This will be a brief update, it's just been one of
those weeks! Tomorrow night, we'll be at RW Ted Cooperman's Apron Presentation
as Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Honduras at the Old '76
House in Tappan, followed by a visit to the Master Mason Degree at Naurashank
Lodge. On Saturday, Hudson River, jerusalem Temple, Wallkill, and Hoffman
Lodges wil install their officers. Installations will held on Monday
at Goshen, Tuesday at Athelstane, Friday at Naurashank, and then JTL
will confer a Fellowcraft Degree a week from tomorrow. Looks like this
week will be another one of those weeks!
I would also like to congratulate the Brothers of Warwick Lodge on a very successful Chile ID program last weekend and am pleased to inform you that another Child ID System training program will be held at West Point Lodge on Thursday June 14th in preparaion for their July 4th program. Please try to attend if you have not yet been trained in its use. That's all for now, we'll see you next week!
DISTRICT NEWS
Warwick Lobster Bake
Warwick Lodge will hold its Annual Loster Bake on Sunday June 10th, beginning at noon. The afternoon seafood feast includes crabs, steamers, and lobster (of course!) along with all the fixings and beverages. Tickets are $45 per person and may be obtained from Wor. Luke Gordon.
Masters and Wardens Meeting
The Masters and Wardens will meet at Jerusalem Temple Lodge on Monday
June 11th at 7:30 p.m. Please note the change in starting time. The
School of Instruction will henceforth be held on other evenings and
locations around the District. It is important that all of our newly-elected
Masters and Wardens attend this meeting so that we can meet each other
and go over dates and plans for the coming year. These meetings and
this newsletter are the primary coordination and communication venues
in this District and each Lodge is responsible for the information
disseminated therein . If your Lodge is not represented, the officers
are still responsible for obtaining the information from othuer Lodges
in attendance. Thus attendance is expected of Masters and Wardens
but everyone is welcome to attend and we hope to see other elected
and appointed officers there!
Renegades Baseball Night
Jerusalem Temple Lodge will sponsor another outing to see the
Hudson Valley Renegades play on Saturday July 28th. This year's outing will be special because it is being sponsored in conjunction with several veteran's organizations, and we will be arranging to have a group of disabled veterans from the Castle Point VA Hospital join us. The evening is $25 and includes admission to the game and all the hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs and chicken sandwiches you can eat along with soft drinks and the usual fixings. For more information, click here. We hope you can join us!
2007-2008 Individual Development Course (iDC) Registration for next year’s Individual Development Course will be available soon. This course provides skills useful in every aspect of our lives and helps to develop us in our roles at work, our homes, our communities, and our Craft. The course focuses on personal skills such as time management, goal setting, and self-discipline; interpersonal skills such as public speaking, e-mail and written materials, dealing with difficult people, running effective meetings, and the group process; and other important skills such as problem and data analysis, brainstorming, surveys, and project management. These are skills that apply to all areas of our lives and next year’s course, scheduled to begin in September and run one Saturday a month for six months, will be open to spouses as well as Masons. We hope to see many of you take advantage of this important and very valuable opportunity. For more information, please contact the DDGM.
Orange-Rockland Central Chapter, Order of DeMolay DeMolay is a Masonic youth program for boys ages 12-21, which teaches leadership within a fun, moral framework in line with our own principles and tenets. The local Chapter, which meets at Wallkill Lodge in Walden, is in desperate need of advisors, Brothers willing to give up a few hours a month to mentor and work with these inspiring young men. There’s no commitment required to obtain information, give us a call and see what it’s all about. For more information, please contact R:.W:. Hank Stoveland.
UPCOMING CHILD ID PROGRAMS
Child ID System
The District Child ID System is available to Lodges who have two Brothers
trained in its use. These Brothers may sign out the system by contacting
Wor. Robert Morlang, Jr.. Please allow
a month in advance to reserve the system and allow the District Committee
to order the necessary supplies for your program. Please remember
that all unused materials must be returned with the system, there
is to be no stockpiling of supplies for future programs.
Thank You ORDMA!
We would like to thank the Orange-Rockland District Masonic Association
for their generous donation of $500 toward a second Child ID system.
We still have a ways to go, anyone wishing to make a donation should
contact Wor. Robert Morlang, Jr.
Upcoming Programs
West Point Lodge will hold a Child ID system training program on Thursday
June 14th at 7:30 p.m. For more information, please contact the
Secretary.
West Point Lodge will be holding a large Child ID program on Wednesday,
July 4th in Highland Falls. Assistance is requested. For
more information, please contact the
Secretary.
ORDMA NEWS
Next ORDMA Meeting
The next meeting of the Orange-Rockland District Masonic Association
(ORDMA) will be held on Tuesday June 25th at West Point Lodge. A light
supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting and program
at 7:30 p.m. All Brothers of the District are invited and encouraged
to attend!
ORDMA Calendars Still Available! The 2006-2007 ORDMA Calendars are still available! These handy pocket calendars contain all of our District's Lodge and Concordant Bodies meetings, important events, Lodge and District officers, and directions to our Lodges. The calendars cost $5 each and the proceeds go to support our District's community service and charitable efforts, including our new District child ID system. To obtain a calendar, contact any of ORDMA's officers.
* Denotes a dinner will precede or
follow the meeting or event. Please check with the contact for
details.
