If you haven’t been to one in a while, you might be surprised at the swift pace of most Moose meetings. You have opportunity for effective input without wasting your time. And then you can enjoy an opportunity to relax with friends.
Has your Lodge or Chapter ever scheduled a program or event you wished you could have been involved with from the beginning? Have you ever wondered why it seems you have no say in how your Lodge or Chapter operates?
More likely than not, you haven’t been attending the meetings of your Lodge or Chapter recently. Making it a habit to attend those meetings regularly is obviously a plus for your Lodge or Chapter. But we think you’ll be surprised how much you will come to see these meetings as beneficial and enjoyable for you.
Here’s why:
First off, as of the night they’re enrolled, every member of this fraternity has a vote—and it counts! When you attend a meeting, you may be voting on the acceptance of new members, the expenditure of Lodge or Chapter funds, or the election of officers.
By attending meetings, you’ll learn more about what various Lodge or Chapter committees are doing—and who are the people working behind the scenes. If they’re planning a special event for, say, Independence Day, why not ask if you can help out?
By getting involved, you can slowly work toward having more events of the sort that you Like—and that you think others would like. By lending a hand to carry them out, you’ll know you did your best to ensure that they were a success.
As an informed member, you will know if the Lodge and Chapter officers are doing everything they should to ensure a successful fraternal operation, including: Making sure the Family Activities Committee fills the calendar with a variety of fun events every month.
Reviewing the quality of the food being served to members and their families; Recognizing the birthdays of members by sending cards or mentioning them in the Lodge newsletter; making sure that fellow members or co-workers who are hospitalized are being visited and that their families’ needs are being met; and perhaps most important, assuring that members are made welcome when they visit the Social Quarters.
Whatever your reason for having joined your Lodge or Chapter, attending its meetings regularly enables you to learn how it works, and what’s happening in your area of interest.
Meetings are easy to follow, because they adhere to a strict agenda, following Robert’s Rules of Order. Seven members constitute a quorum for a Lodge meeting—provided that the Governor, Jr. Governor, Prelate, or a Past Governor (in that order) is present to preside.
The Nine O’clock Ceremony (you may remember it from the night you were enrolled) is a tradition upheld at Lodge and Chapter meetings—and helps us all remember one of the essential reasons our fraternity exists: our children at Mooseheart Child City & School.
Another reason to get out of the house and to the Lodge on meeting night is—fun. It gives you an enjoyable change of pace from your usual day-to-day routine, offering you a night out and an opportunity to patronize your Lodge’s Social Quarters.
As a legal corporation, the Lodge’s Board of Officers is required to hold meetings and to keep minutes. Our by-laws require at least one meeting per month (two for a Chapter). However, special meetings may also be scheduled for enrollment of new members, installation of officers, changing day and time of regular meetings, proposed changes in dues, transactions involving real or personal property of the Lodge, etc. The Board is required to notify members in advance of all such special meetings.
So—what’s holding you back? Find out when the next meeting is scheduled. You do have a voice in the actions, programs and decisions of your Lodge and Chapter—but only if you’re there to exercise it!
See Ya at the Meetings......
