Preparing for Office: The Master’s Chair
How to be a successful Master and enjoy your year in Office. This course is intended as a course for Senior and Junior Wardens and, perhaps, keen Senior Deacons. Each of the four evening sessions consists of a mixture of topics designed to help you to prepare for your year in the Chair. This course is one of several which have been developed to help Freemasons in Berkshire undertake Lodge Offices in an efficient and effective manner so that they are both enjoyable and rewarding. The aim is to provide advice and guidance for officers.
Topics covered include:
The sessions are planned to allow plenty of time for questions and discussion and there are papers for each topic which form a very useful reference manual.
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Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
Preparing for Office: The DC and Preceptor
Daunted by the responsibility of DC / Preceptor-ship? This course will teach you all you need to know. A series of seminars giving the opportunity for developing and improving your skills if you aspire to be, you are to be appointed, or have just been appointed as Director of Ceremonies, Assistant Director of Ceremonies, Preceptor, or Assistant Preceptor. Even if you simply wish to improve your skills in a role you already hold.
Spread over four days in consecutive weeks these seminars cover diverse subjects as;
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
Preparing for Office: The Almoner
Would your local authority engage an untrained Welfare Officer? Never - and neither should your lodge. A workshop designed for both experienced and new Almoners, this course will allow you to acquire the essential skills and keep up to date with the ever-changing knowledge base. The subjects covered include:
The course is normally held once per year in the autumn.
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
A Briefing for Master Masons
Struggling to make your daily advancement in Masonic knowledge? Let us help. This briefing is designed for you if you are a Master Mason anywhere between your Raising and reaching the Chair, or if you are the Personal Mentor of such a Brother. You may recently have been Raised or you may have been a Master Mason for some time but, either way, you are sure to find something new and of interest in this event. Its objective is to deal informatively with subjects not normally covered in Classes or Lodges of Instruction. This event will certainly help you achieve a daily advancement in Masonic Knowledge and it will be particularly beneficial for masons accompanied by their proposer or personal mentor as each session is designed to encourage questions and audience participation.
This truly enlightening day providing a wider insight into the depth and breadth of Masonry as a way of life.
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
The "Initiate's Evening"
Recently initiated and needing some reassurance of Freemasonry's aims and values? Bring a partner and / or friend along to meet our Provincial Grand Master and the Berkshire 'team'.
The evening is held at the Berkshire Masonic Centre, Sindlesham. Following a short Introductory talk by the Provincial Grand Master a light supper is served. The various Lodge Rooms are open for visiting and an Exhibition is mounted showing some of the History of Freemasonry and its Charitable aspects. During the supper, the Executive members are available to answer any questions you or your guest may have and, to emphasise the importance that the Provincial Grand Master attaches to this evening, Province cover the cost of supper. This event is normally held annually at the end of April.
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
The Mentors’ Conference
The Education Committee assisted in the establishment of the Provincial Mentoring Scheme by producing the booklets for use by Personal Mentors and new Brethren after each degree ceremony. This assistance has continued in the form of the organisation of training events for Lodge Mentors and an annual Mentors’ Conference. The conference brings together Lodge and Chapter Mentors of widely differing experience and encourages the dissemination of best practice in mentoring. Mentoring is a powerful method of ensuring that we retain good candidates and, as any mentor will tell you, when you become a mentor your own Masonic learning increases rapidly.
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
Emulation Lodge of Instruction Lectures
The Berkshire Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge are willing to produce a team of members who will visit the Regular meeting of a Lodge to perform selected sections of the Emulation Lectures.
Lodge Secretaries who are interested in engaging the services of the team should contact the Team Secretary at terry@avingtonstud.plus.com for further information.
The lectures, in Q & A form, provide additional information to that included in the ritual and are, therefore, both educational and meaningful.
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.
Cornerstone Society Playlets
In liaison with senior members of the Cornerstone Society, this Province has become the first Province in the English Constitution to offer the ‘playlets’ which are designed to explain the philosophical background to the three degrees involved in making a mason.
The practise is for Lodges/Classes of Instruction within this Province to be approached to ‘host’ a demonstration. Further details, and expressions of willingness to assist in the work, should be made to the Team Secretary at briancook-house@sky.com.
Last year, the team concentrated on our First Degree. In the season September 2008 to August 2009 they will be demonstrating parts of the Third Degree. Each demonstration ends with a Q & A session and experience shows these are well used by members to enhance their knowledge.
Please see the What's On page for dates of the current schedule.