The brethren of San Diego Lodge No. 35, with the support of their families and friends, conduct business and do the work of our Fraternity. We engage in fellowship, learning, teaching, and the emulation, practice, and continuation of Masonic principles.
We embrace brothers of all degrees, nourish the progress of Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts, and contribute to the Masonic journey of all Masons. We recognize our families and friends for their importance to and participation in our lives. We value the legacies left by our brothers passed and their honored ladies.
Chartered in 1853, we respect tradition and cultivate the future by encouraging the growth of new Masons. We proudly carry on a rich history of Masonic and community leadership. Masonry is our way of life.
San Diego Lodge No. 35's Vision Statement embodies the following prioritized concepts:
- Engage in learning and teaching
- Encourage the growth of new Masons
- Value our history and legacy
- Encourage degree advancement
- Engage in fellowship
- Recognize our Honored Ladies
- Provide community leadership
- Do the work (Masonic)
- Embrace Masons of all degrees
- Conduct business (Administrative)
- Recognize families and friends
The Strategic Plan of San Diego Lodge No. 35 F. & A. M. is a high-level, long-range strategy that represents our lodge's vision, goals, and tasks. It is intended to be a living document that is revisited and revised whenever deemed appropriate. In order to define his year in the East, each incoming Master will develop a more specific, short-term strategic plan for that twelve-month period composed of objectives that are achievable within the year and aligned to this plan. We believe that this procedure will facilitate and guarantee our lodge's steady growth and development as well as constitute continuity from one year to the next. Related to each of the concepts above are the following sets of goals and associated tasks selected to accomplish those goals.
NOTE: "Long-term" is defined as requiring more than a year to accomplish and "short-term" as requiring twelve months or less.
Goal
Establish a series of educational forums which encourage members to pass their knowledge and insight to others that they may help stimulate interest in masonry, involvement in the lodge, and clarity of Masonic knowledge for the general improvement of the lodge in the areas of socialization within the lodge and the lodge's
communications with the community, attrition from newer members, and Masonic knowledge of the lodge's members as a whole.
Tasks
- Long-Term
- Develop educational ties with local lodges to expand the breadth of educators and those who wish to be educated.
- Compile the lodge's educational lectures for yearly publication to active members.
- Locate important San Diego Lodge No. 35 historical documents and electronically index them for the purpose of preservation and dissemination.
- Create and or gather together a San Diego Lodge No. 35 collection of historical objects and their history for display.
- Consider yearly or quarterly community education sessions similar to those of the York and Scottish Rites.
- Short-term
- Establish regular educational sessions for Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts to stimulate involvement.
- Continue the "Five minute talks" in stated meetings.
- Include a Masonic education piece in each Trestleboard.
- Hold special meetings to feature guest lecturers.
Goal
Create a class for the Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts once a month or once a quarter to show them the workings of the lodge (e.g., how to carry the rod, where not to walk when the lodge is open).
Tasks
- Long-Term
- Schedule "special meetings" for the Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts to provide coaching other than Ritual (e.g., Masonic history, workings of the lodge, etc.).
Goal
Capture and record the information possessed by veteran lodge members and contained within lodge archives and other historical resources, as a means of identifying, preserving, and, ultimately, perpetuating data relevant to the lodge's history and its legacy.
Tasks
- Long-term
- Prepare a chronology of lodge history and significant events.
- Document and communicate lodge history in publications and lessons understandable to the lay consumer.
- Routinely incorporate lodge history into educational sessions, i.e.:
- Pre-initiation discussions
- Progression through degrees
- Stated meetings
- Masonic Formation
- Short-term
- Designate a corps group of lodge members to define the mission and to devise investigative methodology to capture relevant information.
Goal
Provide frequent communication, education, and guidance to new members of the Craft by assisting them through the degrees.
Tasks
- Long-Term
- In conjunction with a Candidate Coaching staff, develop a program, administered by the officers and reviewed and evaluated by the Master, which assists candidates and monitors their progress through the Degrees.
