George O. Braatz, 33°
Grand Lodge of Ohio, P.O. Box 629, Worthington, Ohio 43085-0629
gbraatz@freemason.com

Ohio's recent one-day Class of more than 7,700 has proved to be an amazing shot in the arm for many Lodges, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the Shrine, and other Masonic organizations.

One innovative method the Grand Lodge of Ohio used to promote its recent one-day statewide Class was to place the above advertisement in movie theatres throughout the state. About 7 million persons saw the ad approximately two months before the one-day Class. The ad directed viewers to visit the Grand Lodge of Ohio's web site, which has the much-coveted address www.freemason.com. Hits on the web site rose dramatically after this advertising started.

In what may be one of the most extraordinary single-day developments in Masonic history, the Grand Lodge of Ohio raised more than 7,700 new Master Masons on one day, Saturday, April 27, 2002. Of course, the concept of a one-day Class is not universally accepted by Grand Lodges, and even those who have tried it, have done so in a variety of ways with varying results. Here is the Ohio story.

Many barriers and roadblocks were faced, but with the courage of our Grand Master, M.W. Brother Thomas E. Reynolds, 33°, a very strong leadership team, and hundreds of hard-working volunteers around the state, we broke through those barriers. While only a few weeks have passed since the one-day Class, the full impact of what we have experienced is settling in. But let's start with a little history.

The Grand Lodge of Ohio, for many years, was the largest jurisdiction of Masons in North America. We were proud to say that we were second in size only to the United Grand Lodge of England, which had members throughout the world. Ohio's membership peaked in 1959-1960 at about 281,000 Masons, and since then we have experienced 42 years of consecutive decline. Today, we have approximately 128,000 members. Over the years, we have tried many programs of membership development, membership attraction, and membership retention. But still, the total membership spiraled downward.

Approximately six years ago, efforts began in Ohio to have a one-day class. Legislation was prepared to change our Grand Lodge Code. It was defeated by the delegates. A couple years later, it was tried again; and again it was rejected. Finally, in October 2001, after significant debate between the pros and cons, the necessary two-thirds majority was achieved to allow our Grand Master to implement a one-day Class. The legislation, among other things, allowed the elimination of examinations for Candidates in the Class. A committee of Grand Lodge Officers, a few Past Grand Masters, and others immediately began planning.

The decision was made to go full speed with our first attempt at this. We set what was considered a very lofty goal-5,000 Candidates. We decided to have the one-day Class simultaneously at 10 Ohio cities on Saturday, April 27, 2002. The 10 cities were selected because they were the locations of the 10 Scottish Rite Valleys in Ohio, and the Scottish Rite experience of "Reunion" style initiation ceremonies proved to be very valuable.

Because we knew that a fairly strong minority of our members and delegates were not in favor of a one-day Class, we tried to plan the event as much as possible to simulate traditional Degree presentations. All Candidates were required to petition a Lodge, as usual, and all were to be investigated and balloted on in the normal manner. The Degrees were to be presented in their entirety and in an outstanding, impressive manner. Complete lectures, charges, and educational programs for each Degree were set. Tryouts were held in all locations so that an "all-star" team of Ritualists would be performing in each of the 10 locations.

More than 3,000 persons, including 1,700 Candidates, filled the Palace Theatre in downtown Columbus, Ohio, one of the 10 sites for Ohio's statewide one-day Class on April 27, 2002. Photo: Ill. Delbert L. Johnson, 33°

It was decided that each Candidate must have a Mentor beside him during the Degree work. Also, the Grand Lodge decided that it would present each Candidate a Bible (or proper Holy Book of his faith), a lambskin apron, and a small specially engraved Square and Compasses. Therefore, each Candidate would, with his Mentor's help, assume obligations on his own Bible, Square and Compasses. Each Candidate would receive and wear his own apron appropriately for each Degree, and each Candidate would participate in giving and receiving the various signs and grips. Each Candidate would be raised individually by his Mentor from his seat in the auditorium. The words for these various activities would be given by the Ritualist on the stage, but each Candidate would participate with the help of his Mentor.

The Grand Lodge developed a new set of lecture visuals instead of the traditional lecture slides for each Degree. This innovation used a DVD format and included video and movement on the visuals, not the traditional static pictures. This new process was first rolled out for the one-day Class and will be made available to all Lodges in the future.

