Chicken Dinners and Fish Fry's
by Joyce Reaves (Louisiana)
Greetings, I am Sister Joyce Reaves, a member
of the OES PHA. I am online quite abit and a member of several email
groups. I talk with Brothers and Sisters from every part of the globe,
of many different affiliations. I hear quite a lot of concerns about
membership, fund raising and basically, the life of the Craft.
Before coming into the Order, the connection to OES and Masons was
very blurred to me, I thought that the Eastern Stars were more Church
Ushers and Matrons. One thing I can say though is that I held Eastern
Stars in very high regard because of their influence in the Church.
All I had were the memories from my childhood in seeing my Grandmother
who was also a member of the OES and the Church Usher Board. The two
were the same in my mind. As I grew up, I forgot all about the OES.
The only time I thought of Masons, which was hardly ever, was through
anti-Masonic literature or other peoples views that I believed, due to
a lack of knowledge of my own. Had I not met a Mason, I would not have
really known OES existed, I thought it had gone by the wayside years
ago and had actually not thought of it in years. As for Masons, I
thought they were devil worshipers.
As you see, I didn't know much, didn't have a clue, but I am not the
only one. There are STILL people out there that *don't have a clue*.
Much of society today doesn't know what a Mason IS let alone an
Eastern Star, *I can only speak of what I see, my own perception* We
aren't really seen in the public eye very much, we've really kind of
become the secret that "they" say we are. That is why I
think we should spend more time in the public eye and should submit to
newspapers and even invite the local TV stations to our events. I am
not saying that there are not some that do that, there are�but far
too many that are not. We SAY we are not a secret organization, but
often times we don't ACT like we believe that ourselves. What message
are we sending to the community?
When I became a member of the OES, I had no idea it was such a social
and leisure club that (on occasion) did charitable works. *smile*
Although we SAY its for charity,�do we ACT like it? I find that we
spend quite a bit of time and money on small suppers and bus rides to
pay for larger suppers and more bus rides, to afford ourselves the
opportunity to attend grander and more elaborate Banquets and Bus
Rides. More time and effort seems to be spent in fund raising for
IN-pouring than in OUT-pouring into the community. Often times, the
ticket selling and bus rides from one house to another house within
the same Fraternity only passes the dollar from one hand to the other
IN-side, but very little of it goes out into the community. We then
wonder about our membership and our standing in the community.
Masonry and OES, I believe are in the heart. We can and should always
help others on an individual basis and I'm sure many of us are doing
just that, but I also believe that we need to take a look at all these
fish fry/chicken dinner/bus rides to bring money into the Chapters to
have grander Banquets and more fish fry/chicken dinner/bus rides. How
much of that actually goes to the community? And why is it always done
silently? I understand being humble, but how do people know we are
doing anything if we don't show them? If we attend more public forums
wouldn't that put us more in the public eye where they can maybe SEE
that we exist and WHAT we do. I am not talking about Promotion, I am
talking about ATTRACTION. How can someone ask to BE one if they don't
see one? We are not Masonics Anonymous.
I don't mean that we should *grandstand* and blow our own horn in a
derogatory way. I believe that if the negativity and anti-Masonic
literature has made a dent in our Order, we are the ones responsible
to educate the public that it is inaccurate information. If not US,
WHO? Whether we do that on an individual basis or collectively.
On an individual basis, those in the public eye have a responsibility
to the Craft to "let their light shine". Collectively, when
we make contributions, just like other organizations, we should
"let our light shine". Because it is very obvious that those
that would dim or cover our light have no problem with shouting it
from the rooftops.
It appears *to me* that the craft has gotten so far into fund raising
and membership drives that *some* may have lost focus. Many look
backwards nostalgically of how it used to be, wouldn't it be ideal if
things could return to the way they once were. Sadly, I doubt that is
going to happen. To clarify my thoughts a bit more, history tells me
that there was a time when the Craft was held in much higher esteem.
Masons and Eastern Stars were leaders in the community and civic
organizations, people KNEW they were Masons and Eastern Stars, there
was an air of respect about that and it drew people to the craft.
I think today if there are politicians and/or people well known in the
civic organizations, they sometimes hide that light because it is not
the politically correct thing to do. We are not involved in politics,
and promote no candidates or political parties, and yes there are some
very valid reasons I do agree, but it has not always been that way.
Those we look up to in our past were RIGHT THERE, front and center,
that is how we KNOW about them and it is also the stand that they took
and the changes and contributions that they made that we are so proud
of. We are proud to say they were Masons and Eastern Stars.
Perhaps we should take a stronger political stand on a local level,
our school politics, our neighborhoods and city planning committees,
we should show our support to those that are standing to make positive
change. I don't mean endorse the candidate, I mean show up in number
for positive change in our schools and communities, publicly. Today,
we are so afraid to be found politically incorrect that we sometimes
do nothing at all and that is worse than being found incorrect.
Because of the mindset and some of the negative viewpoints that
society has formed against the Craft, there are those that are afraid
to say they are associated and I believe it's because of that fear
that we are not always willing to be seen supporting the very things
we ARE in support of, cleaner streets, safer neighborhoods, better
education and schools for our children.
If we are seen supporting these efforts, do you not believe that it
would also make a person think twice in regards to their possible
misconceptions about the craft?
Rather than have fish fry/chicken dinner/bus rides and million man
membership drives, perhaps if we just do the right thing with the
right reason in mind�as they did in our past, we will see some of
the results they saw in the past - TODAY.
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