To get a chair in your lodge must you...???

In our lodge and I'm guessing it is a Grand Lodge of Texas rule, one must first serve as a steward before moving on to chairs in the Lodge room (JR Deacon etc.).

Is it that way everywhere?

Being the steward is not as difficult for those who are retired or work very early shifts and depart their workplace at 3 in the afternoon, but many of us can never attempt the office until we retire so we are prohibited from starting through the chairs.

Just wondering about it.

I agree! Too restrictive. I hear from the old timers. Back in the old days, you had to start as steward & there was a long line of succession & a waiting list. Lodges had large amount of attendees.
But, these days factories have closed , children moved away/out of state. Then competition from the Moose, Lions, Shrine. Not to mention family & work. It's a different world today. Lodges are closing or merging.

That is probably where that came from.

NOW, that being said. Here, A man usually starts out learning (Pro temping) the JD position & PFC. Possibly Tyler. They also, assist the steward in serving & cooking, if they can.
Also, attend practice. Stewart is usually, a guy that can cook & get to the lodge in time to cook.

The Lodge I hold office in needed me as a Warden. What they did was have me pro-temp the SD chair for opening and closing (a couple of times) and a an EA degree, to show that I knew the SD's work. I also did the same thing with the SS, JD, JW, SW, and Chaplin (please note: the lodge I hold office in was a dying lodge, and I became a member to help keep it's doors open. I played musical chairs more out of necessity than anything else). I was elected as JW for this year.

That's the long winded version of how I jumped the SD chair, and yes I do believe it's supposed be a requirement.

Not in Utah. I know a guy who was raised and installed as SW within a couple of months. Served as WM the next year.

Only requirement for moving to WM here is you must have held an elected seat.

Has to be a deacon for a year, then you can move to the warden

we have a Brother that knew the whole 1st and all the business of the lodge, was raised 13 months ago, sat in the Pursivants chair till this past December and was elected JW. talk about a jump, AND we have a waiting list for chairs.

We at 55 have good weeks and bad weeks and sometimes I have to wear the hat and others I sit in the JW chair then others , maybe tyler. We have our ups and downs being out in the middle of nowhere isn't easy.

I know in my lodge, all the officers start as a Steward. I'm currently Junior Steward and it is tough. A lot of the older guys don't remember how tough it is to work full time, have a wife and kids, and do a lot of lodge stuff.

here....

have a pulse and show up

i went from the sr steward to jr warden this year. before that i went from getting raised to being treasurer 3 weeks later.

We have just reached a point were we can fill the chairs and make sure everyone proficient or there not allowed to move up. Stewards don't cook anymore no time for that we just buy premade dinners for degrees and warm them in the oven. We're now requiring the SD to do all parts for all degrees ( including MC for FC) before moving up to the JW spot. I study a lot when the kids go to bed and pretty much stopped watching television completely. Maybe it's old age setting in but reading my book and learning parts has become a more enjoyable way to spend the evening.

I don't think the learning the degrees would be bad....its all the extra meetings that make it a no go for me right now.

I just go to two a month some of the guys with older kids in college have rehearsals all the time I just said if you want me to fill a chair I will learn my parts and meet for a half an our one day to show you I'm proficient. Other than that I am with my family and everyone my age kind of fell in line with that schedule. Helped that I was the only one that is doing the MC lecture. but if it was a problem I'd jus s tep out of the line I enjoy lodge but my family comes first.

A pulse and a desire and you are SD in my lodge.

There is a lodge down the road that has visitors in the chairs often just to get lodge open.

Another lodge, one of the oldest in the state, almost all the officers travel to attend. They do it just to keep the lodge from folding.

I'm not exactly in a thriving are for masonry.

I started as a Junior Steward, and moved up a level each year (SS, JD, SD, JW and now SW).

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