As mentioned before, the Scottish Rite in Ohio proved to be an important partner in our one-day Class. Each of the 10 one-day sites took place at one of the Valleys, with the cost of the location completely borne by the Scottish Rite. The Valleys also volunteered to pay the cost of lunches for all Candidates. The Grand Lodge provided all other meals, without cost, to Mentors, Ritualists, or visitors. The Scottish Rite provided most administrative services, such as registration, site and meal preparation, and notifications to Candidates.

In turn, the Grand Master permitted the Scottish Rite to conduct a Valley Reunion at each site immediately following the Master Mason Degree. The Sovereign Grand Commander of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, Ill. Robert O. Ralston, 33°, an Ohio native, permitted Masons to become Scottish Rite members by viewing only the 32nd Degree that day. Through this cooperative effort, with 10 Valley Reunions held on the same day as the Grand Master's one-day Class, the Scottish Rite initiated more than 5,000 new members in Ohio that day, and the Grand Lodge raised more than 7,700!

In addition, several of the Shrine Temples in Ohio also performed "cold sands" Ceremonials that day, and they obtained more than 1,500 members. From the early days of planning, we also worked closely with the state leaders of our York Rite Bodies, and they gave us total support. The York Rite scheduled several all-Degree day Reunions around the state in the weeks after April 27 and experienced significant increases in Candidates attending. The support and promotion of all the related Masonic Bodies helped make our event so successful. All of Masonry in Ohio was mobilized in one direction. We look for all the related Masonic organizations, including Eastern Star, to feel substantial increases in membership during the next year.

One major push in our campaign was that the local Lodges should approach all the Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts, who had never completed their work, and to give them a chance to be in the one-day Class, without additional examinations or memorization. From its computer records, the Grand Lodge prepared lists of individuals in those categories by Lodge for the previous 10 years or more and sent them to each Lodge Secretary, with instructions that all of these men be contacted and given a chance to become Master Masons. It was the feeling that many had not completed their work because of the memory requirements. Follow-ups with the Lodge were made to make sure these men were contacted. This was a very significant part of Ohio's success. Although the figures are not complete, we believe that between one-fourth and one-third of the Candidates were existing EAs and FCs.

We also targeted family members living in other states. As Grand Secretary, my office sought more than 130 "Waivers of Jurisdiction" from other Grand Lodges. These were requested by our Lodges for individuals living in other states who wanted to join a Lodge in Ohio. In virtually all cases, these were sons, grandsons, brothers, or close relatives of Masons who wanted to join the home Lodge of their family members. We received much cooperation from other Grand Lodges, and about 100 such Candidates were in our one-day Class. I must observe, however, that five states refused our requests to grant such a residency waiver and that about 30 potential Candidates were not permitted to participate.

To provide a sense of the timing of the schedule, at each one-day Class location, registration took place from 6:15 am to 8 am; the EA Degree began at 8:30 am; the Fellowcraft Degree at 10:30 am; lunch at noon; the Master Mason Degree at 1:00 pm, and adjournment about 3:00 pm. The Scottish Rite work began about 4:00 pm.

In order to make the whole plan work well, several other "traditional" barriers had to be overcome. The Grand Master accomplished much of this with four edicts. They:

Communication was an essential part of our campaign. Ohio has about 570 Lodges, and at least six mailings of various packets or information and instructions were made to all Lodges. Also, our Internet site became a very valuable tool. Information on the one-day Class and how to become a part of it, including a generic petition, were on the site.

We placed an advertisement in movie theatres throughout the state, with the phrase "Practicing the principles that make our country great." This was seen by about 7 million persons approximately two months before the one-day Class, directing them to visit our web site, which has the much-coveted address www.freemason.com. Hits on our page rose dramatically after this advertising started.

We also distributed a news release to newspapers across the state. The lead read: "The statewide Masonic Fraternity, in an attempt to shrug off long-term trends in membership loss, has launched several new programs. For the first time in the 193-year history of the Ohio organization, new members may join on one day, rather than over a period of weeks or months. Also, Internet communications have been established to make members and others more aware of the Fraternity's history, goals, charities, and programs. The Fraternity's new web site is www.freemason.com." Our clipping service reported that the articles reached more than a half-million homes, and they also directed people to our web page.

