July 28, 2025 • 30 mins
We're thrilled to have not one, but three Worshipful Masters: WB’s Ed Freeman [Hiram-Takoma No. 10], Jesse Ouellette [Wm. R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon No. 7], and Derek Rivas [Justice-Columbia No. 3]. They joined me for an insightful conversation on planning for a successful Masonic year. This is a rare opportunity to hear firsthand how these dedicated Brothers strategized on communicating their vision to deliver unique Lodge programs and events.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, concordant Body, a pendant Body,
Masonic authority, or Craftsman Online dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome back to the Craftsman Online Podcast, the only Masonic
podcast endorsed by the Grand Lodge of New York. I'm
your host, right, Worshipful Brother Michael lars and one, two, three, four. Yeah,
We've got four worshipful brothers, one past master and three
that are still currently in the chairs for this episode
as we get set to talk about mastering your Masonic
(00:50):
trestle board. So, whether you are a junior Deacon, maybe
a freshly minted Master Mason, or hey, you're getting ready
to get into the big chair, either junior warden or
the senior and you're starting to think about how you
want to plan your trestle board. This is the episode
for you. And here's what I've done. I've reached out
to three of my closest friends here in the Grand
(01:10):
Lodge of the District of Columbia. I've visited all of
their lodges. I have a tremendous amount of respect for
the events, the unique programming and some of the special
things will be talking about that they've brought to their
lodge brothers this year. So let's get the party started.
We've got worshipful brother Ed Freeman from Hiram to Coma
Lodge number ten, Worshipful Brother Jesse Wallette who's the Worshipful
(01:31):
Master of William R. Singleton Hope, Lebanon Lodge number seven
here in DC. And finally Derek Reeves who's the Worshipful
Master of Justice Columbia Lodge number three, all from the
Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. My brothers. Welcome
to the Craftsman Online Podcast, which for Venous almost in
a course that would have been.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Amazing closing off clothes.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I thought about this. This is our fifth season for
the Craftsman Online Podcast. We have tackled trestle boards and
how to put them together over previous episodes with other guests,
but as I mentioned, being able to travel to all
of your lodges and see what you have put into
action is pretty impressive. So I wanted to start our
discussion with a really simple ground role here for our
(02:14):
listener and all of us involved. All lodges are different.
Not everything is going to work everywhere. So Ed, with
that in mind, when you were coming into the East
for this year at twenty twenty five, what was your
top priority for your year as Master of the lot.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Primarily I wanted to make sure try to get members
of harm Tacoma who haven't been in attendance or participate
and actively participate and want to try to get them
back into lodge. Try to make sure we were putting
our best.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Foot forward right at all times.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
One of the things that I learned early on coming
into harm Tacoma, we had a lot of great programs
and we had people coming in who were potential interested
guys who wanted to join the craft. Based on that,
I want to make sure we had, you know, not
just a laws that was full of education, but also
to have their festive atmosphere where engaging program with engaging
(03:12):
programs that were both fun and educational. And my goal
this year was to try to restore to help balance
that right.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
And this is just like Ed mentioned, it boils back to,
is what can I do to make a brother come back?
At Justice Columbia, we decided as a unit that we
were not going to have any initiations brought in during
our state of communications. They would be focused on education,
focused on events, and that would be one way that
(03:44):
any brother who in the past just said, well, I'm
not coming to just a meeting. I'm not here just
to sit down, read the minutes and then go home.
I want to program. So now all of our initiations
or degrees are held on special communications, and that became
answer your question a priority of my first year.
Speaker 6 (04:04):
So for those who don't know me, breeing in my
current life as well as my past life's former activity,
now a reservists where you learn when you're going through
that additional pipeline training really sculpts you as a human being,
especially if you go and join the officer for you
learn certain leadership traits and principles that are transferable to
(04:24):
kind of everything that you do, whether it's in the
civilian world, or in private life, or in your volunteer life,
which is what I considered masonry debate. Through the training
that I received in the Marine Corps, I was able
to really with a lot of ease plan the year
that I had hits. The first thing that I had
to identify was what's the end state to find what
(04:46):
you want your lodge to look like internally and externally
to the district. At the end of your year, after
you have decided what that vision is, you reverse engineer
what it looks like and then you start to put
the pieces into place. They will ultimately see your vision
realize and you reverse engineer the plan. You identify leaders
(05:08):
in your lodge. You get to know them if you
don't already, and you know there's strengths and their weaknesses.
And the leaders don't have to be the brothers that
are joining your line immediately right or that are up
and coming. They could be past leaders as well that
still have a lot to give to the lodge. Many
of our past masters are still local, not all of
them are over the age of eighty. What I found
(05:29):
most useful is to identify these leaders in where they
would fit in terms in terms of the structure of
how I wanted my officer court to look like. And
that was as committee chair is so almost every committee
chair at my lodge is a past master sharing that knowledge,
and then of course you have to give them a mission.
You got to be hands off. You can be a
micro manager. You have to let the experts do with
(05:52):
the expert the experts do. I'm no expert in ritual
I know expert in finances, and no expert in social
stuff or charitable giving or Bylise right, But there are
brothers in your lives who are Identify who they are,
ask them if they're willing to serve during your year,
give them your vision and your mission, prepare that early
on and then sort of let it happen. In the
(06:14):
Marine Corp at least we have this actor that we
call bamsis right, which is begin planning, arrange for constants,
make reconstants complete the order, issue the plan, and then
supervised and the supervision aspect of this is critical because
at the end of the day, Masonry's vaunter organization. We
all have a certain length to our cable tow We
all have busy lives, some of us at children jobs,
(06:36):
we live in the nation's capital. A lot of our
jobs are extraordinarily demanding. Reminding those brothers that at the
end of the day, the end goal is always going
to be action and not activity will ultimately end up
in a successful year.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I'd love to start to this podcast episode.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
This is great because there's three of.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You, and I knew that you were each going to
be coming to this each of the answers, but also
to how you did this from different ways. Always tell
brothers like, yes, our ritual says the way to do
certain things, but there was also a way or a
solution that we can try to get there, and everyone's
going to take their own path. One that really impressed
me was when Derek, we were sitting out at lunch
(07:14):
one afternoon and you opened up on your phone and
you were showing me your trestle board and the physical
trestle board. And I looked at this thing and I
was like, WHOA, here's a dude who's got a strategic
planning background. When we start talking about the beginning of
planning your trestle board, when did that start for you, Derek?
