timm
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Decline in membershipIs enough being done to stop the decline in membership, should a debate involving all members be introduced by Supreme Council. timm
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admin
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Hi Timm, I have granted the appropriate access rights for you. When determining who you are it would be handy if you could edit your profile to include where your from and what council you belong to. It's also nice for other brothers to see how for spread this forum extends.
As to your question, I would say that there is only so much Supreme can do in terms of providing resources for recruitment. I personally think it's down to individual Councils to do their bit.
It's however, a sad fact that numbers continue to drop in all religious based groups and that includes the Clergy. It's societies attitude we need to change. To promote the message that just turning up to Mass is not enough, there has to be something to come out the other side of it, Action!!!!
People today, with all their material possessions, dont think there is a place for the Church in their lives. Watch this space, with the current financial climate, we can begin to see the effects of greed whether its at corporate or individual level. The time will come shortly, that people will again come to need the services of the Church as they did in times gone by. Its a bit of a gloomy note but maybe there's some light at the end of the tunnel. A lesson in responsibility? Material things cannot replace spiritual things? whatever it maybe, we will, in time come to learn from our mistakes.
fraternal regards,
Bro Lewis GK 486
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Charlie396
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Recruitment ActionI think you will find that over the past year Supreme Council has been instigating a wde debate on recruitment with the National Action Plan. In my own Province we are into our second year of a 3 year project and it is bearing fruit. The key to this is that individual Councils and indeed brothers buy into these intiatives and we actually take action.
I was delighted to see that Province 28 had a recruitment event with Powerpoint etc on Sunday. We have found this tool very useful over the past 2 years, not only in recruiting new gentlemen, but in raising the profile of our great order in the wider Catholic community.
Sometimes I believe we a great at creating documents that say what we should do but leave it at that. We need to work and equally important, to be seen as working. That will raise far more interest and awareness in this order than all the documents we can produce and that will lead to not only the recruitment of new brothers but the retention of them.
During November Province 1 will be involved in at least 2 recruitment masses. One in Glasgow and one in Clydebank. I will publish details in due course.
Brothers, it is up to us to go out there and spread the word. In that way I believe we will certainly get more "workers for the vineyard"
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timm
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Thanks for both your replies and congratulations for setting up this Forum.
I did write to HO some time back asking if they could set up a Forum such as this.
I firmly believe the formality of the KSC as I new it has gone. In my council we have average 9 members attending meetings, the attitude is don't bother about laying out the council chamber and we all sit around in a circle. No one stands to address the GK there is usually cross talking. Smart dress is definitely out.
I believe we need the clergy on our side plugging us all the time. Do they want to? When I joined the KSC I was proud to be a member in a council with about 60 members always active at the request of the clergy. The active members in our council are about 7, how can we go to a priest and offer our services, I hasten to add we do quite a bit with that seven. timm
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Michael Steele
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Brilliant site, heard about it over the weekend in Glasgow. I think I was sitting near to Prov 28, I am from Prov 35, Surrey.
One problem we have recruiting is when we approach active men in the church who just say they do not need to join an Order to serve the church, and pay 50 pounds for the privilege. How do you sll fratenatity, which was there in bucket loads in Glasgow?. Also, busy commuters from London do not want to come to boring meetings after a hard day at work and hours travelling. Quite a challenge.
Keep up the good work
Michael
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Damian Dillon 192
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We had a problem with no new members for years in my Council and those that had joined left pretty quickly but I am hoping that my Council is turning the tide currently and I will explain why.
I took over as GK in April and I am mid thirty in age. With no disrespect meant to my predecessors, I have a different skillset and where they were good at servicing the existing membership we have, I have begun to look at newer members whilst letting the existing member service themselves. My Council has the majority of members who are ill or infirm and an average age in the mid 70's. I do not have a deputy. I do not have a chaplain. I do not have a membership and development officer. I do not have a training officer. My treasurer is in his 80's and is too ill and should not be doing the job. My action convenor and welfare officer are in their mid 70's and are not as active as they could possibly be.
My Council covers 7 parishes across a wide area but since April I have held membership drives in 5 of these parishes and although I have only brought in 1 signed up member, 1 member waiting reinstatement and 3 waiting for an initiation Mass, I have improved our exposure amongst the parishes and I have also had a lot of interest even if it hasn't all been converted. With help from the Knights at Anfield, we put together a plan that involved, three short individual pieces for the bulletin leading up to the drive, a short pulpit speech, and good literature to hand out if people did not give us their names.
With a campaign of continued exposure we are bringing in members of good calibre and our exposure has involved other Christian groups and hospices which often saves us having to plan every event especially where we just provide the manpower. We have also brought in measures of bringing in money and sponsorship so that the dues of those that need help can be reduced. We have never been asked about dues in our discussions with potential members because the emphasis has been on what we can do to help the local clergy etc. We have also reduced the length of our meetings and we ensure they don't become boring. Our meetings used to last over 2 hours but I insist they are over in an hour max particularly because I work long hours and often go from work straight to the meetings. I like to go home!
We are by no means where we would like to be but we are fighting for our survival. We have also had the challenge of people who already serve the Church not wanting to join. I don't know the answer but I am a believer in showing people what we are about and a little nudge every now and then may not go to harm.
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