ceremonies

New Officer Installation

INSTALLING OFFICER: It is my privilege and pleasure to be with you today to install the officers of this Lions Club for the coming fiscal year.

Lionism began in June, 1917, when a young Chicago Insurance agent, Melvin Jones, presented to a group of separate business clubs the idea of consolidating the individual clubs into one strong influential club with the goal of helping the community and serving humanity without regard to politics, religion, race, or in any way the personal interests of the members.

The Lions are members of the largest service-oriented group of Clubs under an International organization, where each member enjoys fellowship, develops leadership capacity and dedicates part of their free time to help those in need in their own community first, but also in the rest of the world.

Lion Secretary, have the officers to be installed been properly elected to their respective offices?

(The Secretary attests the election)

The fact that they have been elected by the members of their Club bears witness to the trust placed in them by their fellow Lions. In accord, I too am confident that they can be depended upon to serve their Lions Clubs and the humanitarian goals of Lionism to the best of their abilities.

It is not my intention to instruct them in detail in their various duties. Their names will be filed in the office of Lions International, from which they will receive information and suggestions for carrying out their various duties. I know they can be depended upon to read and study this informative material carefully, and to execute their duties faithfully. I shall, however, call each officer to the dais, and briefly outline their duties in the Club, so that both the officer and all other Lions will fully understand the role he/she is to play in the Club.

LIGHT THE THREE CANDLES IN FRONT. HAND EACH OFFICER A CANDLE WHEN THEY COME UP (DO NOT LIGHT).

The colors of purple and gold were selected as the official colors of the Association in 1917. To Lions, purple represents loyalty to country, friends, to one's self and to the integrity of mind and heart. It is the color of strength, courage and dedication to a cause. Gold symbolizes sincerity of purpose, liberality in judgement, purity in life and generosity in mind, heart and purse toward mankind. We use the white candle to symbolize the International Association of Lions Clubs because it represents truth.

INSTALLATION OF LION TAMER

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion _______________, you have been elected to serve in the role of Lion Tamer. As such, you will be in charge of and responsible for the Club's property. You will see to it that the flags, gong, gavel and banner are properly placed. You are to assist the past presidents as the official greeters, always welcome and introduce all guests and see that places are provided for all.

Will you perform these duties to the best of your ability?

LION TAMER: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF TAIL TWISTER

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion _______________, you have been elected to serve in the role of Tail Twister. As such, you will be responsible for maintaining harmony and encouraging good fellowship, life and enthusiasm in the best tradition of the Tail Twister. You shall impose and collect the fines at the meetings (and shall use your best judgement when doing so). Much of the success of the meetings will depend upon your resourcefulness in promoting stunts; fun and laughter, making the members forget, for the time at least, their business and any worries they may have. Thus you will break down any reserve which might exist, and draw the members together in closer friendship.

Will you perform these duties to the best of your ability?

TAIL TWISTER: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF MEMBERSHIP & RETENTION CHAIRMAN

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion ______________, you have been elected to serve your Club as Membership & Retention Chairman. As such, you will chair the committee that is responsible for the growth of this Club. Please see to it that all prospective members are properly advised of their obligations to the Club and Lions Clubs International. Provide a meaningful induction, and assist the sponsors in keeping the new members informed and active in the Club. The Membership Committee will also help with the retention of existing members.

Will you perform these duties to the best of your ability?

MEMBERSHIP & RETENTION CHAIRMEN: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF LIONS CLUB DIRECTORS

INSTALLING OFICER: Lions _______________ and _______________, you still have one year to serve as directors. Lions ________________ and _______________, you have been elected to serve as directors on the Board for two years. With the other officers, you form what is termed the Board of Directors of the Club. Your position is important because you will assist in formulating and executing the policies of the Club. You will faithfully attend the regular and special meetings of the Board and your Club. You will give unselfishly of your time and effort to advance your club and Lions International.

Will you perform these duties to the best of your abilities?

LIONS CLUB DIRECTORS: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF VICE-PRESIDENTS

INSTALLING OFFICER: Third Vice-President _______________, Second Vice-President _______________, and First Vice-President _______________, you will cooperate with the other officers and directors of your Club in forming the policies that will guide your Club and its members. Additionally, each of you will oversee the functioning of committees whose performance is vital to the Lions Club. You will motivate the Lions membership to become active in all Club affairs. Furthermore, you in order of your office and presence, will substitute for the President in his/her absence from any Club or Board of Directors Meeting.

Will you, as Vice-Presidents, perform these duties to the best of your abilities?

VICE-PRESIDENTS: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF TREASURER

INSTALLATING OFFICER: Lion ________________, you have been elected to serve your Club as Treasurer. As such you will be custodian of all Club funds, depositing all monies received in such bank or banks as are designated by your Board of Directors. You will assist the Finance Committee in preparing a budget and such financial statements as may be necessary. You will disburse funds only upon direction of the Board of Directors. You will give bond for the faithful performance of your duties; this is for your own protection and in keeping with recognized and accepted business procedure.