The Beacon, our statewide publication which goes to all 128,000 members, introduced the one-day Class program in one issue, then followed up with another issue, developed solely to promote the one-day Class to our existing members. In it, we emphasized that this was the perfect opportunity for:

We could look at this one-day Class in strictly financial terms. The Grand Lodge spent a considerable amount of money to purchase Bibles, Aprons, Squares and Compasses, advertising, programs, meals, and other items related to this one-day Class, but we consider that an investment. There was no registration or meal cost for anyone who attended. Through initiation fees to Lodges, more than $900,000 was placed into the economy of Ohio Lodges because of the one-day Class, plus annual dues for many years to come.

The major conclusion is that there are many individuals waiting "out there" who really want to be Masons. Many of them are family members of existing Masons. Many are EAs and FCs, who never completed their work. We also concluded that the quality of our new initiates did not suffer one iota. We heard the challenges from some of our members who opposed the one-day Class idea. They challenged the expected quality of the new members. They referred to the potential new members as "McMasons," but there was no lack of quality in the class. Just the opposite proved to be true. We took in many men of outstanding quality and stature in their communities-elected officials, business executives, clergymen, young men, and older men. There were a number of mayors in the class. Several Candidates were 19 years old. One new Master Mason was 99. Warren G. Harding III, great nephew of the former President and Ohio Mason, was in the class. Most of the Candidates never joined before because of some obstacle we overcame in the one-day Class.

We concluded that time is precious and that the opportunity to experience all three Degrees on one day was particularly desirable. Also, it is very obvious that the elimination of having to learn examinations between Degrees was a very attractive incentive. We circulated a questionnaire to the Candidates, but we have not yet had a chance to analyze the results. One of the keys to our success, however, was a momentum that developed in our Lodges among the average Brethren. It was a grassroots revival. Like a snowball coming down a mountain, it grew, expanded, and developed into a huge, almost unstoppable force. For the first time in the lives of most Freemasons, the Grand Lodge had given them a solid reason to talk to their non-member friends. Their inhibitions about talking about their Fraternity and their reluctance to bring up Masonry in conversations with friends melted away. They now had something to talk about.

An excitement and enthusiasm, which I have never seen in Masonry, exploded at the local levels. Masons were working hard to let their family members and friends know of this great opportunity. The excitement also led to many new Candidates that wanted to join in the traditional manner. Conventional Degree work in many Lodges has already perked up and, we are sure, will expand markedly in the next several years.

The one-day Class has proved to be an amazing shot in the arm for many Lodges. About 550 of our 570 Lodges participated with at least one Candidate. A few larger Lodges added 50 to 80 new members at one time. Many Lodges experienced more Candidates than they have had in years. One small Lodge grew by about 50 percent on that one day.

The enthusiasm permeating the entire Grand Lodge is astounding. We do not know at this time if we will ever do this again or, if so, when or how. Each Grand Master has that decision to make. But the excitement created in this one day will cast a positive glow on our state for years to come.

Many of us approached this entire process with fear and trepidation, but by breaking many of the barriers that held us back, Ohio Masonry is now positioned for growth-growth in quantity, quality, activities, fraternal assistance, community service, and in that ancient power of fellowship among Brothers that unites us and has always made Freemasonry the great institution it is. We are looking to the future with great excitement!

Note: The above article was presented by Ill. Braatz at the Scottish Rite Leadership Conference held in New Orleans, La., on May 18, 2002.

George O. Braatz is a Past Grand Master and currently Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ohio. A native of Ohio, he spent more than 30 years in the Toledo area as a journalist and corporate and agency public relations executive before becoming Director of Program Development for the Grand Lodge of Ohio in 2000. He was elected Grand Secretary in 2001. Ill. Braatz received the 33° in 1980 at the age of 34. He is a Past Commander-in-Chief of Toledo Consistory and was Editor of the award-winning publication of the Valley of Toledo for more than 30 years. A Knight of the York Grand Cross of Honor and a Past Sovereign Grand Master of Grand Council, Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States of America, he was one of the initial members of the Masonic Renewal Task Force and currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Masonic Information Center of the Masonic Service Association.