Temple on Demand

Lodge meetings don’t always transpire in Masonic halls. Startup lodges in particular spill into community centers, libraries, warehouses, hotel ballrooms, and, on occasion, caverns. Early Masons worked with less, “drawing with chalk on the floor when they didn’t have the right implements,” says Michael Roberts, manager of lodge development for the Masons of California. In recent decades, members rented furniture or hauled bulky items to put together lodge settings. Last year, Roberts devised a portable solution: “Lodge in a Box,” a build-it-yourself kit assembled according to a curated list of items and vendors.

“These kits enable you to hold meetings in smaller spaces and also provide continuity,” says Roberts, who set one up at the Inspectors Retreat last August, turning a San Ramon Marriott conference space into a lodge room in 25 minutes. “The group was blown away. This is the new generation of lodges.” He notes the growing interest in affinity lodges organized around common interests like Disneyland or Star Trek. Embracing innovation, Roberts says, “You have to think outside the box.” Or, in this case, inside it.