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BROTHER BRING A FRIEND NIGHT:
A Program Worth Trying
by W. Richard C Friedman
Background
Brother Bring a Friend Night was a vehicle which
was employed by Ancient Craft Lodge #943, Rochester,
NY, in its desperate days when the Lodge faced
the real choice of survival or death. The program
is now utilized annually because it is fun and
provides a constant potential source of new candidates.
The purpose of the evening is to expose qualified
men to our gentle Craft. On that night, if the
program runs well, these men will be exposed to
Masonic History, a Masons Commitment to his Community
through Masonic Charity and Community Service,
Masonic Literature, The Degree System and Masonic
Costumes, the uplifting symbolism of the Working
Tools and last but perhaps most important: Masonic
Fellowship and Fun.
What follows is a SUGGESTED PLAN of action for
your Lodge should you want to pursue the program.
Please feel free to be CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE
SO AS TO IMPROVE ON THE PLAN!
Steps to Arranging Brother Bring a Friend Night
Brother Bring a Friend Night consists of a dinner
and a series of 3 five minute presentations presented
to your guests. The following is a guideline for
organization:
1. An Action Team is appointed with three or
four Brothers responsible for the following: A.
Invitations, B. Reservations and Phone Committee,
C. Dinner, D. Arranging for Speakers and Audio
Visuals, E. Display Tables, F. Supplies e.g.:
Petitions, Q&Ns, Concordant Body Brochures
and the like, G. Program Agendas.
2. The brothers must commit to bringing guests
and should submit names and addresses to the committee
so that guests may be invited in plenty of time
and you will have a somewhat accurate count.
3. Let's break down each action team:
A. Invitations: Can be plain or fancy, but
should contain an explanation of the event and
relevant information such as dress, times etc.
B. Phone Committee: should reach out to members
and get a count of those who will attend, also
encourage participation.
C. Dinner: We have had good luck with a buffet
prepared by the Brothers but other Lodges have
had the meal catered or put on by Star Chapters,
with excellent results.
D. Speakers and Audio Visuals: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
Enlist Brothers who can speak well and impress
the guests. As an alternative, several good films
and slide shows are available such as "Brotherhood
and Service", "The Quiet Fraternity"
and "Symbol of Pride" should the Lodge
desire. We have done it both ways with equal success.
E. The Display Table consists of several sections
to be described later. The tables are set up in
the Lodge.
F. Supplies: We found that the Q&A (Masonic
Information Brochure), and the concordant body
brochures were most informative and our supply
was almost depleted. Petitions should be at the
end of each table and offered to viewers. All
guests should leave with one!
G. Agendas: Having a typed agenda can be snappy
and classy. It also provides for a tight structure.
The Program
The suggested program could go as follows:
Receive guests and dinner
(Dining Room) 7p.m.-8p.m.
Program (In Lodge Room) consisting of the following:
Welcome by the Master
of Ceremonies 2-3 min.
Speaker 1: Masonic History and some
Famous Figures 5 min.
Speaker 2: Community Service:
In your Lodge
Masonry as a Whole 5 min.
Speaker 3: What Masonry offers you and why should
you join this Lodge? How to join, degree system,
how to fill out petitions. 5 min.
· Last Word by Master/MC who then leads
the procession to Display Tables. INVITE QUESTIONS!
The viewing of tables with Brothers behind them
to invite and answer questions gets the candidates
talking Masonry Have a brother give a Q&A
along with a petition to each man. 9 Back to Dining
Room for Dessert and FELLOWSHIP!
Suggested Outline for Speakers
Speaker 1: Masonic History and Famous Figures:
This speaker touches on Origins, Influence on
America, What we stand for: e.g. Friendship, Morality,
Brotherly Love. Note some famous figures from
Q&A.
Speaker 2: Community Service: This speaker highlights
I million a Day for Charity, Charities of your
Grand Lodge, Shrine Hospitals and other Concordant
Body efforts, Local Masonic endeavors with a focus
on your Lodges participation.
Speaker 3: What Masonry offers and why should
you join this Lodge? This speaker focuses on:
Fellowship, Friendships all over the country and
the world, Service to humanity, the chance for
self improvement, Petitioning and the degree process,
and Time commitment.
Display Tables
The Display Table is one of the most important
parts of the evening. We have found that guests,
escorted by the Brothers who invited them, are
much more apt to ask questions and seek answers.
We usually set up the Display in an L shape. Each
exhibit should have a written explanation attached
to it. Here are the exhibits we recommend using.
The Degree System in Freemasonry and its Costumes.
This exhibit should include a full candidates
costume including slipper, hoodwink and cabletow.
The Entered Apprentice Apron. We usually have
a Past Master's and Purple Apron on display as
well, with a corresponding write up. This usually
spurs questions about the differences.
Masonic Literature. This display should have
a wide range of old and new Masonic Books of all
kinds, the Local Masonic News, Grand Lodge Publications,
Philalethes, Royal Arch, Scottish Rite, and anything
else you may think of. This display is meant to
show the guest the richness of our heritage and
the extent of our doings.
Your Lodge's Working Tools and Volume of Sacred
Law. A short explanation of the working tools
should be highlighted. The Volume of Sacred Law
is self-explanatory, however, someone should be
prepared to answer questions about its importance
to Masonry. Note.- Picture books of the Lodge
in action, news clippings and most importantly
the Q&As and petitions should be available.
Each station is manned by a Brother and there
should be plenty of interchange as the guests
go through the exhibits.
Fellowship
The fellowship following the formal part of the
evening is our opportunity to reveal in our own
lives the lessons of friendship which we espouse.
Make sure the guests are attended to and are not
left standing alone. Many people do not join organizations
because they fear the initial period of getting
to know everyone or are tense in strange social
situations. Your brotherhood and sincerity can
turn the internal key for a man to really want
to be a part of your lodge and allows him to feel
that it is really possible to do so!
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