During the final months of this year, the local lodges of Hermann Sons Life will be choosing delegates to represent them at the Grand Lodge Convention held every four years. If this sounds a bit like U.S. politics, it is! Just like our country, Hermann Sons Life has a representative form of government. We are an organization that is member-owned and member-driven.
Anyone who has attended at least one-half of their local lodge meetings since the last convention is eligible to represent their lodge as a delegate to the Grand Lodge Convention. Each lodge receives one delegate for every 200 adult members in the lodge and authorizes that representative(s) to make decisions in the best interest of the lodge and the organization at the convention.
Delegate Duties
The role of a delegate is an important one. Convention delegates perform a vital function in the governance of our organization. May 1-3, at the 47th Grand Lodge Convention in San Marcos, delegates will be responsible for ratifying decisions and voting on reports and recommendations made by officers and committees, attending sessions designed to educate and inspire and using the experience and information to help increase positive actions in their own lodges.
Delegates will receive a Book of Reports before the convention and it is their responsibility to review the information and consider recommendations so they may best fulfill their duties during the convention.
Delegate Elections
Lodge financial secretaries will soon receive a letter stating the number of delegates their lodge gets to send to the upcoming convention. The Organization Board for the convention assigns those numbers based on the aforementioned ratio of one delegate for every 200 adult members. During the November meeting, most often, adult members in attendance vote to choose their delegate representative(s).
Guests to the Convention
Guests may attend the convention for a fee. Guests do not have a voice or a vote, but they are able to participate in education sessions and listen to reports and proceedings. Information about attending as a guest will be published at a later date.
Duties after the Convention
After the convention, delegates are responsible for bringing information back to their lodges. Not only should the business be shared, but the information learned in education sessions should be brought back and implemented when possible.
To learn more about our upcoming Grand Lodge Convention, contact your local lodge.