And what were the review steps that you had as
(07:36):
you went through to the final product.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
So I began, believe it or not, when I was
a junior steward.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I thought you're going to say when you were eight
that would have been impressed, but.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
No, I began as a junior steward looking forward at
where I was and what I wanted. You know, what
Jesse mentioned was really aligned with what I'm thinking in
the sense he said it eloquently. Just can't say it
that fancy.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I got it.
Speaker 6 (08:02):
I think you can.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
You're right.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
Well, what I'll say is this, you know, is I
looked seven years down the road at where I wanted
to be and what I wanted to achieve. I knew
that I wanted to focus on my favorite part, which
was the Fellowcraft's degree, more specifically the seven Liberal Arts
and Sciences. We all know how to find that staircase.
But it wasn't just a solo act, you know, I
had a chorus of voices. I spoke with past masters,
(08:30):
the current master at the time. I spoke with brethren,
asked them what they wanted to see for a year
in twenty twenty five when I was master, things that
I could affect change on, and we made a trestle
board that was a strategic plan from twenty twenty five
to twenty twenty seven, not past one single term, but
(08:51):
thinking further down the line and helping each other get
to that. And of course it's a living document, right,
That's the most important aspect of all this is I
think set in stone. It changes over time and it
adapts to the needs of the lodge as you go by.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Like what Derek said, I should began planning my trust
Board as a senior ward during the time, I had
the privilege of visiting tons of lodges right, including yours
right words for these visits were actually instrumental in playing
my trust and Board. I got exposed to very well
executed and inspiring programs, many of which influenced some of
(09:31):
what I put together for my trust A Board, and
a lot of it came about after thoughtful conversation with
past masters and siding masters within our jurisdiction. Obviously, it
went through multiple revisions. I had this program initially removed
it for one reason on another, but what ultimately emerged
as my trust A Board, and like Derek said, was
(09:53):
a living document with intentions and being flexible enough to
evolve based on lessons learned and the evergrowing spirit of
our lodge.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
It's important the pivoting part, because collectively on this call,
you've been in the East for just over four months.
You should have had four meetings in under your belt
at least through this time of the year. And that's
the toughest thing is when you're the master of the
lodge and something changes for that night. A speaker isn't
able to make it, someone gets sick, Grand Master besides
(10:23):
he wants to come and visit your lodge, or a
grand officer shows up. You're like, oh my gosh. You
know now we got to pivot. We got to make
this change. So that's a key thing I think that
brothers need to keep in mind. Is that I like
the living, breathing and being flexible part.
Speaker 6 (10:34):
Yeah, it's funny what you just said. Target to them rate.
In January, during our first day of communication of the Mesaga,
here myself another word of Brothers got to the lodge
at Singleton Massage Temple. We get upstairs and we hear
one of the carbon monoxide alarms going off. We think
it's a fluke.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
We turn it off.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
As soon as we turn it off, we hear another
carbon monoxide along go off downstairs. I'm like, okay, this
is probably something Longster is sure the whole place who
was leveled with dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. This
was about half an hour before and then it was
supposed to start their lives. This is my first state
of communication in the East and we had a huge
program coming that night. We had a right works for brother,
(11:14):
I mean Cassimani coming to deliver a lecture on education,
and I always going through all the scenarios of my
mind of what are we going to have to do.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
What does our sharner say as to where we can meet?
Speaker 6 (11:25):
Do we have to go downs street to Guapo's and
hold lodge? You know, maybe this is tequila just kidding.
We sporce for grand Master listening to this, but I
know you did it too. It was a cluster we
ended up working out to work for Master. Freeman's point,
you never know what's going to happen. You always have
to have that sort of contingency plan.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I'm still terrified for you because there's nothing in the
book on what to do on your first dated meeting
and the carbon monoxide detector is going off.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
You call the fire department.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
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(13:00):
going to stay with you for this next question, but
I have a little explaining here to do. This is
one that I often ask clients in a professional setting.
It usually is a trip up question. So I don't
want this to happen in our group here because I'll say, hey,
what is a win for you? And I realized you're
going to be like, yo, dude, I've only been doing
this for four months now. I don't have a win.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Maybe you do.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Because I realized if I was asked this question last
year at this time, just four months into my time
in the East, my win didn't happen until the very
end of the year, when a brother who had been
marshall for at least five plus years, decided that he
wanted to take the next step and is now our
junior warden and looking to go and continue into the
(13:39):
west and continue all the way to the east a
year after that. So in your mind, if it's happened already,
I'd love to hear what has been a success for
you this year or what is the thing that you're
going to say, Hey, if we're able to hit this goal,
this is a win for me.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
Defining a win for me is when I have a brother,
or more especially a visiting brother, or even more especially
a visiting brother from a foreign country come to me
at the conclusion of a state of communication which had
a good program and say to me, this is one
of the best things that I've ever been to. I
want to come back to your lodge and in certain
(14:15):
circumstances say to me, I want to affiliate with your
lodge because of what I saw here tonight. That is
a win for me. More especially is when I have
a brother come to a program that I have advertised
because hopefully we can get to this to some point.