Will you, as Treasurer, perform these duties to the best of your ability?

TREASURER: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF SECRETARY

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion _______________, you have been elected to serve your Club as Secretary -- one of the most important offices in your Club. The success of your Club will be determined largely by the efficiency with which you perform the duties of your office. You are the President's closest assistant. Under the direction of the President and the Board of Directors, you are the liaison officer between your Club and Lions International, and between your Club and your District Governor's Organization. You will receive many important communications, and it is your duty to see that your Board of Directors and your Club receive those which require their attention. Among your duties as provided in the Lions International Constitution and By-laws, you shall submit regular Monthly Membership Reports to Lions International, with copies to District Governor, Region Chairman and Zone Chairman on forms provided for this purpose by Lions International. You shall keep the general Club records, including minutes of the Club and Board Meetings, committee appointments, officers' list, attendance records, list of Key members and a roster of members. You shall issue membership cards and you shall collect from all members and others, all monies due the Club, turning such funds over to the Treasurer. You shall furnish financial statements to the Board of Directors monthly, to the Club quarterly, and to Lions International semi-annually. As part of your monthly report to the Board, you shall include the names of all members who are in arrears in payment of dues and those who have absented themselves beyond the attendance requirement provided in the Constitution and By-laws. You are also an active member of the District Governor's Advisory Committee and as such you will attend the quarterly advisory committee meetings of your Zone.

Will you, as Secretary, perform these duties to the best of your ability?

SECRETARY: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF PRESIDENT

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion _______________, you have been elected to the office of President of your Club. You are its Chief Executive Officer, and will be expected to preside at all meetings of your club and regular and special meetings of your Board of Directors. You will, in accordance with the Lions International Club Standard Organization Plan, appoint Administrative and Activities Committees necessary to the functioning of your Club, and act as an ex-officio member of each of these committees. With the assistance of your Vice-Presidents, you shall see that these committees function. You are also, with the Club Secretary, an active member of the District Governor's Advisory Committee and as such you will attend the quarterly advisory committee meetings of your Zone. In addition, you shall serve as an example of spirit and dedication for the Lions Club members, and you shall show each member that you care about their participation in the Club and the unique talents they have to offer in the service of others through your Lions Club. Keep in mind that at the end of your term of office you will be called to give an account of your stewardship. Your record of achievement will then be history. This record in years to come will be compared with the records of other Presidents. Your fellow members - not you - will be the judge and jury. Now is the time to plan, and take steps to continue to build your Club in every way possible so that it may be an example to other Clubs, and a credit to the community, the District and to Lions International.

Will you, as President, perform these duties to the best of your ability?

PRESIDENT: "I will."

INSTALLATION OF IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion _______________, you have served your Club well during your Presidency, and the membership still has need of your knowledge and leadership. You will serve as a member of the Board of Directors, and you will lend assistance to the incoming President, providing him/her with needed records and reports, and sharing with him/her what you have learned in your Presidency. You will continue to exercise the same concern for the involvement of all Lions in Club Activities, as you did during your term of office.

Will you perform these duties to the best of your ability?

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: "I will."

ADDRSSS TO LIONS OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

INSTALLING OFFICER: Lion Officers and Directors, the policies and the achievements of this Lions Club will depend largely upon your actions. You shall authorize all expenditures. So may I , at this time, caution you not to create any indebtedness beyond the income of the Club, nor disburse funds for purposes that are non-essential to the objects of the Club?

I ask you now, will you individually and collectively promise to stand by your Club, live with it and work with it, and give as much of your time and effort as is necessary to properly perform your official duties?

LIONS OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: "I will."

INSTALLING OFFICER: At this time I would ask the Immediate Past President to light his/her candle from the white candle in the centre. We use the candle that represents our International Association as a symbol of the Light of Service being passed from one year to the next.

Please pass the Light to Incoming President _______________, and he/she will pass the Light to the Lions that will serve this Club, our District, and Lions Clubs International for the year ______.

WHEN ALL CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT

ADDRESS TO LIONS MEMBERSHIP

INSTALLING OFFICER: Will all the Lions Club members please rise? Fellow Lions, you have entrusted these Lions with the responsibilities of your Club for the coming year, and they have pledged themselves to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. For them to succeed, and, in turn, for your Lions Club to succeed, these officers and directors, and your Club must have the fullest support of each and every one of you. Lions, I now ask you, will you faithfully assist the leaders of your Club, and will you give of yourselves, actively and unselfishly, so that your Club will prosper and so that the noble goals for which it strives will be met?

LIONS CLUB MEMBERS: "I will."

