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Vision Quest is an endeavor of the General Grand Chapter. We are
proud to have PGP Brother Dean
Wyant as the South Region Coordinator. Below is his message to our
membership.
"Visionquest and membership go hand in hand and we cannot discuss
the goals of one without
including the other. I think you will all agree, beyond a doubt, that if we
as members do not make a
concerted effort to increase our membership numbers and likewise
increase the attendance and
participation by our current members, Eastern Star in Kansas will cease
to exist in ten years. Now,
before you say, "Dean's not playing with a full deck," let it soak in for a
few seconds. I don't make
this statement based on magical powers invested in me by virtue of my
General Grand Chapter
appointment as Visionquest South Region Coordinator. I simply review
the facts. We have lost
approximately 20,000 members and over 100 Chapters in the past
fifteen years! That amounts to a
loss of approximately 1300 members per year. With our current
membership being approximately
14,500—you do the math. Do you realize that less than five percent of
our members attend our
Grand Chapter Sessions to conduct its business? Am I scaring you?
Am I making you angry? Good!
Do something about it. At this point, you're probably saying or thinking,
"In all his infinite wisdom,
what's he doing about it?" Well, I am glad you asked. Here are more
facts for you to consider. Of
the approximately 14,500 members, only 3,300 are men. Whoa! That
means that there are
approximately 11,200 Masons in our great State of Kansas that can join
our beautiful Order TODAY!
And, I'll assume that fifty percent of them are married; that's another
5,600; and assuming they have
mothers, daughters, sisters, and on and on and on...again—you do the
math. Here's what we started
doing in our Chapter last year. Our Chapter is giving "The Gift of Eastern
Star Love" to our Masons
and their ladies. Our Chapter pays the per-capita and International
Temple fees, which totals a
mere $11.00 per new member. After they're initiated, our new members
can then attend our
meetings and see for themselves exactly what our beautiful Order is all
about. At the end of the first
year, they can then remit their own dues and remain a member or if they
don't like what our Order
offers, they can demit and they've lost nothing. If we, as members, work
for the good of the Order
and make our meetings interesting, I'll lay odds they remain members.
Remember, there is not
anyone of us that has all the answers and I don't think we'll get back to
the mid-fifties when we
boasted 91,000 members; however, we can stop the decline, become
more involved and increase our
membership numbers. The solution lies within each of us. What are
you willing to do? Get a couple
of petitions and give The Gift of Eastern Star Love to one of those 11,200
Masons and his lady. We
are interested in hearing from you by email, telephone or face-to-face.
Submit proven solutions—
what has worked for you and in your Chapters? Do you need help?
Would you be willing to attend a
Visionquest/Membership Seminar in your District or Area? Again, if you
or someone you know has a
proven solution that has helped increase membership and/or
attendance in your Chapter, share that
with others."
Dean Wyant, PGP
Visionquest South Region Coordinator,
General Grand Chapter, O.E.S.
1324 N. Milford Lake Road
Junction City, Kansas 66441-8327
785-762-4300 Email: eagle@flinthills.com
Kelly L. Herring, PGM
Membership Chairman, Grand Chapter of Kansas, O.E.S.
2013 Forest Park
Derby, Kansas 67037-3126
316-788-7829
Email: pkherring@sbcglobal.net
Visionquest in Kansas: Reuben Berg, PGP,
Visionquest/Membership Committee Members:
Beverly Rowe, PGM; Karen Clark, PGM;
Anna M. Chalmers, District 1; Mary Ellen Clark, District 2;
Marianne Masters, District 3; Charles Button, District 4;
Claude Roswurm, PGP, District 5; Mike Hamman, District 6;
Cheryl Sowder, District 7; Karl Fry, District 8;
Doris Kammerer, District 9; Patricia Lawrukiewicz, District 10;
Sarah Orr, District 11; Winona Gebauer, District 12
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