I think advertisement is vital, especially in the agent that
we're living in right now. But if I have a
brother come to me because they've seen a program advertised
(14:37):
that has not been to our lodge in years and say,
I cannot believe that what I've been missing. I'm going
to come next month or two. That's a win for
me too. And it's not just about getting brothers there.
I think that another critical win for me is when
the program itself imparts to a tenet of Masonic principle
that they can take with them and bring back to
(15:00):
to bring back from whence they came. If you will
to share with either their community or their lodge or
their family.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
It's a two part answer for me, I'm going to
steal work for brother well it's done to hear slightly.
So a partial win for me this year has been
as it stated in one of my goals was to
try to get members who have been absent from lodge
to return to lodge. And one of the things we
(15:28):
implemented this year was something called call log where we
pretty much got in touch with members. Right we have
roughly two hundred plus members all over the country as
you all over the world, and we did a call
log where we call each brother just to check in
and see how everyone wants doing. And one of The
(15:48):
recurrent thing from at least the folks that I called
was that they had never had anyone from lodge ever
reached out to them before in that manner. And as
a result, I had a brother that said, I am
so touched by HTx suggesture that.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
I will attend lodge.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Not only would I attend, I'll also bring my father
with me, who was a member of STX as well.
The very next stated he showed up and he brought
his father with him, and they have been consistently shown
up ever since.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
I think I was there that night you called that out.
That was pretty special.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
Yeah, absolutely, you were worship brother Freeman. I guess say,
I don't think you're steal my thunder. I think that
you're you're in fact adding on to the Brower message here,
and I think that this is an example that all
lodges to emulate.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Indeed, absolutely in addition to that, just because of some
of the wolves of my lodge has been going through,
and I'm pretty sure most lodges have experienced some part
of this to some degree. The officer lit right for me,
if find success would be the growth and development of
our officers line right there, and interests and people wanting
(17:03):
to step up to not only be members, but to
step in line and become an officer, right, aspiring to
become officers and including you know, beefing up our over
our attendance and engaging engagement with other lodges. Personally, I
believe that investing in the leadership and development of our
officers will in fact empower them to strengthen, not just
(17:26):
to craft what hands the education for our members, especially
the newly raised brothers, right, because one of the things
that we try to do is to assign a mentor
to newly raised brothers.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
So if we can have officers who are proficient, then
it's very easy to assign new bird brothers to an
officer to say, work with this officer who can guide
you through your journey of massign journey. A success for
me would be all of the officers who are currently
in lyned that they're ready for the at any time
next year.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
It's unique not only that we have three masters from
three different lodges here in the Grand Lodge of the
District of Columbia, but you all have legacy behind you.
I mean, we have the Masters of Lodges numbers three, seven,
and ten on this podcast episode, I can't help but
ask this question, and Derek, I'm going to start with you.
When it comes to traditions, this is the toughest things
(18:21):
worshipful Master, because you have to balance the traditions that
your lodge has had and wants to carry over along
with some of the new ideas or innovations that you
want to add. How did you cross this delicate bridge
this year?
Speaker 5 (18:34):
Whether it's a lodge that's been established for over one
hundred years or a lodge that's been established for five,
all lodges, especially in the District Columbia or equal right.
And to that point, those that have their history, yes,
they are and should be obsessed with preserving the tradition
and the decorum that that lodge has. The balance as
(18:56):
you asked, it is tricky. Sometimes there's the weight of
history that every master should feel in preserving our ritual
and making sure that that is established and never changes,
of course, but that the culture of the lodge changes
slightly with enough breath of air to allow new ideas
(19:19):
and vision to come in. So a small example our
events this year, we traditionally have a spouse's significant others event.
We traditionally have a crab beast. Those are staple events
that we've had. I can't even remember how long now.
The other events that we normally flound throughout the year.
(19:40):
I talked to our officers and our brethren and said,
what would you like to see different this year? What
event would be something that could bring fresh air to
this gathering. It's a wonderful thing to say that President
Ford was actually initiated through Justice Columbia, and honor of that,
(20:00):
we decided to do a Gerald Ford table lodge we
have coming up in the fall. Likewise, in keeping with
my theme for the year, when it comes to one
of the steps in the ladder or sorry and staircase,
excuse me, around astronomy, I'm planning for a lodge trip
to the Smithsonian Planetarium, something completely new and different. So
(20:24):
we're balancing our historical way of doing things, but giving
opportunity for the brether than the lodge to come in
and say let's try something different too.
Speaker 6 (20:36):
Yeah, a little bit. In fact, George Washington was actually
initiated single So how about that.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Course, we've had a lot of episodes and we don't
(21:13):
really want to get into the whole discussion on the membership,
pretention and engagement, and how we're going to increase attendance
and interactions into our meetings conversation. But I did want
to talk to you specifically when it came to planning
your trestle board and you thought like, Okay, what kind
of programs or events could I do at Hirom Tacoma
number ten. We'll start with you at and then work
our way around the room. What could I be doing.
(21:35):
It's going to get guys not just to show up,
but get involved with what we're doing as a lodge.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Visiting all the lodge is help me understand the big picture.
The bigger picture. I'll go up to the every master
when you say this was an amazing program, I'm literally
going to steal this. I'm going to implement this in
my lodge at some point in some way of fashion.
So we wanted to do more programs that were friendlier.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Right.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
The education programs are great because that's important because that
helps with the Masonic tradition.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
However, over time I realized.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
That that needs to be balanced with something fun, take laly,
something that involves perhaps a little bit of alcohol.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Right, wait, where's Jesse, Where's Jesse?
