Did anyone happen to notice where the first half of summer went? It seems like I blinked and it was gone, but I'm looking forward to enjoying a little bit of it at Jerusalem Temple's trip to the Renegades game tomorrow night. It looks like we have a full crew attending so I'm looking forward to seeing many of you there. Before that, however, is the Fellowcraft Degree at Port Jervis Lodge this evening and we wish them the best of luck. ORDMA will meet on Monday (not Tuesday as I mistakenly wrote last week), and discussions will be held regarding our participation at Masonic Family Day at Tappan, which will be held on Sunday September 16th. Support from our District is needed for both this event and Masonic Family Day at West Point on Saturday September 29th. We hope to see you at this important meeting.
By now, our Lodges should be finishing up their 2-5-7-10 Year Forecast projects. If you are a Lodge Secretary, Treasurer, or Trustee and you have NOT been involved in this, someone has dropped the ball and I urge you to get in contact with your Master and Wardens immediately. We will be discussing the results at our next Masters and Wardens meeting on Monday August 13th at Jerusalem Temple Lodge. We can't stress enough the importance of this initiative and the participation of all of our Lodges. Not to be overly dramatic, but the very future of your Lodges may be affected by the results of this project. Not sure what it is? Ask your officers!
Well, that's it for now, I need to get back to work. See you next week!
DISTRICT NEWS
Masters and Wardens Meeting
The Masters and Wardens will meet at Jerusalem Temple Lodge on Monday
August 13th 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, Wardens, Deacons, and other officers in your line attend this meeting
because we will be reviewing and discussing the results of the 2/5/10 year forecasting
initiative and offering additional assistance. Please remember that 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 other 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!
Masters and Wardens Meeting
The Masters and Wardens will meet at Jerusalem Temple Lodge on Monday
August 13th 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, Wardens, Deacons, and other officers in your line attend this meeting
because we will be reviewing and discussing the results of the 2/5/10 year forecasting
initiative and offering additional assistance. Please remember that 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 other 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!
Masonic Family Day at West Point Tickets are still available for Masonic Family Day at West Point, which will be held on Saturday September 29th on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy. The highlight of the day is, of course, will be watching the Army's Black Knight football team beat on the visitors from Temple University, but there's so much more! OUR day will begin with a continental breakfast under our huge tent with tables and chairs for everyone overlooking the scenic Hudson River. Then it's off to the Grand Lodge wreath laying ceremony and the parade of cadets on the Plain before we return to the tend for lunch. As always, you are encouraged to bring a tailgate lunch or you can purchase tickets ($8 in advance) for the chicken barbecue prepared by our own Bro. Tom Jones before heading up to the game. Tickets for the complete day with the game are $31 each. For those who do not wish to attend the game but want to enjoy all of the other activities, including breakfast and the children's activities, site passes are available for $10 each. Additionally, parking is VERY limited and parking passes are required. These are $5 each and carpooling is requested as we have a very limited number of passes available. To purchase tickets, or for more information, please contact RW Hank Stoveland..
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.
ORDMA NEWS
Next ORDMA Meeting
The next meeting of the Orange-Rockland District Masonic Association
(ORDMA) will be held on Monday July 30th at West Point Lodge. Please note that this is
a fifth Monday. 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!
2007-2008 Calendars ORDMA is collecting dates for next year's District Pocket Calendar, which will be available in early Fall 2007. 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 submit events for inclusion in the calendar, please 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 December 12th, 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 is on 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.
LEADERSHIP ESSENTIALS
Don't Re-Write History by Adam Lieberman
In this week's Torah portion, Moses tells the Jewish people of additional details of events that occurred since they left Egypt. He goes into the disastrous episode of agreeing to let spies go into the Land of Israel, and says that initially:
"The idea was good in my eyes..." (Deuteronomy 1:23)
The mission of the spies was clearly one of the most devastating events in Jewish history. It was the very act that caused the Jews to wander in the desert for 40 years and resulted in many of them never being able to enter the Land of Israel.
Even though the spies' mission was so catastrophic, Moses still had the courage to say "the idea was good in my eyes."
How many times have you seen people back-track on something they said if events prove their position wrong? It seems that when people say something and then it doesn't work out as well as they or others had hoped, they'll quickly re-write history by changing the words they said, the ideas they vividly expressed, or views they had just passionately given. But Moses, being the great person and leader that he was, said to everyone that "the idea was good in my eyes."
This is rarely how leaders or people act today. All too often, heads of corporations, governments, or households back away from their previous words if the results turn out differently than they had believed. This isn't leadership. Leadership is about being honest and having the trust of those who believe in and follow you. Do these leaders really believe that people have that short a memory? The answer is: they really don't care.
They don't care because the real reason why people choose to re-write history is because of their own lack of self-esteem. Like most people, they don't want to look foolish - and they believe that admitting they made a mistake makes them look foolish. It doesn't. Ironically, it shows you to be a man or woman of conviction who isn't afraid to stand up when you make a mistake. Doing this isn't a knock to your self-esteem; in fact it's actually a huge boost to it. This is because taking responsibility will always make you feel great. Not doing so makes you a fraud.
The higher our self-esteem, they more readily we will be to admit our mistakes made because we don't see poor decisions as a reflection of our own self-worth. We hold ourselves in high self-esteem and know that any mistake we make can never damage that. Since people always learn and grow from their mistakes, we can actually GAIN self-esteem if we err because we know it will only make us BETTER people in the end.
People with low esteem, however, fear how people view them if they admit to making a mistake. So instead of owning up to it, like politicians, they chose to re-create the events of the past to be viewed in the best possible light. But again, ironically, your self- image actually gets stronger when you admit you made a mistake.
So, the next time you do or say something that turns out to be the wrong position to have taken, make a statement about who you are. Boldly announce that while initially "the idea was good in my eyes," based upon new information you now see things differently. You will not only gain the credibility, trust, and admiration of others, but you will also gain enormous self-esteem in the process.
Author Biography: Adam Lieberman is a business consultant and who advises executives and companies across a spectrum of industries. He also runs a non- profit foundation which helps Jews of all backgrounds to see the beauty and relevance of their heritage. The insights he receives from the weekly Torah portion enable him to live a happy, meaningful, and balanced life. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.
HELP WANTED
Master Mason Degree Assistance Needed Jerusalem Temple Lodge requires assistance with a Master Mason Degree on Saturday August 11th. Speaking and non-speaking roles are available. The degree will begin at 9:00 a.m. with breakfast preceding it at 8:00 a.m. If you can assist, please contact R:.W:. Joe Leo.
Copyright 2006-2007 Orange-Rockland District,
GLNY F&AM. All rights reserved.
Next ORDMA Meeting