“Youth today aren’t ‘Joiners’,” the man told me…
November 4th, 2007 by Art Hebbeler. Popularity: 100%.In addition to my involvement in Lambda Chi Alpha, I am an active Freemason. I have served as the Master of a lodge, and will be the presiding officer is a Knights Templar commandery in the coming year. In fact, I have been a Freemason almost as long as I have been a Lambda Chi–the packages of 25-year pins are coming daily it seems right now (for you doing the math, I’m 46). In my fraternal work, I’ve done a lot in a few years, and have been involved in lodges and chapters in more than a dozen states and provinces. In short, I’ve been around the block enough to have some credibility in Masonic circles.
At a recent lodge meeting, I was sitting with some older brothers over coffee when one of them said to me, “Art, it sure is good to see a younger man like you involved. Trouble is, these kids today are joiners. What’s going to happen with the fraternity in the future, as all of us get old and die?”
“Not joiners, Bill? What ever gave you that idea? Let me tell you what I have learned…”
Our youth today–and I’m speaking here of the men whom we would seek for Lambda Chi Alpha or the Masonic fraternity or Knights of Columbus or Lions or …–really are joiners. Look at the college campuses today. There are organizations of all sorts out there–fraternal, social, service–that college students are joining in record numbers. Students are joining organizations that will help them gain skills they can’t get in the classroom, participate in activities that interest them, and even help in getting a leg up on their post-college careers. If it will help build the resume, it is something young people want to do.
So, then, the challenge for Freemasonry, and for fraternities and sororities in general, is to meet the needs of the prospective members, present a positive image in the community, and overcome the barriers of stereotypes in order to encourage others to participate in the organization. In short, just having parties, or just having the same “wash, rinse, repeat” business meeting, or just being the “sports” or “service” group isn’t enough. Our organizations have to be able to address multiple opportunities and fulfill multiple needs in order to grow. Most importantly, we need to overcome the stereotypes that are still out there about our organizations.
How many of our chapters are on campuses which have men who are in the Army National Guard, Army Reserves, Army ROTC, or have completed their active duty Army commitments? These men are familiar and well-trained in the Seven Core Values we present in the True Brother Initiative(tm). Heck, we adopted them from the Army! My youngest son just graduated Army Basic Training on 2 November. He was taught all about LDRSHIP. Talk about a synergistic relationship–connecting up with those on campus who have been or are currently in the Army specifically should be one of our campus chapter goals.
How many Eagle Scouts are on campus? Where else can one find young men–many who just “aged out” of their Scout troops–who already have demonstrated skills in leadership, service, and self-sacrifice? We have no less than 5 Eagle Scouts in Phi-Delta right now, and that’s the lowest number we’ve had in some time.
Looking for “ritual nuts” to help boost your chapter ritual teams to a new level? Seek out men who are active in DeMolay, the Masonic-sponsored organization for young men. They already have been introduced to ritual, as well as service and social activities in a fraternal organization. And, without saying too much here, they have even been exposed to some of the same symbolism as they will find in Lambda Chi (just as Lambda Chi men have seen some Masonic symbolism) .
And, my dear brothers, if you enjoy what you have experienced in Lambda Chi Alpha, let me boldly suggest to you that you might want to seek out a Freemason and have a conversation with him about fraternal life. You just might find a place to help you continue your journey in personal growth and development through the rest of your life.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:36 am
And, without saying too much here, they have even been exposed to some of the same symbolism as they will find in Lambda Chi (just as Lambda Chi men have seen some Masonic symbolism) .
To a lesser extent, we have also been exposed to symbolism present in the Loyal Order of Moose (older editions, not the present) Ritual as well. I see two issues here: one, fraternal organizations (non-collegiate) do not hold the same importance to people and communities as they once did - they are seen as anachronistic, or, in other instances, as just the local “drinking hole”…an anathema to their true purposes.
I have been involved in the Moose Ritual program for over a decade (and have several International Team and Individual Ritual Competition championships under my belt), however, this is to be my last year. The Loyal Order of Moose, in order to “increase membership”, is actually making their enrollment ceremony (read: RITUAL) OPTIONAL for new members. They can simply sign a declaration instead of going through the ceremony.
This change infuriates me - though I understand their reasons for the change (very few lodges even have ritual staffs anymore, those that don’t have been enrolling members for years on paper only, it can be somewhat costly, but the biggest reason is a lack of getting people to participate). This was leadership at the highest level simply dropping the ball, giving up, and, in my opinion, making a decision to END the Moose being a FRATERNAL organization. Without a ritual, where is the bond? The brotherhood? It simply ceases to exist.
The constitution of the Moose use to state that a lodge was required to have a ritual staff, otherwise they would be penalized. This was probably the most ignored rule- - so they did away with it. Which is cowardice and lack of leadership and example.
Sorry for the rant, but, needed to get that off my chest.
For what it’s worth, the LXA ritual still remains the greatest ritual of all (and I have been privy to many other orgs Rituals) - none is as elaborate, detailed, and personally moving - I think all of us can remember a very personal moment or two in our own initiation experiences that will stay with us forever to cherish the true meaning of LXA.
Shawn Harmer
Sigma Omega 162