The North Carolina Mason

July/August 2021 The North Carolina Mason Page 7 CATEGORY 5 AFFILIATED CONNECTIONS ÝÝÝÝ COMPLETE 4 OF 12 ITEMS CATEGORY 4 MASONIC MEMBERSHIP ÝÝÝÝÝ COMPLETE #1 AND FOUR OF REMAINING 14 ITEMS 1. Contact no less than 50% of your inactive members, a minimum of once per year, either by voice contact via phone (voice messages do not count) or an in person visit. Provide a list of names and dates when contacted. [An inactive member for this purpose is any member who has not attended a meeting within a twelve-month period.] 2. An appreciation dinner for lodge families and widows. 3. Identify and contact widows, by phone or visitation, at least two (2) times prior to June 30, 2022. Provide any assistance they may need and record the nature and outcome of the outreach. *See calling tree sample or contact Lion and Pillar Team* 4. Grow the Masonic family by having at least one lodge member join the York Rite, Scottish Rite, Shrine, Order of the Eastern Star or Amaranth, or contribute to the formation of, or support for existing DeMolay or Rainbow Girls organizations in your lodge or district. 5. Have your Lodge Secretary validate full use of the Grand Lodge approved database: currently MORI. *Counts as Three Credits* 6. Confirm valid email addresses, phone numbers, and occupation information in MORI for at least 75 percent of lodge members. 7. Adopt and use the Our Lodge Page function in MORI. Hold a Masonic education program to explain OLP to members. 8. Help plan and participate in a district-wide event such as a fundraiser for Masonic charities, a Masonic education event (not including a School of Instruction, Lecture Service or Grand Master district meeting), a district-wide degree, a district-wide funeral service, a district- wide fellowship dinner with Masonic education speaker, or a district-wide community service project. 9. Engage new brethren at the lodge or district level. Form an Under 5-degree team consisting of Masons with less than five years in the craft or require new members to deliver papers or Masonic education programs within three months of raising. 10. Plan an observance of the Feast of St. John the Baptist on or near June 23 as a lodge or a district, with a meal and Masonic speaker. Submit your event announcement, flyer, or other advance event publicity to qualify. 11. Host a member of the Grand Lodge Masonic Renewal Committee for a program. 12. Implement an "innovative" use of technology in the lodge. For purposes of the Lion & Pillar award, "innovative" is defined as utilizing any form of technology that is not presently in use in the lodge. For example, if a lodge does not currently use a laptop and projector for presentations in the lodge, adding and using those items will constitute an "innovative" use of technology, since it will be new to the lodge. 13. Attempt to contact all "unfinished work" from the prior 3 years, determine why they have not continued, and report findings as part of the final application materials for the Lion & Pillar award. 14. Attend a Masonic and/or Eastern Star function at Camp Gray Rock. 15. Host a member from the Lion and Pillar Team for a program at you lodge. 1. Host an appreciation meal for local firefighters, police officers, and/or rescue personnel/EMT's as a district or lodge. 2. Hold a lodge Open House and invite the community. 3. Contribute a minimum of $5 per member to support a charitable cause in your local community. 4. Participate in a Habitat for Humanity program in your community by providing labor to support one of their projects. Donations only do not count towards this item. 5. Partner with a local public school on literacy. Read to students, contribute to a school library or book drive, or establish a Bikes for Books-type reading reward program as a lodge or district (www.masoniccharitablefoundation. org/programs/Masonic-bikes- books/). 6. Utilize the MHCO Print Shop for printing requirements in your lodge or a District event coordinated by your lodge. 7. Sponsor a Blood drive in your community. 8. Sponsor a cooking team for the MHCO Homecoming Festival or the Masonic Carolina Pig Jig ( www.carolinapigjig.com ) 9. Sponsor a youth organization (Little League, Soccer, Volleyball, etc.) in your community. 10. Support a School Project, "Stuff the Bus", "Backpack Program for summer food support to the needy" or other similar programs. 11. Present a scholarship to a High School or College Student as a lodge or part of a district effort. If this is done through NCMF, automatic credit is given here. 12. Be creative. Request approval for your idea in this category from the Lion and Pillar Team. To apply, submit the official application or write a letter of application listing the items your lodge chose to complete. Provide details about your lodge's performance on or plans for completing each selected item. Send your applications to Info@lionandpillarnc.org Recipients will be notified by Aug. 1, 2022, and will be recognized during the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge. PLATINUM LEVEL To earn the Platinum award, you must complete one of the five choices below, after first qualifying for the Lion and Pillar Grand Master's Lodge of Excellence Award on the prior page. The application deadline is June 30, 2022. 1. Starting July 1, 2021, and prior to June 30th, 2022, a member or the installed senior deacon gives his first-ever Fellow Craft Degree lecture. This can be accomplished in his own lodge (preferable) or at another lodge within his district if his lodge experiences no such degree work during the qualifying period or by documentation with the District Deputy Grand Lecturer. 2. Starting July 1, 2021, and prior to June 30th, 2022, a member of your lodge conducts his first-ever Masonic graveside or memorial funeral service. This also can be accomplished in his own lodge or at another lodge within his district if his lodge experiences no such requests during the qualifying period or by documen- tation with the District Deputy Grand Lecturer. 3. Starting July 1, 2021, and prior to June 30th, 2022 confirm 5% of all current lodge members are signed up for a recurring monthly gift to MHCO (https://my.simplegive.com/App/Giving/mhco) or MESH LLC (https://www. liveatwhitestone.org/donate/). Note that recurring gifts DO also count toward Category 3, Item 1. 4. Starting July 1, 2021, and prior to June 30th, 2022, participate, as a lodge, in a public ceremony, which brings Freemasonry to the public view and attention. Examples include public cornerstone laying, public building dedication, etc. Past events that would count toward this item include the 2015 rededication of NC capitol building, the 2016 Vance Memorial rededication, the 2017 rededication of Raleigh Presbyterian Church, Halifax Day, or Masonic Unity Events that are public and approved by the Lion and Pillar Team. 5. A member of your lodge becomes a Certified Instructor or Lecturer, is recertified, or receives a 10-, 25-, or 50-year recognition for certification. NEW level! Pounce on this new level of the Lion and Pillar Award: The Grand Master Lodge of Excellence Award. To achieve this level your lodge must com- plete the required items in categories 1-5, plus one extra in each category. And you must accomplish goals announced by the incoming Grand Master at the 2021 Annual Communication. s

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