team will lead these free, online webinars to help get you started. This new system is made by and for Masons—and it’s entirely free.
Here's what you can expect:
- Simplified Accounting for Everyone: With an intuitive, member-friendly interface, you don’t need to be a finance expert to manage your lodge’s books.
- No More Double Entry: The system integrates directly with iMember’s online payments, meaning dues payments automatically appear.
- Improved Transparency and Access: More lodge officers can now access real-time financial reports, increasing visibility and collaboration.
- Significant Cost Savings: The new iMember Accounting System is free to lodges and hall associations. Starting next year, lodges that stay with Intacct will have to pay market rates—up to $10,000 per entity.
Register now for the upcoming training sessions on Monday, July 28 (11:30 a.m.) and Thursday, July 31 (6 p.m.).
A remarkable aspect of “lodge life” is that it is intergenerational. For many, intergenerational interactions are limited to their work lives and time spent with their immediate families. Yet, in lodge life, it is normal to spend hours of one’s free time each week with folks of different generations.
I was lucky to join my home lodge in 2002. Men from the Baby Boomer generation through the Greatest Generation attended meetings then. As I confronted the challenges of my life through the years, those men would share their perspectives with me. As part of that intergenerational exchange, we (the then-younger men) would share how our challenges with particular milestones were different. My favorite example of this is when, at table lodge, I asked a Silent Generation brother how many diapers he had changed in his whole life, and then asked our newest member how many diapers he had changed just that week. These types of exchanges allowed us to better understand each other. We could discuss, for example, the principles of fatherhood, and then learn how those principles manifested in our respective acts of fatherhood (with many of the differences being largely dependent on the happenstance of one’s birth year).
This intergenerational dialogue is profoundly different when it is between Masons because they regard each other as brothers. A man of an older generation is my brother just as a man of a younger generation is my brother. At lodge, intergenerational dialogue is a form of peer learning, except that one’s peers are not defined by age but by the obligation to follow the craft’s principles. Because we are “on the level,” advice from a brother (regardless of his age) becomes whispered counsel from a good friend who only wants the best for me; and I am grateful for it.
—David Ferreira, Grand Chaplian
Use this content to spread the word about resources provided by the California Masonic Foundation, the Masonic Homes of California, and more.
Masonic Health Services:
Services at MCYAF Across the Lifespan
The Pavilion at the Masonic Homes
Masonic Homes of California Resources
Masonic Philanthropy:
July Officers' Checklist
Stay on track of lodge business and prepare for important deadlines. Here’s your July checklist.
Senior Warden, along with Executive Committee
- Identify and approach members for 2025 open elected and appointed officer positions.
- Identify and approach members for the 2025 Audit, Membership Retention, and any other committees.
- Set calendar for 2026 and identify event leaders.
- Continue preparing 2026 budget.
- Set installation date and approach installing officer, master of ceremonies, and chaplain.
- Review all candidates’ progress towards advancement.
- Introduce and vote on the Membership Restoration Campaign at a stated meeting to invite suspended members back into the fold.
Junior Warden
- Continue tracking 100 percent officer giving to the Annual Fund, with officers setting an example through gifts that represent their capability as well as their commitment to our charitable programs.
- Introduce and vote on the Membership Restoration Campaign at a stated meeting to invite suspended members back into the fold.
Secretary
- Begin preparing semi-annual report of membership activity, due in August.
- Introduce and vote on the Membership Restoration Campaign at a stated meeting to invite suspended members back into the fold.
Treasurer
- If your lodge has employees, file quarterly federal payroll tax form 941 (unless IRS has approved an annual filing of form 944, due in February),
- If your lodge has employees, file quarterly state payroll tax form DE9/DE9C and deposit form DE88.
- Using the Paychex Payroll system? Paychex will complete and file the above quarterly payroll tax returns for you. Make sure to process your payroll in the Paychex Payroll system on a monthly/regular basis.
- Begin preparing semi-annual financial report, due in August. Still using Intacct? The report is available and auto-generated from the Intacct system. Make sure your financial transactions are recorded in Intacct and your bank accounts are reconciled. If you need assistance to update your financial records in Intacct, contact Financial Services at (415) 292-9170 or financialservices@freemason.org.
Hall Association
- Begin preparing semi-annual report, due in August.
Questions? Contact Member Services at memberservices@freemason.org or (415) 776-7000.
Last month, we asked whether your lodge was prepared to handle incoming prospects. Of those who replied,
- Yes - 87%
- No - 13%
- Reasons - No welcoming/prospect committee, prospect manager, trouble scheduling degrees, very few active members, of those many are up in age