The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of the State of Illinois
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2020 - 2021 The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of the State of Illinois "I ask of each Mason, of each member, of each brother, that he shall remember ever that there is upon him a peculiar obligation to show himself in every respect, a good citizen” Bro. Theodore Rosevelt I REMEMBER When I think of these words, many thoughts rush into my mind. Most of all, what comes to me are the many things I have promised to God, my loved ones and my fraternity. What I have promised to God and my loved ones are specific to them, but we, my brethren, we have a common connection: the promises we all made at the Altar. When I look back on my obligations and all of the promises I made, things I said I would do and things I said I would not do, I feel inspired. I am compelled to aid and assist a worthy distressed brother Master Mason, to whisper good council, to support my brethren in their undertaken, to refrain from causing dissension, to tolerate, to forgive, and to love more. Remember that our obligations have to be undertaken out of free will and accord. Free will is an essential part of our nature. The certainty of the obligation involves the corresponding certainty of free will. Although the ceremony of obligation immediately concerns the Candidate, it should be clearly understood by all others that we too take on the obligation along with the candidate 'inwardly' so as to remind ourselves of it once again. Every mason in this room can be a beacon of light for his lodge. Through a positive attitude and the will to lead we have it in us to mentor our new Masons. It is our hope to share our knowledge with our brethren, to resist the temptation to enter into personal picks and quarrels, to remember that we as Masons should not be trying to outdo each other, but rather to strive to be the best version of ourselves. We should always seek to be a better man tomorrow than we were today. So I invite you to REMEMBER your obligation, not as a burden but as an opportunity, a challenge and a privilege. You have the responsibility to take on this task with joy and with love for the future of Freemasonry. We get to shape the way our young Masons influence and better society; we have the ability to be a voice of wisdom and guidance for those around us. I encourage you to not shy away from this journey we have embarked on together, but rather, dive deep into new opportunities to continue to grow into the Man you strive to become. Your Brother, Stephen F. Oakley Grand Master !1 ILLINOIS FREEMASONRY PROGRAM & ACTIVITY SUMMARY MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Our Grand Lodge Membership Development Committee will continue to execute initiatives and projects that support our priorities of Membership Retention, Attraction, and Development for Illinois Freemasonry. We want to help deliver a Masonic Membership Experience that is attractive and enjoyable. Part of the attraction to both existing and prospective members is the ability to incorporate the "Timeless Lessons of Masonic Enlightenment" into how each of these good men live. Thus, achieving our motto of "Masons living Masonry in their daily lives." We continue to learn a significant amount (especially working with the Area and District leaders) regarding the needs of our Lodges and the Brethren. Working with many Masonic leaders and other Brethren around the state, we will continue driving the adoption and usage of valuable tools and information to benefit our members, including: — The Newly Raised Master Mason Packet — The Junior Warden, Lodge Membership Champion Packet — Masonic Membership Value Exchange - A Conversation Starter — The Short Talk Bulletins Podcasts Recommendation List We know that Freemasonry is very personal to each Brother. Therefore, we encourage and support the powerful exchange of ideas, brotherly love, and learning that occurs between a Brother and his Intender or Mentor in true "mouth to ear" conversations (e.g., Intender Educational Program). To help each of us progress along our "Masonic Journey of Self- Improvement," we can significantly benefit from a faithful friend and guide. This need and direction will propel us forward to help address several Training and Development needs of our members and Lodge Officers. Overall, we will assist with developing Prospective Members into Experienced, Well-informed, and Confident Master Masons. Also, we will stay connected with the Brethren through preferred electronic communication platforms like email, our Grand Lodge website (www.ilmason.org), Facebook, and YouTube. We have several ideas planned for the future, and in collaboration with many talented Brothers around the state, we will bring those ideas to life. Our team will be looking for passionate and capable Brothers throughout the state to assist us as Masonic Membership Champions of Illinois Freemasonry. Contact us at [email protected] if you would like to help. Chairman: R.W. Bro. Wayne Spooner !2 MASONIC EDUCATION