What are you going to do to improve Masonry in Mississippi?  This is a question that was posed to me shortly after I was installed as Grand Master.  The answer is very simple.  We are going to give you the opportunity to make your Lodge better.  How?  We want to encourage every Lodge to work more, meet more, and yes, do more.  

We believe that if your Lodge does not meet every week it is dying. 
Let me repeat that.  If your lodge does not meet every week it is dying.

If you were to only attend your Church one day a month, how long would it be before you got out of the habit of going?  When your community drives by your Lodge and the parking lot is full, people want to know what is going on.  When four or five Lodge members meet at the Lodge to work on the building, it encourages other members to participate.  When you take advantage of the opportunity for Masonic Education, you are giving yourself the tools you need to be a better person and a better Mason. 

If you want to be more than just a card carrier, you must invest your time and, yes, your money into your Lodge.  Building improvements cost time and money.  Meals at the Lodge cost time and money.  Good Masonic Education cost time and money.  

Are you beginning to understand my point?  If the Lodge building needs painting, who is supposed to provide the labor and the paint?  When the Lodge has a meal, who is supposed to cook and provide the meal?  When quality instructors in Masonic Education are brought in, who is supposed to reimburse them for their time and expenses?

What it all boils down to is the simple fact that your Lodge and your Masonic membership are only worth what you are willing to invest.  Freemasonry is not free! 

Jason Jefcoat, Grand Master
Grand Lodge of Mississippi