West Kent News - Issue 12 - Flipbook - Page 12
A GLIMPSE THROUGH THE ARCHWAY
WEST KENT NEWS | ISSUE NO.12 SPRING 2024
12
HEAD OF ROYAL ARCH
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT:
VINCE LETHBRIDGE
Since our last news article there
have been a number of new
developments
and
activities
surrounding the Royal Arch in West
Kent and we are keen to share these
updates with you.
We would like to extend a very warm
welcome to EComps Martin Smith,
Alan Passey and Phil Gould who
have
joined
the
Royal
Arch
Membership
Development
Team
(RAMDT) to assist us with our
membership challenges. Many of our
Lodge RA Liaison Officers have
already been contacted by either
Martin or Alan for a progress report
on
the
Lodge
Royal
Arch
Membership
Eligibility
Review
(RAMER) which will enable us to
gauge future growth in the Royal
Arch membership. Likewise Phil has
been of invaluable assistance to
James Ashmore our Provincial RA
Membership Officer – who holds a
particularly busy portfolio of RA
work.
Our sincere thanks to these
dedicated Companions who are
making such a significant impact with
our membership endeavours.
Last
Autumn
the
Grand
Superintendent announced a new
initiative
to
further
encourage
membership within the Royal Arch the Royal Arch Membership Incentive
Scheme, in the short time this has
been running we are already seeing
some positive member growth not
just from new Exaltees but also from
Companions who have joined us
from
London
and
neighbouring
Provinces, this really does reinforce
our beliefs that the Royal Arch in
West Kent is the Province to be
associated with. We presently have a
number of Chapters and Companions
all in competition with each other to
be officially recognized when the
winners in the incentive scheme
awards are announced later in the
year, so it's not too late to be
considered for an award; only
recently
Woolwich
Polytechnic
Chapter welcomed 11 (yes 11!!!)
joining members at one meeting
which is a fabulous accomplishment
and puts them firmly in the
reckoning for an award in the
joining members category.
A glimpse through the Archway
This presentation is proving to be
very popular in Lodges. It takes the
form of a playlet centred around a
conversation
between
a
Past
Master, who is also a Royal Arch
Mason, and a relatively new Master
Mason. It seeks to provide an
introduction to the Royal Arch by
answering many of the questions a
prospective Candidate for Royal
Arch Masonry might have. If there
are members of your Lodge who
have yet to take their fourth step in
Freemasonry, please contact the
Provincial
RA
Mentor
on
ramentor@westkentmasons.org.uk
to arrange a presentation in your
Lodge.
A New Royal Arch Ritual for West
Kent
The hugely successful presentation
of the Savage Club Chapter ritual in
January
has
stimulated
considerable interest from Chapters
wishing
to
adopt
a
more
streamlined
ritual.
A
new,
Provincial ritual is in development
to satisfy that wish. The new ritual
retains all the essential elements of
an Exaltation ceremony while
removing what might be considered
superfluous
duplication.
It
interweaves the Exaltation ritual
with the Royal Arch legend to
provide a coherent and sequentially
logical ceremony which, unlike the
Savage Club ritual, facilitates
seamless sharing of the Sojourner’s
work.
The new ritual will soon be
available for interested Chapters to
use…
Royal Arch Retrieval
The RAMDT challenge is to grow the
membership of the Royal Arch this
means not only via new members
being exalted into our order but also
to reduce members leaving the
order. The primary role of our Royal
Arch Retrieval Officer is to work with
those considering leaving the Order
to reduce the number of companions
who actually leave.
Companions leave the order for a
variety of reasons and it is vital that
chapters
understand
why
a
Companion is leaving, as there may
be actions that can be taken to retain
them
as
a
member
–
COMMUNICATION IS KEY. It is not
just the Chapter Membership Officer,
Mentor, Almoner or Scribe E's job every member has a roll in retrieval.
Also involve your Chapter Visiting
Officer, they may well be able to
assist and provide further guidance.
And of course, do not hesitate to
contact the RA Retrieval Officer at
provraro@westkentmasons.org.uk
for further guidance on retrieval.
If you are thinking of leaving the
Royal Arch, please first speak to
your
Scribe
E
or
Chapter
Membership Officer or of course the
Provincial Retrieval Officer.
Finally Brethren and Companions, it
is often not realised that our
Province is in the very vanguard of
Royal Arch membership initiatives
across UGLE, we have pioneered
many innovative structures and
processes working closely with our
Craft colleagues. We fully intend to
remain ahead of the game by
implementing a policy of continuous
improvement to ensure we obtain our
objectives.
Best regards
Vince Lethbridge