May 2023: A Snapshot of Positive Awareness

For Texas No. 46, an important and cost-effective way to provide information about Freemasonry—and their lodge in particular—to a curious public is through QR codes placed around their building. One such code, placed in a window next to the front door, reads “Learn more about the history of this building.” Another says, “Learn why there’s a Texas Lodge in California.” The first, when scanned into a smartphone, takes a viewer to the lodge’s homepage. The other leads to a series of resources on the history of the lodge.

For members of the lodge, these kinds of QR codes are an easy way to provide answers to questions they know the public have. And for Positive Awareness Month, they’re a strategy other lodges can easily copy. “For people under the age of 40, QR codes are an important way of collecting information while on the go,” says Kevin Herrick, the current master of Texas No. 46. Herrick has regularly seen passersby stop long enough to snap a picture of one of the QR codes and continue along with their day. “They might not even look at the information then and there,” says Herrick, “but eventually they’ll stop and view it.”

That idea has bubbled all the way to the top of the fraternity. At the California Masonic Memorial Temple, QR codes can be found both outside and inside the building, leading viewers to a series of interactive, webpages that are custom-made for prospects to learn more about Freemasonry in California, the history of the building, and information about Masonic lodges. With nearly a quarter-million visitors coming into the building each year, the codes are an inexpensive and useful way to deliver a multimedia message.

At Texas No. 46, the signs are only the beginning, Herrick says. Already, the lodge has plans to create a similar QR code leading to information on its collection of Masonic aprons. “Next, we want to share QR codes that link to newspaper articles detailing the charitable work our lodge does within the community,” Herrick says. “That way we can share with the public the vital role our lodge plays. We’re not just empty real estate. We’re an important part of the community.”  And QR codes are helping spread that message.