The Grand Lodge A F & A M of Nebraska: Men Putting Ethics Into Practice ∴ ∴ ∴ ∴ Summer 2014 VOL. XXXIII NO. 2 20th Annual Masonic All-Star Marching Band Camp 2014 marks the 20th Annual Nebraska Masonic All-Star Marching Band Camp. In celebration of 20 extraordinary years, all past band participants and chaperones were invited to march behind the band during the Shrine Bowl Parade and were recognized on the field prior to the half-time performance of this year’s Masonic band. In the 20 years since the band was created by Most Worshipful Past Grand Master Jerry Rittenburg, the band camp has seen more than 3,000 high school students sponsored by countless Masonic Lodges, Eastern Star Chapters, Shrine, Scottish Rite and York Rite Bodies, businesses and individuals. The Masonic Band Camp was a special experience for these students, many of them enjoying lifelong friendships with other students they met at camp. The Masonic All-Star Marching Band lives on as Jerry’s legacy, providing excellent experiences for Nebraska youth, while assisting in the mission of the Shrine Bowl. This year’s Masonic All-Star Marching Band was comprised of 195 musicians. Students gathered at the University of Nebraska- Kearney campus on Tuesday June 3rd and began working to perfect music and drill – practicing in excess of eight hours per day, under the direction of Brad Weber, retired director at Wayne High School, currently director of percussion at Wayne State College, Dan Sodomka from Aurora High School and Dr. Dave Bohnert from Wayne State College. Field conductors for the half-time show were Samantha Hahn, Ashley Andrews and Anna Keough, band directors at Plainview High School, Palmer High School and Crofton High School, respectively. The camp brought together the best-of-the-best high school band students from 77 high schools in Nebraska for five days of intense musical and marching practice. The band began Most Worshipful Grand Master Joe McBride is pictured with their performances with a free public concert at Harmon Park on the the Masonic Band Directors: Brad Weber, Dr. Dave Bohnert evening of Friday, June 6. On Saturday, June 7, the band marched in and Dan Sodomka the Shrine Bowl Parade in Kearney, performed the National Anthem and provided half-time entertainment for the Shrine Bowl Game at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The Grand Lodge would well as the numerous individuals who donated their time to serve like to thank all Nebraska Blue Lodges, Eastern Star Chapters, as chaperones and band assistants at the camp this year. The camp Shrine clubs, Scottish Rite and York Rite bodies, individuals and could not be provided without the help of these very dedicated and companies that provided scholarships for the Masonic Band, as generous individuals and groups. 1 Jun14.indd 1 6/16/2014 3:52:12 PM To Light! Bringing Masonic Education to Light grandmessage master’s [email protected] www.facebook.com/GrandLodgeofNebraska “Why?” Go wash your hands. Why? Please clean your friends, brothers and visitors with a hearty welcome and a warm room. Why? The wheel is round. Why? The sky is blue. Why? The handshake. Something as simple as this will be the first step in usual answer to many of those questions is a simple, “Because I gaining new members and keeping the ones we have. Not exactly said so, that’s why!!” rocket science, but surprisingly useful. If you are a parent, aunt or uncle, you have no doubt experienced So the next time you greet a new member, a candidate or any the Why syndrome. Almost every child goes through it at some visitor to your lodge, please take a second and throw your shyness time. As adults, it can drive us absolutely crazy sometimes, but it out the door. Greet them with a little warmer handshake and make is all part of the learning curve of life. My mother always said the them feel welcome. That is part of the job you signed on for. And only stupid question was the one that wasn’t asked. if that isn’t enough reason, just do it “Because I said so, that’s I believe as we advance in age and hopefully knowledge, we are why!!” approached with the question “why?” in many different ways that also help to advance our lives socially, mentally and Masonically. Every day of our active lives we are faced with new obstacles or problems that make us scratch our heads and ask, “Why?” The car won’t start. Why? The stock market fell today. Why? etc... By asking why, we learn the secrets of the world around us and hopefully make the world a little better. As I have travelled across our great state these past few years, one of the most asked questions I receive is “Why/How do you travel so much?” One answer is because this is the job I signed on for. I agreed to do it, so I do it. The real answer is one that comes from my heart. I travel because I love the brothers and all of the things that this great Fraternity stands for. So the next question is “Why are great organizations like Masonry all suffering from loss of membership and participation?” One answer is that there are too many competing entities grabbing at the same members. Another scenario is that those members or possible members are not being welcomed or do not feel like they are being welcomed with the same brotherly love and friendship that I have felt in my travels. A warm handshake and a strong pat on the back can go a long way towards first impressions when a brother or candidate visits a lodge. Many of us have a big supply ost Worshipful Joe D. McBride of shyness in our hearts. As lodge officers and members, Grand Master of Nebraska Masons we have the duty to throw that shyness aside and greet our M 2 Jun14.indd 2 6/16/2014 3:52:22 PM To Light! Bringing Masonic Education to Light Vol XVII No. 2 A Publication of the Grand Lodge AF & AM of Nebraska Summer 2014 by Larry Jacobsen grandmessage master’s ToLight! Chapter 2 - The Next Generation The year was 1995 as Denny Brydl, chairman of the Grand substitute for idleness – if we do nothing different from what we’ve Lodge of Nebraska Masonic Education Committee, asked the been doing in Lodge we don’t have to work as hard. I don’t offer rhetorical question of “Now what do we do?” – meaning we were this as a criticism of our Lodges, but I do see it as an opportunity. on our own to craft a Masonic Education agenda for our fellow Over the past 20 years, your Grand Lodge Education Committee members. One of the first initiatives was to develop a quarterly has developed several programs: the annual Masonic Education article for the Nebraska Mason which we branded To Light! Breakfast at Grand Lodge, two Masonic Education Symposiums Bringing Masonic Education to Light. With a few fits and starts each year, a Masonic Jeopardy game that can be used to “lighten- over the past 14 years, we have now produced 66 issues of To up” an evening at Lodge, quarterly To Light! articles in The Light!, and as editor it is long past time to hand the baton (or the Nebraska Mason, St. John’s Lodge of Education that meets twice pen) to a new generation of Masonic Education enthusiasts – and a year, Masonic Education section on the Nebraska Grand Lodge there are many of them here in Nebraska. website, and other initiatives that explore the wide realm of Masonic As a transition to CHAPTER 2 (The Next Generation), allow Education. me to reflect on this trek called Masonic Education. Our Education Committee’s greatest Trends challenge is, and has been over the past Having been a Mason for 20 years, bringing a culture of Masonic 48 years, I’ve experienced Education into your Lodge. It takes two the membership trends over things to make that happen: 1) a place a long period of time. Week and time (during a Lodge meeting or after week, month after month, after), and 2) a member of your Lodge year after year, good Masons who will champion the cause. committed themselves to the Please do not take the above quality and delivery of the paragraph as some sort of mandate or ritual. When Masonry was slap on the wrist by the Grand Lodge still bringing in many new Education Committee. We know full members there was little time well that some Lodges will have the to do anything but perform the ritual for the new candidates. Older resources and time to do Masonic Education and for others it may members would tell stories of starting degree work at 5:00 p.m. be difficult to change the culture. It’s the beauty of Masonry that for those who could get off work early, and then confer degrees we promote, not some rigid framework you’re compelled to follow. into late evening. The degrees became the culture of the Lodge, What IS Masonic Education? and if there was an open night, or no degrees to confer, you would I often worry about the term Masonic Education. It conjures practice for the next degree. All this was good in terms of perfecting images of heavy reading, or being called upon to answer a question, the delivery of the ritual. or having to advance on a prescribed curriculum. The beauty of Over time, the number of new members began to diminish, so Masonic Education is none of that.