Past Master Councilors Meritorious
Service Award (PMC-MSA)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Nearly every member of The Order of DeMolay has the ambition of serving his Chapter as Master Councilor. When this goal is in sight as you move up through the Councilor's chairs, you should set another goal - that of earning the Past Master Councilor Meritorious Service Award.
While the newly elected Master Councilor is the only one who is qualified to apply and achieve the award, he cannot do it alone. The requirements can only be met through the combined efforts of the entire Chapter. The M.C. must provide the leadership and incentive to inspire and motivate the members of his Chapter towards a well rounded program and over-all efficiency in Chapter activities.
The Founder of DeMolay, Dad Frank S Land, originated the PMC-MSA. He recognized the tremendous advantage gained by the Master Councilor in having a pre planned program for his term of office. When such a program has been planned and distributed to the Chapter membership in printed form, the M.C. has gone a long way in achieving goals he has set.
The goal in the State of Oregon is to have every incoming Master Councilor apply for the PMC-MSA. This would insure that each and every Chapter has a planned program of activities, and the Chapter members are aware of the program of the Chapter. With this goal in mind, the following information is provided so that every Councilor is fully aware of the requirements and procedures to apply for and qualify for the PMC-MSA. Read carefully - the requirements are very strict and will be fully enforced in order to maintain the high standards of the award program.
REQUIREMENTS
Now let's look in detail at the actual requirements for the PMC-MSA program in Oregon.
INITIAL ENTRY INTO THE PMC-MSA PROGRAM
Prior to your installation as Master Councilor,
you will want to carefully review all requirements to be certain you have
planned to meet each of them. Worksheets are provided to help in
this area. You will need to:
 | Memorize ALL of the Master Councilors portion that appears in the Ritual -- opening, closing, interpolation, Initiation and DeMolay Degree. You need to recite this to an advisor. |
| Print and distribute your program for the term. Various formats are acceptable - calendar pages, month/date listings - but be sure to clearly designate Obligatory Days, service events, meeting dates, Advisory Council meetings, fund raisers, etc. These should be distributed to the entire membership (not just those who come to the first meeting) and to the Advisors. It's nice to give copies to the Parents' Club, and others who might be interested, such as the editor of your sponsors Trestle board, Honored Queens and Worthy Advisors. Sit down with your Chapter Dad and work it all out before getting it printed, take your draft copy to the Advisory Council meeting and get it approved and then get it copied for distribution. Doing it this way will save lots of headaches, time and money. If you read through this booklet completely before you get started you will know what Obligatory Days are in your term, what service projects are required, the five kinds of activities required and you will know that the Youth Protection materials must be presented each term. Include a fundraiser for the DeMolay Endowment Foundation of Oregon, Inc. |
| Prepare a budget for your term in cooperation with your councilors, Dad Advisor and Advisory Council. While it need not be elaborate, it should list planned income and expenses from activities, income from fund-raisers, and anticipated income and expenditures from new member dues, remittances to ISC and the State Council, and any regular expenses such as insurance, remittances for Honors, reimbursements for installations, etc. |
| Submit your First Letter, the Letter of Intent, which must be signed by you, the Chapter Dad and Chairman. Their signatures indicate not only knowledge of your intent, but endorsement of your term calendars as complying with the requirements. |
| Submit this letter, your calendar or term plan, the required budget you have prepared and any other materials you deem helpful to your Executive Officer within ten (10) days of you installation. He will forward it on to the Awards Director for evaluation and you will get a letter indicating acceptance into the program and any information you might need to add to the term. There is a sample Letter of Intent in this booklet for you to use for the correct format. |
| See that throughout the term, all ceremonies from the Ritual are presented by ALL officers, from memory. |
| Have conferred both degrees from memory either prior to your term as Master Councilor or during your term as Master Councilor. (This allows for the procedure of "step-up-night" or where chapters allow the Jr. Councilor to preside during the Initiatory Degree, the Sr. Councilor for the DeMolay Degree.) A previous term where you might have served as Master Councilor does not count. If an outside group such as the State Degree Team performs one or both degrees for your Chapter, you fulfill your installation obligation requirement (seeing that both degrees are confirmed at least once during your term of office), but for this award, you must memorize and recite the degree - even if you perform the degrees on no candidates. |