Speaker 6 (22:24):
This is this is highly highly inappropriate.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
So, for instance, the one program that I can use
that as a good example, we had a rum tasting
right and initially I intended to get to hire a
professional to come in who knows every and anything about rum,
give the history about rum. But in speaking to other
Masters and different brethren, we realize that perhaps that's not
(22:52):
the best way to do it. So rather than having
a professional coming, we're invite people to come in and
and talk about different RUMs they've had and and explain
their experience and where and when they tasted that rum
right and right Worstwhy tew you this was perhaps one
(23:14):
of the best programs we've had, not so much because
of the alcohol.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I'm sure it helped.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It's a key takeaway right there. Any program with alcohol is.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
A winner, I have no doubt. With help correct help.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
We had about eight members of last year and Lodge
showed up and they brought three different rum from Haiti,
and it just so happened that one of the brothers
his grandfather. It's a big time he either works a
partial owner of the company that mixed the rump and
(23:51):
we ready to get the whole history behind the three rum. Yeah,
it's alcohol. At the same time, you're you're getting to
understand people and learn about their backgrounds through other meanings.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
And it's not just the Masonic aspect of it, but
are out of the people aspect of it.
Speaker 5 (24:07):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
I love that you made it more about the Freemason
and less about Freemason read right.
Speaker 6 (24:12):
I think when it comes to programming for a year,
I sort of think of it in three different categories.
You have to have something that's interesting, you promoth right, interesting,
meaningful and Masonic translated. You have to have something that
probably is just a happ to ad. It's recommend it
(24:33):
that you have something that both educational, charitable and esoteric. Right, so, interesting, meaningful,
and masoic. And these are the three sort of categories
I thought of when I was plenty out my year.
You're not going to get any of your members to
show up to lodge if those three things are not present,
(24:53):
especially if you have a lodge that is composed of
members who do not live within a one mile of
your lodge.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
I think the goal for us is not to fill chairs,
but rather to create a sense of belonging. I think
that it's wise to remember the tide ebbs and flows.
I don't believe that periods of low attendance throughout lodges
is a major call for crisis. I think it's actually
(25:24):
a perfect time for those of us that are serious
about the craft to reflect upon it, work on our ritual,
and build deeper connections with each other. So I believe
that in a participation naturally flows from a man feeling
a sense of being heard in value. He doesn't need
to be convinced to return. He looks forward to it, right.
(25:47):
I mean, informasonry, it's not the summons that calls a
bat the back, it's the spirit of the lodge living
in him. So participation isn't something you demand, it's something
that you build, one conversation, one handshake, one moment of
fellowship at a time. We make sure that every mason
has a place to stand in every and a role
(26:07):
to play, from you know, setting up tables, to leading
a small project, or simpararly simply being told this lodge
needs you, whether we need you to, we need your participation.
We need you to help us out here because the
legacy of this lodge rests on your shoulders. Not just
(26:27):
the masters, not just the wardens or the officers, but
on every single one of us in the lodge. We
are all servants of the craft. It doesn't take being
master of any lodge, or right worshipful or the Grand
Master for us to be servant leaders. Every single member
has and should feel that they are a leader in
(26:50):
their lodge. We always respect protocol, tradition, the titles, but
when we feel that this is our lodge, regardless of
our role, we feel the need to be.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
There right worst.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
I don't mean to prolong as any more than it
has to be, but I think this point needs to
be made, which is one of the primary reasons why
we've had an increase in attendance this year, especially as
I'm speaking specifically for HTx. I firmly, firmly believe it's
(27:27):
based on our commitment to visiting other lodges. And I
tell you how impactful that's spent right onlike previous years
in recent memory that I remember the twenty twenty five
sitting masters across this jurisdiction, I've made a concerted effort
to support one another. Right we have collectively committed to
(27:51):
attending each other programs, events, fostering like a strong spirit
of some sort of mutual encouragement right, and personally, I've
made it a priority of mind to visit and support
as many lodges in the district as I possibly can. Right,
obviously we're gonna left to my capite. But you know,
(28:12):
being a master right and being able to not only
tell your officers or members that it's important to visit,
but also to beat in person and to be welcomed
out there's hidden masters.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
You know.
Speaker 4 (28:27):
It shows your members like what being to me would
being amazing. It is all about right when for instance,
I believe I visited Eastgate and got called to the
East to sit next to east Gate and mastered right,
and in turn I returned to favoring some some other master,
and I think that just shows the level of support
(28:49):
that we've committed to. And like I said, that's skyroket
are attendance and hopefully it continues.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
I think that what you're doing here is a great
or right worshipull. I think that we need more of
this in the district. I want to have us all
get together in a room sometime. I think that would
be great just to share knowledge and to open this
conversation up. Leadership is essential, and I think that it's
important for your audience to understand that despite the fact
that you know, for the freedom which for the Reavis
(29:16):
and I and obviously you right worshipvill have all been
or are currently past or worshipful masters, that doesn't define
what leadership is in masory. What defines what leadership is
in my story is how we take the Masonic values
that we're taught in this society environs that we spread
it throughout the community.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
So thank you for doing what you do.
Speaker 6 (29:36):
I'm happy that this is open to a broader audience,
and I'm very grateful that you've had us on.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Thanks again to my friends and brothers for coming on it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your insight.
If you've enjoyed this episode of The Craftsman Online podcast,
hey don't forget. You can share it with the friend
and subscribe and help support the show all at the
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(30:03):
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the notes for this episode. You'll find the link there.
It's The Craftsman Online podcast now on Patreon. I'm right
worship for Brother Michael Lars until our time together next week.