The State Education Officer oversees the Area and District Education Officer programs throughout Illinois. The Education Officers role is to provide guidance and support to the Lodges, Lodge Education Officers, and Brethren by supporting their individual goals. Those goals may include sponsoring symposia, providing reading suggestions, or connecting speakers with lodge audiences. The Education Committee has recently launched the Masonic Education Themes program which selects a monthly theme and provides resources and questions to help spark enlightening lodge discussions. To participate, a Lodge needs to appoint a Lodge Education Officer who will receive a monthly email with the necessary materials. If you or your Lodge are interested in expanding your Masonic education, I encourage you to reach out to your District or Area Education Officers who will be happy to assist you with your goals. State Education Officer Northern Area Todd Creason Donald L. Mewes [email protected] [email protected] (217) 260-1960 (309) 798-9462 Northeastern Area Eastern Area Erik Solomon Darin A. Lahners [email protected] [email protected] (847) 668-3214 (217) 202-7709 Southern Area Western Area Jordan Kelly Michael Overturf [email protected] [email protected] (217) 663-6163 (618) 318-3731 !3 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Our main goal is to inspire and educate leaders who can influence their respective Lodges by stimulating human relations, reinforcing the values of Universal Masonry and Meaningful Leadership. We aim to tailor a relevant, inspirational, engaging, and impactful content for the Leadership Workshop at our Grand Communication every year and in many other Seminars and workshops. This committee has been scouting talents and mapping key talented people in our state and strategically planning actions towards the development of our Masonic Young Leadership. The Leadership Development Committee work hand to hand with Membership Development, Masonic Education, and Communications, Marketing and Branding Committee. Our Leadership Workshop of last year was called “Meaningful Leadership”- The message consisted of seven drivers: Identity, Purpose, Relationships, Lodge Environment, Challenges, Learning Experience and Civility. By applying these lessons we ca n develop abundant Lodges that engage, fulfill the expectations of their members and contribute to the best interests of communities and humanity at large. Committee Chairman: R. W. Bro Luciano Azevedo [email protected] Members: R. W. Bro. Luciano Azevedo; R.W. Bro. Bo Cook; R.W. Bro. Michael Blasius; W. Bro. Brian Owen. COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING & BRANDING COMMITTEE The Communications, Marketing, and Branding Committee is indispensable for the future of Illinois Masonry. Within a short period of time, they have successfully implemented changes that have improved the membership’s experience and allowed our Grand Lodge to operate more effectively and emphatically. Involvement and engagement comes when members are incentivized by our message and what we stand for. With that, our intent is always to remind our membership of the depth and value of our symbols while spreading the message for which it stands. All in all, what they've been able to accomplish over the last year and a half has been absolutely monumental, and Grand Lodge have even higher ambitions for the upcoming years. One of our main objectives, though not obvious, is to revive Freemasonry in Illinois, highlighting our values and traditions by creating a newfound momentum of involvement !4 from our membership. What we found is that Illinois Masons are long for innovation. In fact, 77.5% responded in our recent survey that they "believe Masons should preserve their values but innovate their activities according to their cultural context." What this tells us is that we have a duty to continually be creating and seeking to improve how we relate to our members, and the C.M.B. committee has been and will continue to be instrumental in pulling us forward. We will always impact more lives and create a greater wave of influence when we pursue innovation while being firmly and deliberately rooted in our values. Our Illinois Freemasonry Magazine has become a benchmark for other jurisdictions. Our model is being replicated in several other Jurisdiction nationally and internationally. The Communications, Branding, and Marketing committee continues dedicated to always pursuing to do what is best for our fraternity. Chairman: R.W. Bro. Luciano Azevedo Members: R.W. Bro. Luciano Azevedo, W. Bro. Christopher Garlington, R.W. Bro. Bill Bussiere, R.W. Bro. Tom Herres, R.W. Bro. Gene Smith, Bro. R.J. Budler, Bro. Ozzie Trejo BLUE LIGHTNING DEGREES At times, lodges are caught with a backlog of work. An approved tool to assist in these instances is through scheduling a Blue Lightning. The complete preparation steps, approval procedures, and reporting requirements for a Blue Lightning are contained in the Blue Lightning Guidelines document under the Forms and Documents link on our website, www.ilmason.org.