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Lodge Room Too Big?
Time To Get Creative

Walt Clapp, Grand Secretary
Grand Lodge North Carolina

Utilizing a smaller space within
the exisiting structure can help
overcome empty-room blues
Brethren, size matters. Across
our state we have built hundreds
of Masonic lodges and temples — C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, MT, has been awarded a
$1,200.00 grant for a membership fee and purchases with the Montana
large and small — and we pride School Library Shared Digital Collection. is will allow students to
ourselves on that fact. Lodges and temples serve as read enhanced non- ction material with interactive content, foster
our Masonic homes and clubhouses. love of reading, provide judgement-free titles to read at whatever level
book interests them, support text-to-speech, etc.
They are a place to gather, renew friendships, and Tracy Bratcher Great Falls District O cer represented the Montana
share experiences. For the public, our lodges (especially Masonic Foundation and presented the check and Noel Osterman in
the library Media Center.
our larger temples) are an outward expression of who
and what the fraternity is—or what people perceive it
to be.

We’ve talked before about the importance of keeping More MMF public school grants hard at work. Public schools
our lodges looking good and in good shape, not just have long been a staple of Masonic life in Montana, but also
around the USA.
for the public’s eye, but for our own psychological
wellbeing. This translates into the functionality of our
lodges, too.

Lately, we’ve been fi elding calls from lodges
concerned about the proper use of their lodge building’s
space. More often than not, it turns out the massive
lodge rooms we constructed in the middle of the 20th
century are much too large for our current needs.
Let’s look at why we built such large rooms. Diff erent
generations interpreted and used Freemasonry in
diff erent ways. The generation that fought in World
War II came home from that confl ict desiring a
camaraderie among their friends reminiscent of the
relationships they had in the service.

Freemasonry was just one of many outlets for the
redevelopment of those relationships. Popular civic
and service clubs served a similar function and also Two separate grants were awarded to Evergreen Junior High School
in Kalispell, MT: for Casio SA-78 keyboards for “modern band”
exploded in size. ensemble music classes, and also for Sphero Bolt robots for check
out in the library to enhance coding, makerspace, math, science,
It was in this era where the mentality of “bigger is and more.
better” developed. Le to Right: Dan Bourne of Trinity Lodge #152, music teacher
Kurt Weber, school Principal Kim Anderson, computer tech teacher
But Freemasonry’s functional requirements are a Cynthia orsen, John Heston Glacier District O cer presenting
little diff erent than mere civic clubs. Freemasonry’s on behalf of the Montana Masonic Foundation.

Montana Freemason Page 7 April/May 2020 Volume 96 No.3