INSTRUCT THE OFFICERS TO BLOW OUT THEIR CANDLES AND BE SEATED

(Address President, presenting to him/her the gavel of the Club):

To you, Lion President, I hand this gavel, as a token of your Club's esteem and confidence in you, and as your symbol of authority. On behalf of the membership of your Club, I want to assure you of their readiness to follow your leadership during your term of office.

And now Lion _______________, it is my extreme personal pleasure to congratulate you upon the honor your Club has conferred in electing you as it's Chief Executive, and to extend my very best wishes to you and this splendid Club, for a most successful year under your leadership.

We are about to begin the initiation ceremony, which will welcome _____________, ______________, and _____________as new members to the fellowship of the _____________ Lions Club.

This is a most important occasion for these new members and this Club.

I would ask that _________________ and ____________________ and their sponsors come forward.

_________________ and ___________________, on behalf of the _____________ Lions Club, I express to you our pleasure and pride at your presence at this meeting. You have been invited to become a member of this fellowship and we are happy and proud that you have decided to accept membership in this Club and Lions International.

Membership in a Lions Club is a privilege. You are about to become a member of the worlds largest and most active service Club Organization. Invitation to this worldwide fellowship is an honour, which is greater because you did not seek it. Your sponsor presented your name, the membership committee recommended you and the Board of Directors has approved you.

All of us believe that you will be a good Lion and that your Membership will be beneficial to this Club and Lions International.

ReadCode of Ethics (Lion __________)

The Colours (Lion __________)

The Emblem (Lion__________)

Objectives (Lion__________)

You know what Lionism is trying to do in the Service of mankind and you know what is expected of you in the Service of Lionism.

I now ask you____________ and ___________, do you desire to become a Lions member of the ____________ Lions Club?

Since you have expressed a desire to affiliate with this Club, and with Lions International, I now ask that you read the Lions Pledge.

LIONS PLEDGE

"I do hereby accept membership in the ________________ Lions Club, knowing that such membership obliges me to participate in all functions of the Club.

To the best of my ability I will abide by the Lions Code of Ethics, attend all meetings regularly, accept such assignments as are given to me and contribute my fare share to the programs of the Club, my District and Lions International."

You are now members of the _____________ Lions Club. Your sponsor will now place upon your lapel the Lions Emblem, which signifies this membership. From this day forward you will be called and referred to as Lion--------------------in this Club.

Fellow Lion wear that emblem constantly with pride. Let me congratulate you and welcome you into the greatest of all Service Clubs, Lions International. On behalf of the ____________ Lions Club, you will now be presented with a new member's kit.

It contains your official certificate of Membership and material, which will help you get off to a good start in your life as a Lion.

And now from all the Lions in this room, who are proud and happy to have you as a member of the ____________ Lions Club, I want to hear for this new member a Great big Lions Roar!

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Candlelight Induction

The members that we will be inducting today have been invited to join the over 1.4 million Lions in 186 countries and geographical areas around the world that support the Lions Motto:

"WE SERVE"

At this time I would like to ask the prospective members and their sponsors to come forward.

LIGHT CANDLES WHILE THEY ARE COMING UP

HAND EACH PROSECTIVE NEW MEMBER A PURPLE CANDLE

Since you have expressed a desire to affiliate with this Club and with Lions Clubs International, I now ask that you repeat after me:

I do hereby accept membership

in the Lions Club of _______________________

knowing that such membership

obligates me to participate

in all functions of the Club.

To the best of my ability

I will abide by the Lions Code of Ethics

attend meetings regularly

accept such assignments as are given me

and contribute my share to the programs

of my Club, District, and Lions Clubs International.

You are now a member of the Lions Club of _________________________

Your sponsor will now place upon your lapel the Lions Emblem, which signifies this membership.

AS THE SPONSOR PINS THE EMBLEM ON - CONTINUE

The Emblem consists of a gold letter "L" on a circular purple field. Bordering this is a circular gold area with two Lion profiles at either side facing away from the centre. Symbolically, the lions face past and future -- proud of the past and confident of the future.

Now I would like to ask the sponsors to respond to my words with a simple "I will."

Will you fulfill the following obligations to the new member?

Make him/her feel welcome by introducing him/her to all Club members?

Provide him/her with information about the Club, its officers and constitution?

See to it that officers provide him/her with assignments that will enable him/her to immediately become an active Lion?

Arrange for orientation sessions on Lionism?

Be ready to answer any questions he/she might have on the operation of the Club, as well as on any other subject of Lionism?

Encourage him/her to let you know of any existing problems and offer possible solutions?

Assist him/her in developing into an outstanding Lion?

Sponsor responds: "I WILL."

CLOSING STATEMENT TO THE NEW MEMBERS

Fellow Lions, wear that emblem constantly, with pride. Let me congratulate you and welcome you into the greatest of all service club organizations... The International Association of Lions Clubs. On behalf of the Club, I now present you with your official Certificate of Membership and a New Member Kit, which will help you get off to a good start in your life as a Lion. We are all proud and happy to have you as a member of the Lions Club of _________________________.