Let peace and harmony prevailed
The Commons. Opinions and views shared during this program are
of those individual Freemasons and do not reflect the official
position of a Grand Lodge, concordant Body, a pendant Body,
Masonic authority, or Craftsman Online dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome back to the Craftsman Online Podcast, the only Masonic
podcast endorsed by the Grand Lodge of New York. I'm
your host, right, Worshipful Brother Michael lars and one, two, three, four. Yeah,
We've got four worshipful brothers, one past master and three
that are still currently in the chairs for this episode
as we get set to talk about mastering your Masonic
(00:50):
trestle board. So, whether you are a junior Deacon, maybe
a freshly minted Master Mason, or hey, you're getting ready
to get into the big chair, either junior warden or
the senior and you're starting to think about how you
want to plan your trestle board. This is the episode
for you. And here's what I've done. I've reached out
to three of my closest friends here in the Grand
(01:10):
Lodge of the District of Columbia. I've visited all of
their lodges. I have a tremendous amount of respect for
the events, the unique programming and some of the special
things will be talking about that they've brought to their
lodge brothers this year. So let's get the party started.
We've got worshipful brother Ed Freeman from Hiram to Coma
Lodge number ten, Worshipful Brother Jesse Wallette who's the Worshipful
(01:31):
Master of William R. Singleton Hope, Lebanon Lodge number seven
here in DC. And finally Derek Reeves who's the Worshipful
Master of Justice Columbia Lodge number three, all from the
Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. My brothers. Welcome
to the Craftsman Online Podcast, which for Venous almost in
a course that would have been.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Amazing closing off clothes.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I thought about this. This is our fifth season for
the Craftsman Online Podcast. We have tackled trestle boards and
how to put them together over previous episodes with other guests,
but as I mentioned, being able to travel to all
of your lodges and see what you have put into
action is pretty impressive. So I wanted to start our
discussion with a really simple ground role here for our
(02:14):
listener and all of us involved. All lodges are different.
Not everything is going to work everywhere. So Ed, with
that in mind, when you were coming into the East
for this year at twenty twenty five, what was your
top priority for your year as Master of the lot.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Primarily I wanted to make sure try to get members
of harm Tacoma who haven't been in attendance or participate
and actively participate and want to try to get them
back into lodge. Try to make sure we were putting
our best.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Foot forward right at all times.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
One of the things that I learned early on coming
into harm Tacoma, we had a lot of great programs
and we had people coming in who were potential interested
guys who wanted to join the craft. Based on that,
I want to make sure we had, you know, not
just a laws that was full of education, but also
to have their festive atmosphere where engaging program with engaging
(03:12):
programs that were both fun and educational. And my goal
this year was to try to restore to help balance
that right.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
And this is just like Ed mentioned, it boils back to,
is what can I do to make a brother come back?
At Justice Columbia, we decided as a unit that we
were not going to have any initiations brought in during
our state of communications. They would be focused on education,
focused on events, and that would be one way that
(03:44):
any brother who in the past just said, well, I'm
not coming to just a meeting. I'm not here just
to sit down, read the minutes and then go home.
I want to program. So now all of our initiations
or degrees are held on special communications, and that became
answer your question a priority of my first year.
Speaker 6 (04:04):
So for those who don't know me, breeing in my
current life as well as my past life's former activity,
now a reservists where you learn when you're going through
that additional pipeline training really sculpts you as a human being,
especially if you go and join the officer for you
learn certain leadership traits and principles that are transferable to
(04:24):
kind of everything that you do, whether it's in the
civilian world, or in private life, or in your volunteer life,
which is what I considered masonry debate. Through the training
that I received in the Marine Corps, I was able
to really with a lot of ease plan the year
that I had hits. The first thing that I had
to identify was what's the end state to find what
(04:46):
you want your lodge to look like internally and externally
to the district. At the end of your year, after
you have decided what that vision is, you reverse engineer
what it looks like and then you start to put
the pieces into place. They will ultimately see your vision
realize and you reverse engineer the plan. You identify leaders
(05:08):
in your lodge. You get to know them if you
don't already, and you know there's strengths and their weaknesses.
And the leaders don't have to be the brothers that
are joining your line immediately right or that are up
and coming. They could be past leaders as well that
still have a lot to give to the lodge. Many
of our past masters are still local, not all of
them are over the age of eighty. What I found
(05:29):
most useful is to identify these leaders in where they
would fit in terms in terms of the structure of
how I wanted my officer court to look like. And
that was as committee chair is so almost every committee
chair at my lodge is a past master sharing that knowledge,
and then of course you have to give them a mission.
You got to be hands off. You can be a
micro manager. You have to let the experts do with
(05:52):
the expert the experts do. I'm no expert in ritual
I know expert in finances, and no expert in social
stuff or charitable giving or Bylise right, But there are
brothers in your lives who are Identify who they are,
ask them if they're willing to serve during your year,
give them your vision and your mission, prepare that early
on and then sort of let it happen. In the
(06:14):
Marine Corp at least we have this actor that we
call bamsis right, which is begin planning, arrange for constants,
make reconstants complete the order, issue the plan, and then
supervised and the supervision aspect of this is critical because
at the end of the day, Masonry's vaunter organization. We
all have a certain length to our cable tow We
all have busy lives, some of us at children jobs,
(06:36):
we live in the nation's capital. A lot of our
jobs are extraordinarily demanding. Reminding those brothers that at the
end of the day, the end goal is always going
to be action and not activity will ultimately end up
in a successful year.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I'd love to start to this podcast episode.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
This is great because there's three of.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You, and I knew that you were each going to
be coming to this each of the answers, but also
to how you did this from different ways. Always tell
brothers like, yes, our ritual says the way to do
certain things, but there was also a way or a
solution that we can try to get there, and everyone's
going to take their own path. One that really impressed
me was when Derek, we were sitting out at lunch
(07:14):
one afternoon and you opened up on your phone and
you were showing me your trestle board and the physical
trestle board. And I looked at this thing and I
was like, WHOA, here's a dude who's got a strategic
planning background. When we start talking about the beginning of
planning your trestle board, when did that start for you, Derek?
