Universe

Hi,
I live in Rural PA, and my closest chapter is 35 miles away (Greensburg). I've called the PA DeMolay and they said that they'd send me info about membership for people not near a chapter (The papers have not arrived yet).

But I was wondering if anybody had any advice on starting a chapter, as I really want to. I know I need some members (I have some friends whp say they'll join if I can help them join), and I know I need an adult and be sponsored by the local Blue Lodge, what else do I need?

Thanks guys,
Zak..

Zak,

Westmoreland Chapter is 3.9 miles away from Greensburg PA.

To contact Westmoreland Chapter click here;

http://www.pademolay.org/resource/pdf/brochures/westmoreland.pdf

To download an application for Westmoreland Chapter click here;

http://www.pademolay.org/resource/pdf/applications/westmoreland.pdf

quote:

Originally posted by Keystone:
Zak,

Westmoreland Chapter is 3.9 miles away from Greensburg PA.

To contact Westmoreland Chapter click here;

http://www.pademolay.org/resource/pdf/brochures/westmoreland.pdf

To download an application for Westmoreland Chapter click here;

http://www.pademolay.org/resource/pdf/applications/westmoreland.pdf

Thank you for that, but you see, I am not in Greensburg, I am in Somerset County, which is far from the Westmoreland chapter in Greensburg, which is my dilemma.

Zak,

To address the question of starting a new chapter.

Yes you will need a Masonic Lodge to sponsor. Yes you will need members. To formally institute a new chapter you will need 15 members. You will also need an adult advisory coucil. Your looking at atleast 10 adults.

Your best course of action might very well be to join Westmoreland Chapter now with an eye on growth that will allow you to later form a new chapter. This will "get you in now not later" and will also afford you the opportunity to learn and gain experience now and not later.

Starting a new chapter requires a lot of time and effort. There is lot to learn. Many mistakes will be made as you learn what works and what does not. There is no substitute for experience.

Is there a Masonic Lodge in Somerset County, PA, or perhaps closer than Greensburg, PA? If so, then you can always approach the Masons at a Lodge about sponsoring and starting a Chapter!

My chapter started that way! Simply one day back in 1985 a group of the Masons at the lodge got together and talked about bringing a DeMolay Chapter to Jupiter, FL, and in April 1986 the first group of guys was initiated!

So, look around close to home, and see if there is a Masonic Lodge near you that might be interested in sponsoring a chapter. Then once you have identified the Lodge, try to schedule a date with the E.O. and the State Master Councilor and perhaps someone that knows the Ceremony of Light, and present DeMolay to the Lodge for consideration. Who knows, perhaps you might even get the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons to attend!

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin Gailfoil:
Is there a Masonic Lodge in Somerset County, PA, or perhaps closer than Greensburg, PA? If so, then you can always approach the Masons at a Lodge about sponsoring and starting a Chapter!

My chapter started that way! Simply one day back in 1985 a group of the Masons at the lodge got together and talked about bringing a DeMolay Chapter to Jupiter, FL, and in April 1986 the first group of guys was initiated!

So, look around close to home, and see if there is a Masonic Lodge near you that might be interested in sponsoring a chapter. Then once you have identified the Lodge, try to schedule a date with the E.O. and the State Master Councilor and perhaps someone that knows the Ceremony of Light, and present DeMolay to the Lodge for consideration. Who knows, perhaps you might even get the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons to attend!

Hmm, thanks for the advice, I know we have a blue lodge here (I forget the number).
I also learned yesterday that we used to have a DeMolay here, but it went away after some years.

My major problem with getting a local chapter founded would not be members, but adult advisers.

Masons can be advisers though? Because I know the local school board member is some rather high rank at the Grand Lodge of PA and probably would be good for influencing the local Blue Lodge to sponsor a chapter.

Typically all of your Dad Advisors will be Masons, but I they do not have to be! There are Mom Advisors as well.

Come to think of it...now that I am remembering back, my Lodge had a chapter decades before my chapter started in 1986. It was...Sunrise Chapter, and my chapter is now called Jupiter-Tequesta.