| Hold at least one activity in each of the following areas: |
| Social |
| Civic |
| Fund Raising |
| Masonic Service (preferably to your Sponsoring Body) |
| Athletic |
| Youth Protection |
| You must initiate one half of your Chapter's yearly membership goals during your term. Quotas are established by your Executive Officer and sometimes vary from Chapter to Chapter, but this means at least six (6) initiates each term. Check with your E.O. if you don't know the quota. HOWEVER -- read this very carefully — you may still be eligible if you initiate at least one of the annual goal and all the remaining number of the goal is met in the term immediately following yours. Submit your Final Form with a statement requesting an extension and your application will be held until 30 days beyond the 1 year anniversary of YOUR installation. You must then supply the Director of Awards with proof that this extension was fruitful and that you and the Master Councilor who followed your term have now met the entire goal. EXAMPLE: During your term the annual goal established by the E0 was 12, so your “share” during your term was 6. If you initiated 2 new members (Initiatory Degree minimum) and requested an extension of this requirement, the Chapter must initiate 10 more members in the following term before the one year anniversary of your installation. This would meet the requirement for you and for the following Master Councilor! To ask for such an extension, ALL other PMC-MSA requirements must have been achieved. |
| The Master Councilor must establish a program that increases or maintains a high level of attendance at Chapter Meetings and events. This should be covered in detail in your Final Letter, including a listing of numbers in attendance at each meeting or activity to verify that this requirement has been met. |
| See that all Form 10's reach ISC Headquarters and your State Office within the ten-day requirement. Also see that any Annual Report or Certifications reach both headquarters within the prescribed times if those reports come due during your term. While you are not responsible for sending them, you are, as Master Councilor, responsible for seeing that they are submitted. |
| Provide for the observance of each Obligatory Day that falls within your term. |
| Present the Youth Protection video and materials at least once during your term. (ISC requirement, May, 1921) Materials have been sent to every DeMolay Chapter. Check with your Chapter Dad. |
| Ensure your Treasurer is tracking expenses and income consistent with your planned budget. |
TO BE COMPLETED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING
THE TERM:
Submit your second or Final Letter within
10 days of the installation of your successor. This Final Letter
is essentially a term report or summary of how things went as you followed
the plan outlined in your Initial Letter. See the description below
on how to complete the Final Letter.
FOR THE FINAL LETTER YOU NEED TO COVER THE FOLLOWING:
| Submit a complete explanation of each of the requirements. If something did not happen, explain in detail. If something failed, explain what you would do if you did it again. |
| Make an analysis of your printed program. Explain the results of each activity. Detail an example of one of the activities. |
| Provide an explanation of any calendar changes that were made, including additions, deletions or substitutions. |
| Let your letter reflect how you regard the award. Check your spelling, your grammar, and make a nice presentation. |
HOW TO APPLY
You should understand that since this award
recognizes proper advanced planning, your initial entry into the program
must reflect your planning and program development.
INITIAL LETTER: A sample Letter of Intent
is attached to this packet. While it is possible to "fill in the
blanks" of this form, it is better to use the information, adapt it to
your own needs, and submit your personal letter with enclosures.
Be sure all required signatures are obtained prior to submitting the letter,
as it will be returned to you if it has not been properly endorsed.
The critical parts of this letter are:
| Your name, mailing address and phone number. |
| Dates of your installation and when your term is expected to end. |
| A statement of your ritual proficiency regarding the M.C.'s part. |
| Your Chapter's name. |
| Signature of the Chapter Advisor ("Dad") confirming your plans and your proficiency. |
| Signature of the Advisory Council endorsement by the Chairman. |
Within ten (10) days of your installation
(minor allowances are made for obtaining required signatures), send this,
with your term calendar listing all required events and activities, list
of officers, budget and other pertinent information you feel is important
such as your installation program or agenda from your term planning meeting
to the State Awards Director through the DeMolay Office;
Awards Director
Oregon DeMolay
709 SW 15th Avenue, Suite 301
Portland, OR 97205
The Awards Director will send you an acceptance letter. This letter may contain suggestions or adjustments you must incorporate in order to qualify. Be sure to make these changes in your term calendar and accomplish them during your term.
