Cortland-Madison Masonic District

Grand Lodge F.&A.M. State of New York

November 2017 DDGM Article for The Word

Oct 13, 2017 | From the DDGM, News & Events from The Grapevine

My Brothers,

Official Visits for this term are winding down. We still have much work to do around the District and in our Lodges. To that end, we are in the planning stages for a number of training classes.

As R∴ W∴ Brooks mentioned, there will be a Masonic Development Class in Cortlandville beginning in November. Please contact him to register, or for more details.

The NorthStar Program is coming to Hamilton Lodge! R∴ W∴ Joseph Passaretti, II, Chairman of the Membership Development Committee, will be presenting the NorthStar Program at Hamilton Lodge, No. 120 on Saturday, November 18, 2017. Lunch will be served at noon and the training will follow immediately afterward. This important training demonstrates how we can not only attract better candidates to the Fraternity, but also retain them as lifelong members. Every Lodge should have at least one certified Success coach, as we have repeatedly seen that Lodges who utilize elements of the Program have much better rates of retention. The training is open to Master Masons from the Cortland-Madison and neighboring Districts who are interested in becoming certified as Success Coaches. All those interested in attending are asked to please make reservations with the Master of Hamilton Lodge, W∴ Jim Boss, by email (jboss8564@gmail.com) no later than November 12.

We are also planning to offer a Road to the East class in the near future. Unfortunately, last year’s offering had to be cancelled and we would like to hold one before next year’s officers are elected (or appointed) and installed. This class is not just for Wardens who plan to become Master. Any Brother who is planning to move into or advance in the chairs should seriously consider taking this class. If you are interested, please email me as above and I will make sure that you get the class information once the planning is finalized.

Masonic education is more important than ever. Historically, however, attendance rates have been low. Our next generation of leaders is joining the Craft now and we must make every effort to ensure that they are well educated and well trained.

Scott