Happy Holidays!

On behalf of the Pennsylvania DeMolay office, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Safe travels to all whom are visiting family and friends for the holiday season. My goal is to get one more blog post in before the year is over, but if I'm  unable to do so, Happy New Year to all as well!

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin 

From Master Councilor to Worshipful Master

Last night, I had the privilege of watching a longtime friend and DeMolay brother become the Worshipful Master of his lodge. Brother and "Dad" Seth C. Anthony was installed into the office of Worshipful Master for Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682 of the Free and Accepted Masons. The official title changes hands on December 28th, while an open Installation was held at the Elizabethtown Masonic Lodge within the Masonic Villages.

"Dad" Seth Anthony has been a member of the Masonic Fraternity since he turned 21. He started as a member of Erie Chapter Order of DeMolay, where he became Master Councilor after a brief time as a member. Seth also served as State Junior Councilor and State Senior Councilor of Pennsylvania DeMolay, as well as becoming a respected advisor for the organization. He previously worked as the Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation and currently works for the Masonic Villages. In fact, this very blog site was once written by "Dad" Anthony.

It takes a true Mason to have the same level of dedication for the entire Masonic Family. It's not everyday that a former Master Councilor becomes the Worshipful Master of his lodge. Of members who were active in DeMolay while I was, Seth is the first of my peers to reach this goal.

On behalf of Pennsylvania DeMolay I'd like to congratulate Brother Anthony! Good luck in your term; I know that you will do a fantastic job!

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin    

It's Nerf or Nothin!

With the upcoming Nerf weekend, otherwise known as Operation N.A.S.H.V.I.L.L.E. Training Weekend, I figured we should take the time to get to know the Nerf product a little bit better. The training weekend will be focused on the Nerf Blaster, but the Nerf Company has been responsible for several different products along the way.

The concept of Nerf started in 1969 with an idea that was originally meant to be a Volleyball game with a 4 inch foam ball. Parker Brothers kept the foam ball and expanded on the idea. Eventually Hasbro, the company that produces Nerf to this day, took over the company from Parker Brothers. Nerf, which is an acronym for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam, became a worldwide success. New products were being created, mostly involving sports. Growing up, most kids I knew had Nerf basketballs, frisbees, soccer balls, and the most popular, footballs. My personal favorite was the Vortex Howler Football, a football that had a long-distance tail that made the football go further than most usually do. Friends and I would toss one around for hours down the back alley until our parents called for dinner. 

The most popular product, which is what the January weekend is focused on, is the Nerf Blaster. After continued years of success with sports, Nerf turned to warfare gun products that shoot discs, balls, and darts. There a various versions of the product, some more powerful than others, but all of them stick within the same concept that made the company as successful as they are; safety. I hope to see you all at the upcoming Nerf weekend. Remember: “It’s Nerf, or Nothin!”    

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin      

How To Use Small Talk to Talk to Masons

With the Grand Banquet coming up in the next few weeks, most of you may be worried about meeting new people. What do I say to someone I've never met before? Where do I start? Should I ask them about their families? Should I ask them about work? Maybe I'll just ask about the weather?

In our daily lives we run into situations in which we need quick conversations to avoid those awkward moments. We may be waiting in an elevator or meeting someone new. In the DeMolay world, you may be seated at a banquet table with a Masonic leader, public official or another dignitary who you have never met before. A fellow advisor led me to a website that lists 48 questions that can be asked in order to make small talk easier. Click on the link below to see the full list of questions.

48 questions to make small talk easier 

Here are a few of my favorite questions from the article that will help with small talk:

Work

1. If you were guaranteed to be successful, what job would you want?

2. What is the best career advice that anyone has ever given you? 

Entertainment 

1. Are you reading any good books or watching any good shows? I'd like some recommendations.

2. If you could only watch one genre of movies, which would it be?

Travel

1. Where's the last place you traveled?

2. If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go? 

Life Story 

1. Who's the most important role model in your life? 

2. What's the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Totally Random

1. What's the strangest compliment you've ever gotten? 

2. If you could have any type of pet or animal, what would it be?

These are just a few of the 48 questions that can help stop the awkward conversations. Make your conversations a little bit more meaningful, by asking the right questions - and get to know the people around you. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin   

  

Be Different Spotlight: Elizabethtown Chapter

The following post is part of a series entitled the “Be Different Spotlight.” This post will display a chapter’s effort to grasp the concept of the theme for this year. Each chapter was challenged by the State Master Councilor, Adam Pritchard, to “Be Different.” 

Challenge Accepted!  This is the story of how Elizabethtown Chapter embraced that challenge...

Our Chapter proudly accepted the challenge and decided to do something different for our Frank S. Land Memorial Obligatory Day by doing something we have never done before. With the cooperation of family and friends of our members, with some kind and courteous Masonic Village Residents helping, we collected nearly 400 gently used books and presented them to the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster. We presented the books in support of the center's book give away which was held as a part of the Extraordinary Give in Lancaster County on Friday, Nov. 20^th.  This one day, 24-hours of online giving raised over 6.1 million dollars for over 350 charitable organizations.  The Children’s Dyslexia Center had over $7,000 donated to it in just 24 hours.  The books that were collected and donated were available for pickup by anyone who stopped by the Dyslexia Center on Nov. 20th. 

In addition to donating the books, 8 members of our Chapter willingly donated a total of $225 for the purchase of any other books in support of the book drive that brought donors into the center.  Over the past 15 years Elizabethtown Chapter has raised and have been honored to donate nearly $35,000.00 to the center through various fundraisers, which includes our annual chicken pot pie dinners.  Our Chapter Advisor, Dad Jesse Spence, makes a very good chicken pot pie, and if you haven't had one yet I highly recommend it to you! Our next chicken pot pie dinner and special auction of gifts and passes will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2016. 100% of our profits are donated to the center, our state charity that helps kids get the help they need to overcome dyslexia and succeed in school.

Along with presenting the books, 5 of our chapter members helped prepare and serve a luncheon for the Lancaster Lodge of Perfection. The Lancaster Lodge of Perfection, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, is the main sponsoring agency of the Children's Dyslexia Center of Lancaster. We thought that supporting the Scottish Rite in this way was especially appropriate since the founder of DeMolay, Frank S. Land, was an employee of the Scottish Rite Valley located in Kansas City. The officers of Elizabethtown DeMolay were happy with the success of the luncheon and donation of the books, and appreciated the support of family members, friends, residents of the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, and our advisors, as without them this would not have been possible. 

From the Officers, Members, and Families of Elizabethtown Chapter, Order of DeMolay we want to wish you a Happy and Safe Holiday Season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

This blog post was written by current Senior Councilor of Elizabethtown Chapter, Blake Anderson. Thank you Brother Blake for your contribution.

Elizabethtown Chapter has completed the challenge to “Be Different.” What has your chapter done in order to change things up a bit? Send in program details or write a post for your chapter and send it to me at JAPullin@pademolay.net.