SECOND OR FINAL LETTER: At the completion of your term, within a ten day limit, as a Past Master Councilor you'll need to submit another letter, outlining your term and covering in detail how you met each requirement. It is vital that you cover each and every requirement in sufficient detail so that the Awards Director will know whether you satisfied that particular requirement. You must also account for ANY changes, omissions or additions to your original term plan. See the sections marked "Common Problems" and the "Check List for Final Letter" to be sure that you have covered each item. Again, signatures of the Dad and Chairman are required.
NOTE: Once a Letter of Intent has been filed, it is important that the second letter be submitted. Some Past Master Councilors who might otherwise qualify for the award decide on their own that the term didn't pan out quite like they wanted and fail to submit the Final Letter. While the requirements are exacting, your Executive Officer has the authority to issue dispensations or extend time limitations under some circumstances. Let the Director of Awards know why a requirement was not met and explain why. Following his evaluation, you will receive another letter. If the award is not granted, perhaps you will benefit should you become Master Councilor again - or perhaps you can assist the next Master Councilor in your Chapter.
CHECKLIST FOR THE FIRST LETTER OF INTENT
| Enclose a copy of your term program (calendar) and certify that you have distributed copies to the Chapter membership. |
| Certify that you have memorized all the M.C.'s portion of the Ritual prior to your installation. |
| Be sure your term program lists all required activities such as Obligatory Days, activities, presentations (such as youth protection), and required fund-raisers and is accompanied by your term budget. |
| Indicate when your term began and when it is scheduled to end. |
| Be certain that your name, address and telephone number are typed or printed so that they can be read. Have your letter signed and dated by the Dad Advisor and Chairman. |
| Your letter, along with any other supporting data must be submitted to your Advisory Council within ten (10) days after your installation. This ten-day requirement is important! (It is understood that to obtain the necessary signatures it may be necessary to extend this time period, but YOU must begin the process by submitting the information well within the ten-day period.) |
CHECKLIST FOR THE FINAL LETTER
| Statement that ALL ceremonies from the Ritual were given from memory by ALL officers during your term. |
| Statement that the Youth Protection materials were presented during your term. Give date. |
| Indicate which degree you conferred either as Master Councilor during this term or as a Councilor leading up to your term. What is needed here is an indication that you personally have conferred both degrees. |
| Statement that you held at least one activity in each of the following areas: social, civic, fund raising (for the Chapter) athletic, Masonic Service (preferably to your Sponsoring Body) and fund raising for the DeMolay Endowment Foundation of Oregon. |
| Listing by degree date of all new members initiated during your term as Master Councilor. You are expected to initiate one half of your Chapter's yearly membership quotas. If, for example, the Chapter's quota is 12, you must initiate at least one (I) in order to stay in the PMC-MSA program. If your Chapter then initiates 11 additional members in the term immediately following yours, you are then still eligible for meeting this requirement. Should you initiate one half the yearly quota during your term, it will not be necessary to wait an additional term to qualify for this requirement. If you need the extended time, turn in your Final Letter during the ten (10) day time frame allowed, and include a request to be extended for the next term. |
| Statement concerning Chapter attendance - include a listing of attendance by meeting and activities to show over-all membership participation. |
| See that all Form 10’s, Annual Financial Report, Advisor Council Registration and Insurance billing (if applicable) are filed within the time frame or before the delinquent date, whichever is first. |
| Observe all Obligatory Days falling in your term and include in your re-cap a statement of how each Obligatory Day was observed. |
| Include a complete and in-depth analysis of your term explaining the results of each activity. Include any newspaper clippings or photographs from your term. (Note: photocopies are preferred since the articles will not be returned.) |
| Explain any changes made in your term calendar and why these changes were made. |
| Your Final Letter must be signed and dated by the Chapter Advisor and Chairman of the Advisory Council. Reports cannot be accepted without these endorsements. |
COMMON PROBLEM AREAS
| Membership is a key aspect of this program. You cannot receive the PMC-MSA it you do not initiate your share of the Chapter's yearly goal or see that the entire goal is met during the term following yours. |
