While we are mandated not to ask anyone to join Freemasonry, it is perfectly ok to tell a good man that they might look into Freemasonry and see if it interests them. It is perfectly ok to tell good men that you meet that one of your activities is participation in our Gentle Craft, and maybe even share a little bit about it if their eyes don’t glaze over. “Freemasonry? What is that?” is a frequent question I hear when I mention what I do. Be prepared with some answers along the lines of what interests you in Masonry. You might say something like most of the men that started our country were Freemasons, or mention several famous people that were or are Masons. You might say something like it is an amalgamation of ancient mystery school traditions which teaches a series of lessons about being a better man. You might say something like we give to the community, but make sure to draw the distinction that we are not a service clublike Kiwanis and Rotary. While we work in many ways to improve our communities, we have a larger goal. You might mention the sense of family and brotherhood. If they went to college, maybe they participated in a fraternity, maybe even still maintain theiraffiliation with that fraternity. Those are men that already understand some of the personal benefits that can come from membership in a group of like minded intelligent, good men. And of course you know my own favorite area of interest, the esoteric, or inner teachings, so if you meet a man that seems interested in the Dan Brown kind of thing, or Egyptian mystery school kind of thing, well that’s an easy sell.

After a few brief comments along those lines, invite them to dinner at the lodge, and like all good network marketers try to get their contact info and follow up with them if they seem the slightest bit interested, and make a personal invitation to a stated dinner. Along those lines, when we are at a stated dinner, look around the room. Do you see any new faces in the room? If so, that is most likely going to be someone that accepted an invitation to dinner from a brother. Get up and introduce yourself. Welcome them. Make them feel like they are already a part of something special and unique. While you’re at it, maybe go around the room and say hi to all your brothers and their family. A welcoming feeling in a lodge does not occur with everyone sitting at their tables with their usual dinner mates. That engenders of feeling of clique-ishness to coin aterm. Of exclusivity. If everyone is getting up and going around saying hi to everyone, that creates a feeling of family and love.

I also encourage those Masons that live near Napa to go to the youth order meetings. There you will meet fathers of the children that might be interested in what goes on in our hallowed, symbolism bedecked halls at the adult men level. And of course the kids feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves to have the men of Masonry observe their meetings. My first time through the chairs I was told I was expected to go to the youth order meetings, and for three years I made it to just about every one. This time around unfortunately my life was in flux until late last year when I secured stable housing but now I am afuel and time expensive distance away now and can not feasibly make it, but I encourage, no beg and entreat those of you that live close enough to put the youth order meetings on your calendar and make it to some of them, and arrive early and stay late and try to meet some fathers and encourage them to look at what we do.

There are good men in our lodge that are doing a lot of work keeping our lodge at the forefront of Masonry in California. Really I should focus more attention in this column on their efforts. Without this continual work, we would be much less than we are. But we desperately need new members. I can’t recycle through the line again; I am too far away. Other previous re-cycling members have either aged out, moved away, or burned out. We mustmake new Masons in our lodge, especially men that live local, have roots here and are not moving away in a year, and are young enough to have the energy to help run the lodge in their due time. Special events at our lodge like a dinner for the giving out of checks is nice, but waving a public flag that whispers: “hey everybody, Masonry is here in St. Helena” is not as effective as directly speaking with an individual good man, encouraging them to take a look at Freemasonry, and inviting them to dinner. If a man is told: “you appear to be a good man, and there is an organization which needs men like you. Please come as my guest to dinner and check it out” can be a powerful attractant. It was in my case.