And what were the review steps that you had as
(07:36):
you went through to the final product.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
So I began, believe it or not, when I was
a junior steward.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I thought you're going to say when you were eight
that would have been impressed, but.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
No, I began as a junior steward looking forward at
where I was and what I wanted. You know, what
Jesse mentioned was really aligned with what I'm thinking in
the sense he said it eloquently. Just can't say it
that fancy.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I got it.
Speaker 6 (08:02):
I think you can.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
You're right.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
Well, what I'll say is this, you know, is I
looked seven years down the road at where I wanted
to be and what I wanted to achieve. I knew
that I wanted to focus on my favorite part, which
was the Fellowcraft's degree, more specifically the seven Liberal Arts
and Sciences. We all know how to find that staircase.
But it wasn't just a solo act, you know, I
had a chorus of voices. I spoke with past masters,
(08:30):
the current master at the time. I spoke with brethren,
asked them what they wanted to see for a year
in twenty twenty five when I was master, things that
I could affect change on, and we made a trestle
board that was a strategic plan from twenty twenty five
to twenty twenty seven, not past one single term, but
(08:51):
thinking further down the line and helping each other get
to that. And of course it's a living document, right,
That's the most important aspect of all this is I
think set in stone. It changes over time and it
adapts to the needs of the lodge as you go by.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Like what Derek said, I should began planning my trust
Board as a senior ward during the time, I had
the privilege of visiting tons of lodges right, including yours
right words for these visits were actually instrumental in playing
my trust and Board. I got exposed to very well
executed and inspiring programs, many of which influenced some of
(09:31):
what I put together for my trust A Board, and
a lot of it came about after thoughtful conversation with
past masters and siding masters within our jurisdiction. Obviously, it
went through multiple revisions. I had this program initially removed
it for one reason on another, but what ultimately emerged
as my trust A Board, and like Derek said, was
(09:53):
a living document with intentions and being flexible enough to
evolve based on lessons learned and the evergrowing spirit of
our lodge.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
It's important the pivoting part, because collectively on this call,
you've been in the East for just over four months.
You should have had four meetings in under your belt
at least through this time of the year. And that's
the toughest thing is when you're the master of the
lodge and something changes for that night. A speaker isn't
able to make it, someone gets sick, Grand Master besides
(10:23):
he wants to come and visit your lodge, or a
grand officer shows up. You're like, oh my gosh. You
know now we got to pivot. We got to make
this change. So that's a key thing I think that
brothers need to keep in mind. Is that I like
the living, breathing and being flexible part.
Speaker 6 (10:34):
Yeah, it's funny what you just said. Target to them rate.
In January, during our first day of communication of the Mesaga,
here myself another word of Brothers got to the lodge
at Singleton Massage Temple. We get upstairs and we hear
one of the carbon monoxide alarms going off. We think
it's a fluke.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
We turn it off.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
As soon as we turn it off, we hear another
carbon monoxide along go off downstairs. I'm like, okay, this
is probably something Longster is sure the whole place who
was leveled with dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. This
was about half an hour before and then it was
supposed to start their lives. This is my first state
of communication in the East and we had a huge
program coming that night. We had a right works for brother,
(11:14):
I mean Cassimani coming to deliver a lecture on education,
and I always going through all the scenarios of my
mind of what are we going to have to do.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
What does our sharner say as to where we can meet?
Speaker 6 (11:25):
Do we have to go downs street to Guapo's and
hold lodge? You know, maybe this is tequila just kidding.
We sporce for grand Master listening to this, but I
know you did it too. It was a cluster we
ended up working out to work for Master. Freeman's point,
you never know what's going to happen. You always have
to have that sort of contingency plan.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I'm still terrified for you because there's nothing in the
book on what to do on your first dated meeting
and the carbon monoxide detector is going off.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
You call the fire department.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
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(13:00):
going to stay with you for this next question, but
I have a little explaining here to do. This is
one that I often ask clients in a professional setting.
It usually is a trip up question. So I don't
want this to happen in our group here because I'll say, hey,
what is a win for you? And I realized you're
going to be like, yo, dude, I've only been doing
this for four months now. I don't have a win.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Maybe you do.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Because I realized if I was asked this question last
year at this time, just four months into my time
in the East, my win didn't happen until the very
end of the year, when a brother who had been
marshall for at least five plus years, decided that he
wanted to take the next step and is now our
junior warden and looking to go and continue into the
(13:39):
west and continue all the way to the east a
year after that. So in your mind, if it's happened already,
I'd love to hear what has been a success for
you this year or what is the thing that you're
going to say, Hey, if we're able to hit this goal,
this is a win for me.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
Defining a win for me is when I have a brother,
or more especially a visiting brother, or even more especially
a visiting brother from a foreign country come to me
at the conclusion of a state of communication which had
a good program and say to me, this is one
of the best things that I've ever been to. I
want to come back to your lodge and in certain
(14:15):
circumstances say to me, I want to affiliate with your
lodge because of what I saw here tonight. That is
a win for me. More especially is when I have
a brother come to a program that I have advertised
because hopefully we can get to this to some point.
I think advertisement is vital, especially in the agent that
we're living in right now. But if I have a
brother come to me because they've seen a program advertised
(14:37):
that has not been to our lodge in years and say,
I cannot believe that what I've been missing. I'm going
to come next month or two. That's a win for
me too. And it's not just about getting brothers there.