INSTRUCT THE NEW MEMBERS TO BLOW OUT THEIR CANDLES AND TURN AROUND

I would like to ask the members of this Club to rise and welcome their new members.

CEREMONIES

The following are intended to be examples only and not hard and fast rules to follow. If you have an induction ceremony or other membership activity that you feel is appropriate or outstanding please send a copy to the webmaster and we will try to include it in a future update of this page. Thanks!

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Memorial Service

(The following is the text of a Necrology Service held May 16, 1999 by PDG Lion Joel Ragovin)

We call to order this special meeting of Multiple District 23, to commemorate the Lions and Lioness who are no longer able to answer the call at our meetings. We stand here today to honor those who at this very moment just one year ago stood with us as together we served humanity. They were our husbands, they were our wives, they were our fellow Lions. Those with whom we worked side by side. Always giving of themselves. At this moment in time just one year later they are silent. But if they could speak today, they would ask that the torch of service, the torch of Lionism be passed to those of us who remain.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together... Ecclesiastes 3:1

Our hearts are saddened by the loss of these many Lions, but we are grateful to them for sharing their great compassion and energy with us. Each had a concern for their community and the communities of the world. Each had compassion for their fellow man, which is the essence of Lionism. Each worked long and hard to create an atmosphere of service and fellowship that makes all of us so very proud to be part of the greatest service organization on earth.

They are no longer with us in Life, but their Lion's spirit remains to inspire all. Let each of us here today reach out and accept the torch as it is passed to us to carry on and complete the humanitarian deeds; to fulfill their dream and the dream of Helen Keller, that one day soon we will eradicate the causes of preventable blindness. Take the torch and hold it high and hold it proudly for you are the hopes of the future.

You watched as each District Governor placed two flowers in a vase, using the Lions colors, one purple and one gold to symbolize in our hearts that they are Lions forever. The flowers will remain by the Lions emblem throughout the remaining hours of this convention in remembrance of those Lions and Lioness who remain with us in spirit.

So today we honor and remember our departed Lions. May we have a moment of silent prayer to reflect on their lives.

(At the conclusion of the service the bell is rung three times.)

I now declare this special meeting adjourned.

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Induction Ceremony

Introduction

On January 13, 1879, Melvin Jones was born in Fort Thomas, Arizona and as a young man, made his home in Chicago, where he worked with an insurance firm. In 1913, he formed his own agency.

He soon joined a business circle, which was a group of business minded people who gathered for luncheons, and their primary interest was promoting the financial interests of the members of their group.

Melvin Jones had an idea, an idea that all of the business Circle groups in the United States could work together for the betterment of their own communities and the world at large.

On June 7th. 1917, he called 12 men together from 9 States and the outcome of that meeting would form the "Associations of Lions Clubs". A National Convention was called for October of the same year and 22 Clubs, from 9 states were formed.

In 1920 the Association became International with the formation of the Windsor Lions Club.

Today there are over 1.4 million Lions members, with more than 44,450 Clubs in 740 Districts in 185 countries.

Lions Club members give their time, skills and resources to raise funds for charitable giving, both in their communities and internationally.

Today we are about to welcome a new member into the fellowship of Lionism.

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Lighting the Candles

I would now ask Lion President ----------- to light the Club Candle which signifies the presence of the __________________ Lions Family and this Clubs dedication to humanitarian works in this community and worldwide. A light that will show us the path of Lionism and guide us for years to come.

New member lighting

I now ask you to light your candle from the Club's candle and accept that light as a helping hand and a sharing of fellowship in this great organization.

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Sponsor's Pledge

I Lion____________, having sponsored ______________ as a new member of the ___________ Lions Club, do hereby agree to see that they are properly indoctrinated in the activities and functions of this Club and Lionism.

I further pledge myself, to the best of my ability, to see to it that they attend all Club functions and that they become a good Lion.

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A Lion's Creed

I BELIEVE:That hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person's

character.

I BELIEVE:Through example my children are learning values that will last a lifetime

I BELIEVE:That the best things in life are free, the sunrise, the autumn color, the

beauty of spring.

I BELIEVE:That happiness comes from the joy of doing things for others, with no

thought of personal gain.

I BELIEVE:That by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it and the world is just a little better for my having passed through it.

I BELIEVE:That my life will be measured by what I have done for my fellow man and by this standard I fear no judgement.

I BELIEVE:That when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to

stand tall and feel pride in the life he has lived.

I BELIEVE:A man plants a tree knowing that he will not live long enough to enjoy it

but others will be able to enjoy its shade and beauty.

I BELIEVE:That with the help of about one and one half million Lions I can do my

part to make this a better world for future generations.

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