2007-2008 DDGM Visits
Athelstane Lodge No. 839
Tuesday October 16th, 2007
Cornerstone Lodge No. 711
Wednesday September 26th, 2007
Goshen Lodge No. 365
Monday September 17th
Hoffman Lodge No. 412
Tuesday November 20th, 2007
Hudson River Lodge No. 309
Wednesday November 14th, 2007
Jerusalem Temple Lodge No. 721
Saturday January 12th, 2009
Naurashank Lodge No. 589
Friday October 12th, 2007
Port Jervis Lodge No. 328
Friday September 14th
Stony Point-Wawayanda Lodge No. 313
Wednesday September 19th, 2007
Wallkill Lodge No. 627
Wednesday December 19th, 2007
Warwick Lodge No. 544
Tuesday October 23rd, 2007
West Point Lodge No. 877
Thursday October 4th, 2007
SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION
The Orange-Rockland District School of Instruction will be taking a hiatus for the summer. We will re-open in August to review the Opening and Closing, and should you wish to hold other rehearsals for your new officers over the summer, your AGLs will be glad to attend provided you give them sufficient notice. The School will recommence in September, rotating on a different evening each month throughout the District at the invitation of individual Lodges. More details will be provided as the time draws closer, Have a great summer! If you have any questions, please contact the DDGM.
PODCAST POLL (Week 4)
Leadership Essentials
Leadership Lessons from Iraq By Dr. John C. Maxwell excerpted from Leadership Wired
Dominant in the news and in political debate across the country, U.S. involvement in Iraq is a hot button issue and the subject of sharp disagreement. While politicians argue over everything from the war’s cost, to its military strategy, to its morality, one painful truth is agreed upon by all: Iraq is a mess.
Entering the fifth year of the U.S.-led occupation, America and its allies have suffered more than 3,500 causalities. Dwarfing the allied military losses, the Iraqi civilian death toll is approaching 70,000—with between 2,000 and 3,000 deaths occurring each month. In addition to security threats, many Iraqis are absent of electricity, sewage, or water. Many fear to go to work or are unable to do so due to a lack of jobs. Death squads of militias ruthlessly capture and torture members of opposing ethnic or religious groups, and suicide bombings routinely spread terror.
What leadership lessons can be drawn from the difficulties faced in Iraq?
LESSON#1: A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND
At the foundation of the struggle to rebuild Iraq lay the fissures of centuries of ethnic and religious conflict. Broadly speaking there are three main camps of Iraqis: Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs, and Kurds. Unfortunately, history has accounted for deep wounds, anger, and mistrust between the groups.
600’s-2007: The struggle between Sunnis and Shiites stretches back over 14 centuries.
1986-1989: Upwards of 50,000 Kurds died in Saddam Hussein’s campaign to remove the Kurds from Iraq. Kurdish Iraqis were placed in concentration camps, shot in front of firing squads, and the victims of chemical warfare.
1991: In the wake of the Desert Storm military operation in 1991, Shiite Arabs in southern Iraq rebelled against Saddam Hussein. Thousands of Shiites were massacred as Saddam’s loyalists committed unthinkable atrocities against them.
2006-2007: In a recent spree of violence, gangs of Sunni Arabs and Shiite Arabs have fought one another by: assassinating political leaders, destroying mosques and holy shrines, bombing marketplaces, and torturing and murdering civilians.
For the leaders in charge of reconstructing Iraqi society, reconciliation between Arabs and Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites holds the key to success. The same principle stands true for any leader taking charge of a new team. Managing differences among team members is vital to building a unified and effective team. Diversity enriches, but dissension destroys. Leaders have the responsibility of setting a tone of mutual respect, cordial communication, and polite disagreement. When deep grudges are inherent in the team, a leader must painstakingly guide the parties involved toward reconciliation.
Lesson #2: TO THE VICTOR GOES THE SPOILS RESPONSIBILITY
In Iraq, Shiites outnumber Sunnis nearly two-to-one. Even so, the minority Sunnis have held political power for the past 1300 years. However, after the fall of Saddam Hussein and the introduction of democracy, the balance of power has reversed and Shiites finally enjoy the upper hand in Iraq’s government. For the past 25 years, Kurds have been persecuted and marginalized in Iraq. Now, in the new government, they find themselves in an unprecedented place of inclusion and power.
The fate of Iraq hinges upon the Shiite and Kurdish responsibility to protect the interests of the Sunni Arabs. With newfound power, each group will be tempted to consolidate its gains and to humiliate the Sunnis. However, subjugating the Sunni population will surely breed resentment and hostility. Only by respecting the rights of the Sunnis, will Iraq’s leaders be able to erase years of violent oppression toward disenfranchised people.
In any organization, managers compete to set strategic direction and lobby against one another for resources. At times, debate gets heated as two individuals spar for control. Inevitably, there are winners and losers. One manager wins support for their agenda, while another’s requests are denied.
For the victor, the temptation is to adopt an “I told you so,” attitude toward his or her opponent. The victor may leverage their favorable position for self-advancement rather than corporate progress. Or, the winner may use their advantage to deprive the loser of resources. Such selfish choices sabotage the organization. When gaining power, a leader’s proper response is to leverage it to serve the common good. Practically, this involves sharing power, staying attuned to minority points of view, and building consensus whenever possible. To the victor goes the tremendous responsibility to avoid the intoxication of power and to wield it for the benefit of all.
To speak of the troubles plaguing Iraq threatens to ignore the brave men and women working every day to secure, protect, and rebuild the country. It also threatens to obscure the sacrifice of millions of peace-loving, courageous Iraqis who aspire to a better future. Leadership Wired would like to thank the men and women who are risking their lives to bring stability to Iraq. LW also sends its fondest regards and best wishes to the Iraqi people during these difficult times.
Copyright 2006-2007 Orange-Rockland District,
GLNY F&AM. All rights reserved.
Next ORDMA Meeting