I think that another critical win for me is when
the program itself imparts to a tenet of Masonic principle
that they can take with them and bring back to
(15:00):
to bring back from whence they came. If you will
to share with either their community or their lodge or
their family.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
It's a two part answer for me, I'm going to
steal work for brother well it's done to hear slightly.
So a partial win for me this year has been
as it stated in one of my goals was to
try to get members who have been absent from lodge
to return to lodge. And one of the things we
(15:28):
implemented this year was something called call log where we
pretty much got in touch with members. Right we have
roughly two hundred plus members all over the country as
you all over the world, and we did a call
log where we call each brother just to check in
and see how everyone wants doing. And one of The
(15:48):
recurrent thing from at least the folks that I called
was that they had never had anyone from lodge ever
reached out to them before in that manner. And as
a result, I had a brother that said, I am
so touched by HTx suggesture that.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
I will attend lodge.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Not only would I attend, I'll also bring my father
with me, who was a member of STX as well.
The very next stated he showed up and he brought
his father with him, and they have been consistently shown
up ever since.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
I think I was there that night you called that out.
That was pretty special.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
Yeah, absolutely, you were worship brother Freeman. I guess say,
I don't think you're steal my thunder. I think that
you're you're in fact adding on to the Brower message here,
and I think that this is an example that all
lodges to emulate.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Indeed, absolutely in addition to that, just because of some
of the wolves of my lodge has been going through,
and I'm pretty sure most lodges have experienced some part
of this to some degree. The officer lit right for me,
if find success would be the growth and development of
our officers line right there, and interests and people wanting
(17:03):
to step up to not only be members, but to
step in line and become an officer, right, aspiring to
become officers and including you know, beefing up our over
our attendance and engaging engagement with other lodges. Personally, I
believe that investing in the leadership and development of our
officers will in fact empower them to strengthen, not just
(17:26):
to craft what hands the education for our members, especially
the newly raised brothers, right, because one of the things
that we try to do is to assign a mentor
to newly raised brothers.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
So if we can have officers who are proficient, then
it's very easy to assign new bird brothers to an
officer to say, work with this officer who can guide
you through your journey of massign journey. A success for
me would be all of the officers who are currently
in lyned that they're ready for the at any time
next year.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
It's unique not only that we have three masters from
three different lodges here in the Grand Lodge of the
District of Columbia, but you all have legacy behind you.
I mean, we have the Masters of Lodges numbers three, seven,
and ten on this podcast episode, I can't help but
ask this question, and Derek, I'm going to start with you.
When it comes to traditions, this is the toughest things
(18:21):
worshipful Master, because you have to balance the traditions that
your lodge has had and wants to carry over along
with some of the new ideas or innovations that you
want to add. How did you cross this delicate bridge
this year?
Speaker 5 (18:34):
Whether it's a lodge that's been established for over one
hundred years or a lodge that's been established for five,
all lodges, especially in the District Columbia or equal right.
And to that point, those that have their history, yes,
they are and should be obsessed with preserving the tradition
and the decorum that that lodge has. The balance as
(18:56):
you asked, it is tricky. Sometimes there's the weight of
history that every master should feel in preserving our ritual
and making sure that that is established and never changes,
of course, but that the culture of the lodge changes
slightly with enough breath of air to allow new ideas
(19:19):
and vision to come in. So a small example our
events this year, we traditionally have a spouse's significant others event.
We traditionally have a crab beast. Those are staple events
that we've had. I can't even remember how long now.
The other events that we normally flound throughout the year.
(19:40):
I talked to our officers and our brethren and said,
what would you like to see different this year? What
event would be something that could bring fresh air to
this gathering. It's a wonderful thing to say that President
Ford was actually initiated through Justice Columbia, and honor of that,
(20:00):
we decided to do a Gerald Ford table lodge we
have coming up in the fall. Likewise, in keeping with
my theme for the year, when it comes to one
of the steps in the ladder or sorry and staircase,
excuse me, around astronomy, I'm planning for a lodge trip
to the Smithsonian Planetarium, something completely new and different. So
(20:24):
we're balancing our historical way of doing things, but giving
opportunity for the brether than the lodge to come in
and say let's try something different too.
Speaker 6 (20:36):
Yeah, a little bit. In fact, George Washington was actually
initiated single So how about that.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Course, we've had a lot of episodes and we don't
(21:13):
really want to get into the whole discussion on the membership,
pretention and engagement, and how we're going to increase attendance
and interactions into our meetings conversation. But I did want
to talk to you specifically when it came to planning
your trestle board and you thought like, Okay, what kind
of programs or events could I do at Hirom Tacoma
number ten. We'll start with you at and then work
our way around the room. What could I be doing.
(21:35):
It's going to get guys not just to show up,
but get involved with what we're doing as a lodge.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
Visiting all the lodge is help me understand the big picture.
The bigger picture. I'll go up to the every master
when you say this was an amazing program, I'm literally
going to steal this. I'm going to implement this in
my lodge at some point in some way of fashion.
So we wanted to do more programs that were friendlier.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Right.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
The education programs are great because that's important because that
helps with the Masonic tradition.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
However, over time I realized.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
That that needs to be balanced with something fun, take laly,
something that involves perhaps a little bit of alcohol.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Right, wait, where's Jesse, Where's Jesse?