That is great that there is a Blue Lodge near you!! Try to go to the Lodge on a meeting night, and bring tons of questions for them? Ask about the previous chapter, its sucesses and failures, ask about their interest in rechartering a chapter, start asking your friends, and get them to ask their friends, and their friends, and so on. If you can at least get the minimum of 15 young men. That would be great.

If you get me the name of the Owrshipful Master of the Lodge (send by Private Message) and the Lodge Address, I will gladly send him a letter as a Brother Mason, asking him to support the rechartering of a DeMolay Chapter in his lodge.

Slayback,
You should work with the PA DeMolay Office. They are more than willing and able to help you get started in DeMolay.

You may contact either Tom Labagh or Dave Berry
at
1244 Bainbridge Road
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
717-367-1536
dewberry@prodigy.net
eo@pademolay.org

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin Gailfoil:
Typically all of your Dad Advisors will be Masons, but I they do not have to be! There are Mom Advisors as well.

Come to think of it...now that I am remembering back, my Lodge had a chapter decades before my chapter started in 1986. It was...Sunrise Chapter, and my chapter is now called Jupiter-Tequesta.

That is great that there is a Blue Lodge near you!! Try to go to the Lodge on a meeting night, and bring tons of questions for them? Ask about the previous chapter, its sucesses and failures, ask about their interest in rechartering a chapter, start asking your friends, and get them to ask their friends, and their friends, and so on. If you can at least get the minimum of 15 young men. That would be great.

If you get me the name of the Owrshipful Master of the Lodge (send by Private Message) and the Lodge Address, I will gladly send him a letter as a Brother Mason, asking him to support the rechartering of a DeMolay Chapter in his lodge.

Thanks for all of your help.

Give me a few days or so and I might be able to figure out the Worshipful Master's name.

quote:

Slayback,
You should work with the PA DeMolay Office. They are more than willing and able to help you get started in DeMolay.

You may contact either Tom Labagh or Dave Berry
at
1244 Bainbridge Road
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
717-367-1536
dewberry@prodigy.net
eo@pademolay.org

Nick Walker
Field Representative
DeMolay International
1-800-DeMolay

Thank you, but actually, I already contacted both of those gentlemen, both were very helpful.

I want to thank everybody here for their help.

I just recieved my info in the mail from Mr. Labagh, and I am looking at it right now.

No worries!

I am happy to say that I have been conferred of the initiatory degree and the DeMolay degree.

I was obligated at the Westmorland Chapter's membership drive dance night (the date is not coming to me off the top of my head), and I witnessed the DeMolay degree at the Rose Croix Masonic Center in Pittsburgh, PA during the Rose Croix Class.

I have to say, I am already very happy for my choice, I just wanted to know though, if anybody on here has any advice for me to get more involved in DeMolay? I am filling out my rough draft of my RD right now, but I need more! I have a crave to do more for DeMolay!

my new brother slayback, your enthusiasm for our great fraternal brotherhood is overwhelmingly similar to mine, whereas college got in the way for a while so my suggestion is laern your ritual parts, practice them with your parents, by yourself in front of the mirror, just not in your sleep out loud LOL.get involved in the community stay active in your religous shrine of faith (church, synagauge, e.t.c) and that's where you can recruit a loy of new demolay's, star working on merit bars, and when you turn 18 and graduate high school go on to knighthood and then don't drop demolay because of school and don't drop college because of demolay, learn time managment. and if your lucky you might get to dance with a couple of thousand rainbow girls/jobies before you turn 21 for your majority. now here i sit 3 months away from hitting majority, been in demolay 8 years 8 months so far andc having still learning things from demolay's 2 degrees, i am about to petition my local lodge for another 3 degrees and then the scottish rite has 29, york has 10-12 plus eastern star plus theres the shrine, grotto, amaranth, e.t.c you get my point, so as you are just begining your journey in the east i am ending mine there and starting in the south. listen to your chapter advisors. remember you have two ears to use before moving one tongue if you know what i mean.