The Members Pathway and a new found enthusiasm for success Part 1

Part 1 of this three part series and the hard questions of "where did it all go horribly wrong"

A Pathway Trilogy showcasing how Rainham Lodge No. 3079 turned a huge corner to reignite their passions and start the journey back to a vibrant new future.

Part 1: Why is it all going horribly wrong?

Rainham Lodge, the same as many lodges within the Province, was hit pretty hard by the onslaught of Covid-19 and that was compounded even further by seeing some members move to different parts of the country. A once thriving lodge was staring down the barrel of an exhausted first contact list of friends and relative opportunities to bring in new membership.

A difficult and frankly hard assessment of how their usual way of sustaining themselves either needed to take place or, like some other lodges before them in a similar situation, risk withering on the vine.

One of the opportunities discussed was to engage with the Provincial Membership Team and the Members Pathway. This had been initially launched in 2017 but the understanding at the time was that it wasn’t anything that would be able to assist them with. There was a lack of confidence in the Members Pathway as part of the Lodge’s overall strategy for going forwards so it was initially discarded from their thoughts. Speaking to other lodges there seemed to be a similar view at the time.

What the Lodge didn’t realise, was that the Membership Pathway itself was undergoing change too.

An opportunity presented itself for one of our Past Masters, Tony Adams, to represent the Lodge at an update conference on all things to do with the Membership Team and the Members Pathway.

What Tony discovered was that things had changed in a very positive way. A new Membership Team structure and a focus on guiding lodges in how they can look to self-sustain themselves was a key update. Not only would the Members Pathway process involve any Direct Applicants that contact the Province independently but there was more information about Group Membership Officers being assigned across the Province as an extended support arm to all lodges.

An excited Tony returned to the Lodge to give a full briefing update. This was initially not met with confidence, given the Lodge’s previous understanding of the Members Pathway. However, Tony persisted and, as he explained the potential, that message started to listened to by members of the Lodge. Slowly and surely, there was a real consideration to see what it was now all about.

A chance meeting at Freemasons Hall in Great Queen Street, with Rainham Lodge’s Charity Steward, Karl Griffin with some other lodge members who meet at the same centre, revealed that they had just engaged with the Membership Pathway and not only did that assist them in looking at how they sustain themselves in a practical way, but their submission of a Lodge Profile had resulted in them being matched against Direct Applicants that were looking to start their new Masonic journey in the area.

That was a hitting-home moment for members of Rainham Lodge. Perhaps this updated Membership Pathway was something that they should take seriously after all. ‘How best can we re-engage with the Membership Team and the Membership Pathway’ was now the forefront of their thinking. Also, what was this Lodge Profile all about? What happened next, changed their path in a hugely positive way.

Find out more in Part 2 of the Pathway Trilogy: The journey of discovery and a new view of the Members Pathway.

Photos:

Top: Members of Rainham Lodge No. 3079

Middle-Left: W. Bro Tony Adams

Bottom-right: W. Bro Karl Griffin