| Required Signatures must be obtained. Without the signatures of the Chapter Dad and Chairman (indicating endorsement for the award) the award cannot be granted. |
| Time Periods are important. If something happens that you are not going to have your reports mailed within the time frame, make phone calls to let people know why you are late. Confer with the State Awards Director if you are having difficulty with timing and he will confer with the Executive Officer. |
| Obligatory Days are essential for the award. If Education Day was not held during the term previous to yours, you must include it during your term. The required date is one that is "convenient to the Chapter," but it must be held once each year. |
| Participation is critical. Be sure to indicate the number of people in attendance at meetings and especially activities. Exact counts are not necessary, "guessing" is acceptable. This is an award that is to show that the membership followed your leadership. |
| Spell Out your social, civic, athletic, etc. activities and their general success. (Failures can count, too, as long as you can evaluate the problem and help make it work next time.) |
| Ritual The Chapter must really help you here. While there is basically no excuse for your not knowing your work, sometimes the newest members have quite a time getting it all memorized. If you really want this award, get in there and do everything you can to help your officers. Expectations are more easily met when you don't allow rituals to be open during the meeting. Certainly by the end of the term the ritual should be given from memory by all. However, if you don't make this requirement, somehow, have the Chapter Dad write a letter of explanation and include it with your Final Letter. |
| Changing what you had planned. Dad Land's concept was to plan a term and follow it. He realized, of course, that even the best made plans... yes, sometimes earthquakes, snow, and the like do occur. It is sometimes necessary to change your plan. But that does not mean scrapping everything and playing out your term by ear. Please make an explanation for the couple of things that might have had to change during your term. |
| Your Final Letter must be dated and signed by you, the Chapter Advisor (with the date signed) and Chairman (with the date signed), who, by signing, are RECOMMENDING that the PMC-MSA be granted. Sorry, but if they won't sign, it's all over, unless you want to appeal to the Executive Officer. |
| Be prompt! Your Final Letter must be presented to your Chapter Advisor and Chairman within ten (10) days after the installation of the new officers. It is recognized that to obtain Advisory Council approval MAY require an additional time period, but "DAYS" is the key here, not "WEEKS." |
| The following pages contain forms, templates and sample letters that you can use or adapt for your PMC-MSA submissions. They are merely suggestions. Feel free to develop a format that works for you and for your term. |
TERM PLANNING WORKSHEET
The following Obligatory Days, as required by Supreme Council Statutes, have been planned along with suitable activity for the dates shown below:
DEVOTIONAL DAY: _______________________________________________
(Sunday nearest March 18)
PATRIOTS DAY: __________________________________________________
(Convenient day in February)
EDUCATION DAY: ________________________________________________
(Convenient day to the Chapter)
DAY OF COMFORT: _______________________________________________
(Near Thanksgiving or Christmas)
PARENTS DAY: __________________________________________________
(Day between May 1 and June 21)
MY GOVERNMENT DAY: ___________________________________________
(Convenient day in July)
FRANK S. LAND DAY: _____________________________________________
(Day near November 8)
The following activities have been planned
for:
ATHLETICS: _____________________________________________________
SOCIAL: ________________________________________________________
FUNDRAISING (CHAPTER): ________________________________________
FUNDRAISING (FOUNDATION): _____________________________________
CIVIC SERVICE: __________________________________________________
MASONIC SERVICE: ______________________________________________
CHARITABLE SERVICE: ___________________________________________
The following plans have been made for:
State Conclave: __________________________________________________
DLC: ____________________________________________________________
Chapter Visitations: _______________________________________________
DeMolay Week: ___________________________________________________
Prospect Party: ___________________________________________________
Orientation of New Members: _______________________________________
LCC: ____________________________________________________________
Merit Bars: ______________________________________________________
Regional Events: _________________________________________________
State Activities: __________________________________________________
Youth Protection Presentation: _____________________________________
Representative DeMolay: __________________________________________
What plans have you made for communications
between yourself and the members of your Chapter?