- Short-term
- Develop and appoint to a committee a cadre of lodge members whose responsibility it is to mentor new members by providing guidance and Masonic education. The committee should be small and comprised of dedicated members. Each committee member would guide the candidate through each degree, direct them toward Masonic education, and would attend all lodge meetings with the candidate(s).
- Schedule "special meetings" for Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts that provide guidance in coaching, Masonic education, and Masonic history.
Goal
Provide opportunities for fellowship in which all members of the lodge can participate and encourage true equality among members.
Tasks
- Short-term
- Provide social events which serve as opportunities for fun and fellowship.
- Have officers and members visit other lodges as frequently as possible.
Goal
Recognizing our obligations and
the contributions to the lodge of brothers passed, faithfully honor
aid, assist
and protect our Honored Ladies.
Tasks
- Long-term
- Maintain consistent contact with
our Honored Ladies and
regularly coordinate and provide assistance to them whenever they are
in need.
- Short-term
- Form a working group, including
veterans and the newly
initiated, that will aid and serve our Honored Ladies in various tasks,
e.g.:
- Coordinating
family assistance
- Transportation to
events
- Transportation
and assistance with medical appointments
- Groceries
- Household
assistance
- Masonic
assistance
Goal
Foster a
sense of responsibility in the lodge to find ways to improve the
quality of
life for those in their communities and to serve the public interest.
Tasks
- Long-term
- Have members of
San Diego Lodge No. 35 fill positions of leadership not only on lodge
committees,
but in positions of leadership directly in the community.
- Short-term
- Set up a Service Committee to
research projects that
would best fit the lodge’s principles. The committee should
oversee all the lodge’s
service projects from start to finish, either directly or through
sub-committees, and would be responsible for motivating members.
Goal
Increase member involvement in
ritual and in Masonic concern for each other and our families.
Tasks
- Short-term
- Hold specific classes for
applicants, Entered Apprentices,
Fellow Crafts, and Master Masons.
- Form an Education Committee.
- Establish a mentoring program.
- Increase participation in providing
entertainment
events.
- Re-establish contact with inactive
members.
Goal
Develop a team of coaches who
are willing to educate candidates in the meaning of what they have
experienced
in the preceding degree(s) and to assist in preparing the candidates in
their
work, allowing them to advance with more insight into freemasonry and,
thereby,
piquing their interest and involvement in the lodge.
Tasks
- Long-term
- Provide an adequate number of
participants for the
coaching of candidates so as to allow any candidate to learn as much as
they
desire about Freemasonry to fulfill their Masonic journey.
- Develop a training program that
would assist any
teaching the coaches as well the candidates.
- Short-term
- Determine what the candidates are
looking for when
entering into Freemasonry and develop a plan to fulfill their need.
- Enlist volunteers who will be
willing to assist in
coaching candidates as well helping put together a group of coaches.
Goals
Increase opportunities for family
and friends to
interact with the lodge and its members. Demonstrate our support in keeping strong
relationships with family and
friends.
Tasks
- Long-term
- Conduct annual events in which
family and friends can
participate while trying to avoid limiting them to one specific
demographic. Or
if necessary, have various events that interest different groups.
Possibly
coordinate with other lodges to setup and large scale event or just to
join
together for fun and entertainment.
- Short-
term
- Hold cookouts and BBQ celebrations,
poker nights with
prizes, potlucks, and sporting events (pro or amateur); i.e., event in
which
everyone can participate.
Goal
Maintain accurate and
up-to-date lodge records, provide incentives for the on-time payment of
dues,
and keep friends and families informed through mass media or mailings.
Tasks
- Long-term
- In accordance with the CMC, keep
accurate accounts of
meeting minutes, funds, membership history, and respond to all Grand
Lodge
inquiries in a timely manner.
- Track records and payment of dues
through both
I-Member and ledger cards and issue receipts.
- Verify petitions for membership,
arrange for
investigations, and promptly communicate with applicants regarding the
status of their petitions.
- Provide all quarterly, semi-annual
and annual tax
reports to Federal and State authorities as required.
- Coordinate with building management
(Scottish Rite
Center) and catering for room reservations and dining as required for
lodge
events and collect all related monies.
- Respond to public inquiries
regarding Masonry and
activities at the Scottish Rite Center.
