Alphabet Soup

"Dad" Labagh came to me last week looking for an article called "Alphabet Soup" that we used to have published on the website. I went in search of the article and had a hard time finding it. Low and behold, it was published on the website, just not in an easy to find place. So, I thought I'd "republish" it here, making it an easier resource to find. (For future reference, the article has been moved and is now published on the Chapter Forms and Resources Page as .pdf file.)

Like many groups, DeMolay is full of abbreviations, acronymns, and "for shorts." This short hand can get pretty confusing, especially if you're new to it. So, here's a key to some of the "code words" you're likely to run into in PA DeMolay. Now you can be "in the know" ... or should we say "in the soup?"

• ACR - Advisory Council Registration - refers to either the process or the form.
• AHK - Advisor's Honor Key
• ALOH - The Active Legion of Honor
• AWA - Adult Worker Application, the form that must be filed for every potential adult volunteer in DeMolay.
• Atown - Short for Allentown Chapter
• BHK - Blue Honor Key
• Chev - The Degree of Chevalier
• DAD - The "DeMolay Advisor Development" training course, not to be confused with "Dad," a form of address for
• male Advisors.
• DEO - Deputy Executive Officer
• DI - DeMolay International
• DSA - Distinguished Service Award
• DSMC - Deputy State Master Councilor
• DSOP - Director of the State Officer Program
• EO - Executive Officer
• ES - Executive Secretary
• Etown - Short for Elizabethtown Chapter, or for the PA DeMolay office, as in "the Etown office."
• FBC - Short for Friendship-Bray Chapter
• FLS - First-Line Signer, the first recommender on an application for membership. A "recruiter."
• FSL - Frank Sherman Land, founder of DeMolay.
• FMA - Founder's Membership Award
• GLA - Guild of the Leather Apron ("Advisor of the Year")
• GMC - Grand Master's Class, a state-wide induction held every 2 years in honor of the Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania.
• GW - Short for George Washington Chapter
• HLOH - The Honorary Legion of Honor
• ICS - International Congress Secretary
• IMC - International Master Councilor
• ISC - The International Supreme Council, also just "DeMolay International"
• KeyCru - The Keystone Crusader, PA DeMolay's official newsletter
• KMC (KMU) - The PA DeMolay Key Man Conference (Key Man University) 
• LCC - Leadership Correspondence Course
• LOH - The Legion of Honor
• MATOC - The Mid-Atlantic Tournament of Champions ritual competition
• MCC - The Masonic Conference Center, Patton Campus in Elizabethtown
• Obs Card - An Obligations Card, given for demonstrating knowledge of the DeMolay Obligations
• PICS - Past International Congress Secretary
• The Pike or "Pikers" - Chester Pike Chapter and its members.
• PIMC - Past International Master Councilor
• PMC - Past Master Councilor
• PMC-MSA - The Past Master Councilor's Meritorious Service Award
• PSMC - Past State Master Councilor
• PMYF - The Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation
• RD - The Representative DeMolay Award
• RUARD - A "catchy" way of asking "aRe yoU A Representative DeMolay?"
• SJC - State Junior Councilor
• SMC - State Master Councilor
• SSC - State Senior Councilor
• SScr - State Scribe
• ST - State Treasurer
• ZKey - The Zerubbabel Key

Chapter Officers - These abbreviations are commonly used to designate Chapter Officers. In most cases, you can add an "S" in front to designate the corresponding State Officer.

• MC - Master Councilor
• SC - Senior Councilor
• JC - Junior Councilor
• SD - Senior Deacon
• JD - Junior Deacon
• SS - Senior Steward
• JS - Junior Steward
• O - Orator
• Scr - Scribe
• Tr - Treasurer
• Sen - Sentinel
• Ch - Chaplain
• Mar - Marshal
• SB - Standard Bearer
• Al - Almoner
• 1P - First Preceptor
• 2P - Second Preceptor
• 3P - Third Preceptor
• 4P - Fourth Preceptor
• 5P - Fifth Preceptor
• 6P - Sixth Preceptor
• 7P - Seventh Preceptor

We hope you find this resource useful!

 

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Even more publications!

Hot on the heals of my post on Monday, I direct you to another website that is chock full of resources for any Masonic Youth Group, but especially DeMolay.

Over on the PMYF website, under the Programs > Publications section, there are a bunch of quality publications that could be of great use to your Chapter. More especially, they could be of use to your Chapter Advisory Council. Many of the documents relate to working with Masonic Sponsors for your Chapter and how to keep them involved. Who doesn't want help with that?

That's not all that's available on PMYF either! If you're interested in the Masonic Youth Group Grant Program, the HODEGOS Award for Adult Leaders, the LifeSkills Conference, or even the Masonic Scholarship Resource Guide - it's all there!

As you learn and grow in DeMolay, it's important to keep in mind all the resources that are available to you and your Chapter. Take some time to review the websites for the organization and you'll often find important pieces of information that you didn't even know were there!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

There's a form for that.

Not too long ago, one of our Elected State Officers came bounding up to "Dad" Labagh with a booklet in his hand. Jubilant, he started showing it to him. He said it came from California and that it was a really great Installation Planning Guide. He asked "Dad" Labagh why we didn't have such a thing. Our Executive Officer laughed and pointed out a copyright page where it showed that the booklet originated here in Pennsylvania.

The PA DeMolay website has so many resources on it that it is easy to forget what is already available at your finger tips. That's why I wanted to draw your attention to two important pages on our site that don't seem to get visited as often as they should.

First, we have the Chapter Supplies page located at http://www.pademolay.org/resources/supplies/forms.html. This page has links to several forms and guides that are of great use to your Chapter. They include several simple worksheets, sample orders of business, attendance registers, brochures, and more. This page is your "one stop shop" for paper forms for your Chapter.

The other page is the Policy and Guidelines section located http://www.pademolay.org/resources/policies/policies.html. This page is chock full of documents that every Advisor and DeMolay should read. It has all of the Executive Officer's official policies, as well as 10 guides to help with planning and Chapter operations. If you have a question on the rules of PA DeMolay or you are looking for some guidance, this is your place!

I've had a lot of people say to me in recent weeks "I didn't even know this was available!" To paraphrase my favorite TV show as a kid - "Well now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony