EP 107 How Five Masons Tried to Save a Struggling Lodge — Part 1

My pick:How Five Masons Tried to Save a Struggling Lodge — Part 1This is strong already. It tells the listener there is a story, a problem, and a fight worth hearing.Optimized DescriptionHow do five Masons try to save a struggling lodge?In EP 107 of Masonic Muscle, we begin Part 1 of the story of Palm Springs Lodge No. 693, the good years, the decline, the chaos, the Brothers who cared, and what happened when a small group of Masons tried to stop the lodge from falling apart.We introduce Rain Man and hear him describe what the lodge was like back in 2001: who was there, what events were happening, what kind of men were leading the lodge, and how the leaders of the Symbolic Blue Lodge were often also the leaders of the Shrine, Scottish Rite, Eastern Star, and nearly everything else happening around the building.This episode solves one Masonic Muscle problem:How can Masons understand lodge decline if they are unwilling to tell the truth about what happened, who stepped up, and what standards had to be rebuilt?We discuss:Palm Springs Lodge No. 693Rain Man’s view of the lodge in 2001strong lodge leadership in earlier yearsBrother Arthur Riccelli keeping his wordmy application processhorrible catered mealswhite pants and polo shirts in summerthe curmudgeon who sat in the Norththe U.S. Army donating the lodge building after World War II45 to 50 degrees per yearPast Master’s Night and ritual precisionthe 2008 recessionWhite Rivers Lodge in Arizona“Pay your dues, Brother!”the chaotic 2015 stated meetinga Brother demanding the Master resigna degree so bad Grand Lodge placed the lodge on degree probationMasonic controversythe Grand Master choosing probation instead of arresting the charterofficers refusing to serve another year under the current Masterthe lodge continuing to deterioratetwo Past Masters being given 60 days to learn two long-form lectures totaling more than 50 minutessetting a new standard for future Masters of the lodgeThis is not gossip.This is a case study.Lodges do not collapse overnight.They decline through bad habits, weak standards, poor leadership, sloppy ritual, neglected education, personality conflicts, and Brothers refusing to confront what is happening right in front of them.But lodges can also be rebuilt.Not by slogans.Not by wishful thinking.Not by pretending everything is fine.They are rebuilt by men who show up, tell the truth, raise the standard, do the work, and refuse to let the lodge die quietly.Stay strong.Keep exercising.Keep studying the mysteries of Freemasonry.Have a lodge story, Masonic question, old document, origin theory, fitness transformation story, or want to come on the show?Write to me at:[email protected] Masonic Muscle on Instagram:@masonicmuscleFollow Masonic Muscle on Facebook.Subscribe and follow Masonic Muscle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.