Traveling Gavel

2007-2008 TRAVELING GAVEL PROGRAM

During the year 2007 – 2008, the Grand Master F. Keith Dreier is offering a suggestion on how to use the Traveling Gavel along with a program to support your travel to other lodges, meet other Masonic brothers and gain recognition in process. The whole idea behind the program is for you and your lodge brothers to travel within your district.   The Traveling District Gavel will start the year with the District Deputy Grand Master’s home lodge and then spread throughout the district during the year.

The District Deputy Grand Master within each district will be urged to promote and execute this traveling program in their district.  Each district will possess the Traveling Gavel for promotional purposes.

A lodge visitation can be one of the most educational and rewarding experiences with in our fraternity. Let us share our fraternal friendship and fellowship with our brothers by visiting lodges in the district and throughout our great jurisdiction.

The below Rules and Regulations are a guide on how it should work BUT if your particular District has had a program of their own in place for some time now and your District wishes to keep it in place. The Grand Master wishes for you to do just that, keep yours in place.  The Rules and Regulations below are a guide line for those Districts who wish to have a set guideline.

The District Deputy Grand Master should know at all times where the Traveling Gavel resides and it is his responsibility to keep it moving.  The District Deputy Grand Master will keep a running total from October 17, 2007 through August 31, 2008 of how many times a lodge has had the Traveling Gavel.  At the 209th Grand Communication those lodges that have the highest total of receiving the Traveling Gavel will receive a plaque recognizing the lodge as the Most Active Traveling Lodge within their District.  These results must be turned into the Awards Committee by September 10, 2008.  It must be signed by the District Deputy Grand Master as to its accuracy.

The below Rules and Regulations are a guideline ONLY, you may use any other program within your District that said District wishes as long as all Masters of that said District agrees on the Rules and Regulations.

The Grand Lodge of Kentucky Traveling Gavel Program may utilize the following Rules and Regulations:

The Traveling Gavel has to be placed in clear view of all visiting Brothers

(1)          The traveling gavel may be claimed from a lodge on a regular meeting, called meeting, degree work, installation of officers, or District Meeting.

(2)          Minimum of the Master and two of his five principal officers, (Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Treasurer or Secretary)

(3)          A lodge that has four principal officers or more.

(4)          A lodge that has five or more brothers.

(5)          If two or more lodges within the district visit a lodge, which qualify, the lodge that brought the most members will receive the gavel.

(6)          If there is a tie, the lodge that traveled the farthest will receive the Gavel.

(7)          The presentation of the “District Traveling Gavel” will presented it to the visiting lodge before closing of the lodge.

(8)          The lodge receiving the Gavel will notify the District Deputy that they have it in there position, so when he is asked in his travels, the other lodges will know where it is.