Royal Cumberland Lodge – Back to the Future
At their April meeting, brethren of Royal Cumberland Lodge were regaled by one of the most knowledgeable historians in The Craft, Tony Harvey, who gave a lecture entitled “Back to the Future: Freemasonry from 1976 to 2076”.
This was a lecture based around his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges”.
He began his talk with a stroll down the 1976 footpath of memory lane: Concorde, Prime Minister (and “keeper of the cloth cap”) Jim Callaghan, the birth of Apple, The Cod Wars, the fall of Jeremy Thorpe and the rise of David Steel in the Liberal Party, Brotherhood of Man winning the Eurovision Song Contest, and the introduction of the Intercity 125 trains, were invoked, bringing a tear to the eyes of older brethren and proving to the younger members that, “the past is a foreign country – they do things differently there”!
He compared Freemasonry of the 70s with Freemasonry of the present. Membership was up, and secrecy was high. When Fascism, a Masonic nemesis, gained prominence in Europe, Freemasonry went underground, and there it remained. Conspiracies began to arise, misinformation was rife – “fake news” as the mot-du-jour would have it – and Freemasons failed to engage on the subject, or rebut the nonsense promulgated in the popular media. Today, Freemasons do engage with the general public and do try to put the record straight.
He pointed out that many of the 7,000 lodges in the English Constitution are struggling. They lack a strong pool of diverse members and it is difficult for them to find willing brethren to occupy key offices and to engage with the lodge and to work towards its continued success. He cautioned that were this state of affairs to continue Freemasonry, may cease to exist by 2076. And yet, there are lodges that are thriving, attracting new members, and retaining their existing ones.
Tony has used his years of Masonic experience to analyse the lodges, and identify the successful ones, to determine the reasons for their success. He, likewise, did the same for those that need to improve their membership engagement, attendance and retention. His recommendations for a thriving future for Freemasonry, taking it happy and well into 2076 are contained in his new book.
In short, lodges should: give good and enjoyable ritual; effectively manage the lodge with a clear plan and set of goals; actively support its new members; strive to engage with its existing members; maintain and evolve the lodge’s distinctive features – a no-brainer for both Royal Cumberland Lodge and Chapter, both having unique ritual and traditions; maintain a harmonious lodge; and finally, have an enthusiastic and energetic leadership – lead by example!
For more details on these bullet points, you can obtain a copy of “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges”, by Tony Harvey, available at good book retailers… and of course, Amazon!
Not forgetting that there is also a useful tool-kit “Building Together” available on the Provincial website.
A lively festive board followed the meeting, at which a two bottle heads-and-Tails match raised £116, which was given to Tony’s chosen charities including The Scouts, MCF, and other Masonic charities involving The Widow’s Sons.
At the end of the meal, the Chairman of The Bath Masonic Hall Trust rose (amid much jeering!) to implore the members of Bath to help with the running of the hall, especially at the upcoming Bath Comedy Festive (weekend of 18th/19th April) and other events. If you are interested in helping with the management and running of Bath Masonic Hall, please contact Sophie, their new General Manager on sophieatbmh@gmail.com
