This evening was a committee meeting for Wrexhamian Lodge.
I did not attend this meeting due to having no knowledge of the actual meeting, even though as a Past Master of the Lodge I am a member of the committee. I only found out about the meeting a few days later when speaking to a member of the Lodge who had attended.
You see the Secretary has a WhatsApp group for the Lodge and uses that for Lodge communications. The issue is, that not everyone is on WhatsApp. Some of the older members do not like the new technology, others get annoyed by all the jokes and meme’s that are sent constantly, and others refuse to use WhatsApp because they use their phones for work. (For those who are not aware WhatsApp normal app states in it’s terms and conditions that it is not to be used for Companies, Organisation, or Groups that have to follow GDPR. If you want to use it for “Work” you have to use WhatsApp Business.).
At a recent meeting when it was mentioned that not everyone is on WhatsApp and therefore are not getting the information, the secretary screamed that he was too busy and important to send things out on multiple systems, and those who did not get told something should just ask someone who was told what it was that was told. My brain started leaking trying to work out the logic of that. So if you do not know if anything has been said, you have to ask someone who saw what was said, to tell you what was said, even though you do not know anything has been said. I guess instead of greeting people with a hello, we should great them with “Is there anything on WhatsApp I need to know”
So for various reasons not every member of the Lodge is on the group, and therefore do not get informed what the Lodge plans are, see calls for volunteers for offices, see summons for meetings, etc. I feel this could alienate members, and if they are no longer included in the Lodge then they may resign causing issues for smaller Lodges.
I believe WhatsApp may end up being the cause for the loss of members, and the closure of Lodges unless Secretaries stick to using the lowest common denominator for Lodge Communication. This tends to be email. I have seen other groups splinter and fail when the person organising things only uses WhatsApp and abandons those who do not.
Update Count:- Attended/Total
17/19 – Meetings
06/06 – Visits
10/13 – Rehearsals
07/09 – Committee
04/04 – AGM’s
01/01 – Social
Masonic Halls – 12
Freemasonry (Craft)
One of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the world, Freemasonry's roots lie in the traditions of the medieval stonemasons who built our cathedrals and castles.
It is here that a number of the famous elements of Freemasonry find their roots. In the medieval era, stonemasons often travelled around to find work in different locations. To demonstrate their level of qualification, they would use grips, words and signs in order to distinguish themselves from unqualified builders.
Freemasonry uses building analogies to teach members how to lead productive lives that benefit the communities that they live in. In the medieval era, stonemasons wore aprons and gloves to protect themselves while working on shaping rough pieces of stone, but in today’s society Freemasons meet to build friendships and communities rather than cathedrals and castles.