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Wednesday, May 28, 2025

New York's "Welcome Brother" Package



by Christopher Hodapp

A new Entered Apprentice with the moniker Zealousideal-Hunt242 posted this photo on Reddit of a 'welcome box' of information and Masonic swag he recently received from the Grand Lodge of New York. Looks to be his dues card, a coffee cup, a set of stickers, a 'Welcome Brother" booklet of reference information, and a bottle of hand sanitizer (for cleanup after making those dodgy handshakes we're so famous for, dontcha know). 

Not a bad little welcome package from the grand lodge level, and a minimal expense to make a good impression on a new member. Nicely done. The box alone can be filled with anything: grand masters' pin, a tie, a special 'new Brother' name badge, a grand lodge monitor, a directory of lodges in the state with visitation protocols, a memory stick with loads of information... anything to cement the feeling that the fraternity has invested some effort and consideration in welcoming a new member. In other words, something more than just an invoice for the year's dues, an invitation to the appendant groups, and a plea to become an officer.

4 comments:

  1. Very nice. Why did it take this long? Oh yes we've never done that before

    ReplyDelete
  2. as a new master mason in new york, this was quite a nice surprise and some useful things!

    ReplyDelete
  3. NY mason here, our new GM is putting a lot of time and effort into retention of members. All too many times brothers will take the degrees, attend a few meetings and then disappear. Who can blame them, who wants to sit in dusty old rooms full of swag from the 1920s and argue over budgets. We want to grow the fraternity? Make an effort to keep the men who knock on the inner door.

    ReplyDelete

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