Dear Fellow Ambassadors and Brothers:
Masonic Ambassador Training
Thank you very much for those who were able to attend the second meeting for ambassadors in the 18th District. A special thanks to RW Thomas E. Pulkkinen who took time out of his busy schedule to travel from West Newbury. Tom is in charge of the Massachusetts Ambassador Program and, I might add, is the perfect man for the position. Some of our existing Ambassadors in the 18th district have either selected or are in the process of selecting additional Ambassadors to serve in their respective Lodges. Two Masonic Ambassador Training Programs have been scheduled for our newest Ambassadors. One class will be held April 29 in Charlton, MA. The other option is May1st in South Portland, ME. Prospective Ambassadors should be registered no later than April 14, 2006 for either one of these training sessions. You can register by E-mailing MasonicGrowth@aol.com. Lodge Masters and Grand Lodge officers who are not Masonic Ambassadors may also attend these sessions, but must also be registered in advance.
MASONIC AMBASSADOR PROGRAM VS. MASONIC AWARENESS COMMITTEE (MAC)
RW Tom Pulkkinen pointed out that there is a distinct difference between the Ambassador Program and Awareness. This was greatly appreciated because I believe that there has been confusion centered around this. In a nutshell, it appears that the Ambassador Program is a matter of getting out into our communities in a variety of ways and directly soliciting men to join Freemasonry. Masonic Awareness is a matter of creating activities that are more PR in nature and that may attract new Masons. Besides speaking about Freemasonry in our communities with the purpose of generating new members, Masonic Ambassadors should be mentoring prospective and new Masons on our fraternity and what membership means to them in their daily lives, through the application of the many lessons taught in lodge to our daily lives, as well as all of the opportunities that exist in our fraternity to pursue membership in other bodies, become involved in the Craft and help others.
18th DISTRICT AMBASSADOR PUBLIC SPOKESMEN
It was decided that the Ambassadors will meet again in May to develop a program to be utilized when speaking to groups in our communities. We may even do a little role playing. The idea is to have a consistent message throughout the district. Jack Sutton's newly developed manual for prospective Masons which includes a DVD and other important information that may address certain concerns may very well be the product that we all utilize. In the meantime, it was agreed that everyone would send Don Spradlin a list of suggested topics that may serve as an outline for a presentation given to business leaders, colleges, and other groups in our communities. Having the suggestions in advance of our next meeting will speed up the process. Please E-mail Don at dspradlin@piab.com
18th DISTRICT AMBASSADOR WEBSITE..BRO. JACK SUTTON (CORNER STONE) AUTHOR
Many thanks to Jack for the time and effort that he has put in to the development of a website for Ambassadors. I encourage everyone to contact Jack and have him post any information pertaining to your lodge which is related to Ambassador activities. The best way is to E-mail Jack at jac_rac@comcast.net. With respect to our individual Lodge Websites, it was re-emphasized that those of us who either have no website or are in the developmental stages of establishing on, need to do so. If there is no one in your lodge to do it, there is help that one can get both within and outside District #18. Grand Lodge has contracted the same communications company that developed the Charlton Home Website to update theirs. This may be completed by the beginning of our next Masonic year. All lodges in the 18th District should have their sites established and ready to be hosted by the Grand Lodge Website upon its completion. This will become one of the most powerful tools for all lodges in the future. Rural Lodge of Quincy is producing two E-Newsletters per month and presently has 184 Master Masons signed up. Gentlemen, this is something that all of us can accomplish. Never in the history of Masonry in our district will so many Brothers know what is going on and be taught so many Masonic Lessons. Teaching is one of the primary responsibilities of the Ambassador Program.
Note:
This information, as well as specifics about a District Awareness Event sponsored by Phoenix Lodge in April will be posted on the new 18th District Masonic Ambassador Website.
Thank you all for attending and taking the time out of your busy weekend schedules. Of course, we all know that it is for a worthy cause. The breakfast was prepared by RW H. Lee Potter, RW Richard Taylor, adn Wor. Robert Hammond. Also assisting were Phoenix Chaplain Bro Ed Skarbek, Junior Warden Dennis Bloom, Inside Sentinel Alex Knowles, and Bro Arthur McIntyre. If I missed someone, please accept my apologies.
Respectfully and fraternally submitted,
Bro. Don E. Spradlin
Ambassador Phoenix Lodge