Have you personally participated in the
operation of a budget so that you are fully aware of the Chapters financial
obligations, income, etc.?
Have you scheduled ritual practices for your officers? For the installation?
Have you completed the LCC’s? Have you received your RD?
Have you talked with your parents about
your responsibilities as a Master Councilor?
Sample Letter of Intent
(Address)
(City, State. Zip)
(Phone Number)
(Date)
Awards Director
Oregon DeMolay
709 SW 15th Avenue, Suite 301
Portland, OR 97205
I, _____________________, Master Councilor of ______________________ Chapter, Order of DeMolay, located in ____________________, wish to submit my Letter of Intent to qualify for the Past Master Councilors Meritorious Service Award.
Attached to this letter is a copy of my term plan and preliminary budget, which have been distributed to the members of my Chapter.
The Master Councilors portion of the Ritual has been committed to memory and recited to the Chapter Advisor.
I was installed on ___________________
and my term is scheduled to end _______________.
Fraternally,
(Signed)
Type name
Master Councilor
I find that Brother _________________
has fully committed to memory the Master Councilors portion of the ritual.
I have reviewed the accompanying term plan and budget and find that they
meet the requirements of the PMC-MSA. I recommend that this Letter
of Intent be accepted.
(Signed)
Chapter Advisor and/or Chairman
Sample final letter to be mailed 10 days after your term ends
(Your address)
(Your city, state. Zip)
(Date)
Awards Director
Oregon DeMolay
709 SW 15th Avenue, Suite 301
Portland, OR 97205
This letter outlines the activities successfully
carried out during my term as Master Councilor of________________________Chapter.
This letter also fulfills my obligation in qualifying for my PMC-MSA. My
term began __________ and ended ____________.
A. All ceremonies from the Ritual of Secret Work were given from memory.
B. The Initiatory Degree was conferred on the following candidates on the dates indicated: (List names of candidates and date of degree) This does/does not meet my share of the Chapter's quota.
C. The DeMolay Degree was conferred upon the following: (List names and dates, as above)
D. At least one activity was held in each of the below categories. I will describe the most successful one in each category:
1. Social: (description)
2. Civic: (description)
3. Fund Raising for Chapter (description)
4. Fund Raining for the Oregon DeMolay
Foundation: (description)
5. Masonic Service: (description)
6. Athletic: (description)
I will also describe two more activities
from the above six.
(Description #1) (Description #2)
E. During my term, we maintained a high
level of attendance and participation of the Chapter meetings and activities.
There was an average of_______members present.
F. All Form 10's reporting new initiates reached ISC and you office within 10 days after initiation.
G. All Obligatory Days during my term of office were observed by the Chapter as follows: (Obligation Day, date, activity, and attendance)
H. Youth Protection materials were presented to the members of my Chapter on (date)
I. $_______ was sent to the Oregon DeMolay Foundation.
J. The following discrepancies from my original calendar as submitted with my Letter of Intent were as follows, (date changes, activity canceled because, activity substituted because...etc.) List all changes, cancellations, and additions.
K. The following financial results
were obtained in comparison with my term budget. I have explained
any major variances.
Respectfully submitted:
(Signed)
Print/type name
Past Master Councilor
(Name of Chapter)
All the above is true and we recommend that Brother _____________________ receive the Past Master Councilor's Meritorious Service Award.
(Signed)
(Signed)
Print/type name
Print/type name
Chapter Advisor
Advisory Council Chairman
(Date)
(Date)