Speaker 6 (22:24):
This is this is highly highly inappropriate.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
So, for instance, the one program that I can use
that as a good example, we had a rum tasting
right and initially I intended to get to hire a
professional to come in who knows every and anything about rum,
give the history about rum. But in speaking to other
Masters and different brethren, we realize that perhaps that's not
(22:52):
the best way to do it. So rather than having
a professional coming, we're invite people to come in and
and talk about different RUMs they've had and and explain
their experience and where and when they tasted that rum
right and right Worstwhy tew you this was perhaps one
(23:14):
of the best programs we've had, not so much because
of the alcohol.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I'm sure it helped.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It's a key takeaway right there. Any program with alcohol is.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
A winner, I have no doubt. With help correct help.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
We had about eight members of last year and Lodge
showed up and they brought three different rum from Haiti,
and it just so happened that one of the brothers
his grandfather. It's a big time he either works a
partial owner of the company that mixed the rump and
(23:51):
we ready to get the whole history behind the three rum. Yeah,
it's alcohol. At the same time, you're you're getting to
understand people and learn about their backgrounds through other meanings.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Right.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
And it's not just the Masonic aspect of it, but
are out of the people aspect of it.
Speaker 5 (24:07):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
I love that you made it more about the Freemason
and less about Freemason read right.
Speaker 6 (24:12):
I think when it comes to programming for a year,
I sort of think of it in three different categories.
You have to have something that's interesting, you promoth right, interesting,
meaningful and Masonic translated. You have to have something that
probably is just a happ to ad. It's recommend it
(24:33):
that you have something that both educational, charitable and esoteric. Right, so, interesting, meaningful,
and masoic. And these are the three sort of categories
I thought of when I was plenty out my year.
You're not going to get any of your members to
show up to lodge if those three things are not present,
(24:53):
especially if you have a lodge that is composed of
members who do not live within a one mile of
your lodge.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
I think the goal for us is not to fill chairs,
but rather to create a sense of belonging. I think
that it's wise to remember the tide ebbs and flows.
I don't believe that periods of low attendance throughout lodges
is a major call for crisis. I think it's actually
(25:24):
a perfect time for those of us that are serious
about the craft to reflect upon it, work on our ritual,
and build deeper connections with each other. So I believe
that in a participation naturally flows from a man feeling
a sense of being heard in value. He doesn't need
to be convinced to return. He looks forward to it, right.
(25:47):
I mean, informasonry, it's not the summons that calls a
bat the back, it's the spirit of the lodge living
in him. So participation isn't something you demand, it's something
that you build, one conversation, one handshake, one moment of
fellowship at a time. We make sure that every mason
has a place to stand in every and a role
(26:07):
to play, from you know, setting up tables, to leading
a small project, or simpararly simply being told this lodge
needs you, whether we need you to, we need your participation.
We need you to help us out here because the
legacy of this lodge rests on your shoulders. Not just
(26:27):
the masters, not just the wardens or the officers, but
on every single one of us in the lodge. We
are all servants of the craft. It doesn't take being
master of any lodge, or right worshipful or the Grand
Master for us to be servant leaders. Every single member
has and should feel that they are a leader in
(26:50):
their lodge. We always respect protocol, tradition, the titles, but
when we feel that this is our lodge, regardless of
our role, we feel the need to be.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
There right worst.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
I don't mean to prolong as any more than it
has to be, but I think this point needs to
be made, which is one of the primary reasons why
we've had an increase in attendance this year, especially as
I'm speaking specifically for HTx. I firmly, firmly believe it's
(27:27):
based on our commitment to visiting other lodges. And I
tell you how impactful that's spent right onlike previous years
in recent memory that I remember the twenty twenty five
sitting masters across this jurisdiction, I've made a concerted effort
to support one another. Right we have collectively committed to
(27:51):
attending each other programs, events, fostering like a strong spirit
of some sort of mutual encouragement right, and personally, I've
made it a priority of mind to visit and support
as many lodges in the district as I possibly can. Right,
obviously we're gonna left to my capite. But you know,
(28:12):
being a master right and being able to not only
tell your officers or members that it's important to visit,
but also to beat in person and to be welcomed
out there's hidden masters.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
You know.
Speaker 4 (28:27):
It shows your members like what being to me would
being amazing. It is all about right when for instance,
I believe I visited Eastgate and got called to the
East to sit next to east Gate and mastered right,
and in turn I returned to favoring some some other master,
and I think that just shows the level of support
(28:49):
that we've committed to. And like I said, that's skyroket
are attendance and hopefully it continues.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
I think that what you're doing here is a great
or right worshipull. I think that we need more of
this in the district. I want to have us all
get together in a room sometime. I think that would
be great just to share knowledge and to open this
conversation up. Leadership is essential, and I think that it's
important for your audience to understand that despite the fact
that you know, for the freedom which for the Reavis
(29:16):
and I and obviously you right worshipvill have all been
or are currently past or worshipful masters, that doesn't define
what leadership is in masory. What defines what leadership is
in my story is how we take the Masonic values
that we're taught in this society environs that we spread
it throughout the community.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
So thank you for doing what you do.
Speaker 6 (29:36):
I'm happy that this is open to a broader audience,
and I'm very grateful that you've had us on.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Thanks again to my friends and brothers for coming on it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your insight.
If you've enjoyed this episode of The Craftsman Online podcast,
hey don't forget. You can share it with the friend
and subscribe and help support the show all at the
same time. Yeah, we're on Patreon. For just five dollars
a month, you can get access to a lot of
our bat catalog episodes, plus all the bonus extra time
(30:03):
interviews and guests that we've had. Those conversations are all
sitting there for you. I'll even hook you up with
a free seven day trial, just to see if it's
a good fit for you. Get all the info in
the notes for this episode. You'll find the link there.
It's The Craftsman Online podcast now on Patreon. I'm right
worship for Brother Michael Lars until our time together next week.
Let peace and harmony prevailed
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