Ebenezer Lodge #76 Senatobia, Miss.

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." - Psalm 100:4 Brethren, Thanksgiving marks the beginning... of that wonderful season leading up to the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, that season better known as Christmas. Thanksgiving Day is an annual day where we give thanks to God for the blessings we have enjoyed the past year, as Masons we should thank Him daily. A day of food and festivities with family and friends. Time to relive old memories and make new ones. A day of reflection. Let us not forget we are blessed to live in a country where we have freedoms and rights unlike any other country. Like the right to assemble, which allows us to meet, unhindered, in our lodges for friendship, fellowship, knowledge and to respect God. Please pause during the day to remember those responsible for defending and protecting those freedoms, past and present, whether they are military, law enforcement, fire fighter or first responder. As Grand Master I wish each Master Mason, Fellowcraft and Entered Apprentice and their families within Mississippi a safe, joyous and Happy Thanksgiving, Jason Jefcoat Grand Master

Free Will Another Brother and I had a running disagreement about the lessons of the lecture during initiation. He said the main lesson was about Trust. Maybe ...so, but I felt then and still feel the two most important words in the degree are Free Will. Masons and our Masonic Lodges lean heavily on the concept of Free Will. Candidates for Freemasonry are asked repeatedly if they are at the Lodge of their own Free Will. We are not allowed to pressure men to join Masonry, or even to invite men to become Masons. Instead, men have to choose to approach the Lodge of their own Free Will and ask to join. After that, the Lodge members vote for or against the candidate and we do this of our own Free Will. The unanimously approved candidate then returns to the lodge, or not, for advancement via exercise of his own Free Will. One of the most historically significant points about Freemasonry is that we have always chosen our own leaders via the exercise of Free Will. We vote for our leaders, and those leaders step away from office at the end of their terms. One of most important events in the political history of the United States occurred when George Washington willingly stepped aside and left the presidency at the end of his second term. Prior to that, voluntary giving up of power by a head of state was unheard of in world history. Yet Freemason George Washington exercised his own free will and following Masonic custom shook the hand of his successor and voluntarily retired to the sidelines. Through the exercise of Free Will Masons choose learn to control our impulses and passions and to conduct ourselves more appropriately in public and private with our fellow man. All of our actions are a matter of choice. For example, when confronted by an argumentative person we make a choice of whether to return harsh word for harsh word, to respond with kindness and patience, or to walk away. When we choose a course of action, whether it be a for a momentous life event or whether to have a salad or a sandwich for lunch, we exercise our free will. We choose in our daily lives how we initiate or respond to conversations. We choose to speak well or speak ill of another. We choose to find and speak of the positives in our world, or we choose to find the negative. We choose to build, and we choose to destroy. Which will we choose today? Will we choose to carry brotherly love to those we meet out in the world or will we choose to confine it inside the walls of our lodges? Will we choose to follow our obligations, or will we choose to ignore those? Will we choose to work to become better than we were yesterday, or will we choose to remain as we were? An Anonymous Mississippi Mason

Brethren, Friday, November 22 at 6:30pm Grand Master Jason Jefcoat will be at Panola Lodge #66 Batesville for an informational meeting. This meeting is open to all Regular Entered Apprentices, Fellow Crafts, and Master Masons. The Grand Master will read all 20 of the proposed bylaw changes to be presented at the 2020 Grand lodge session. After reading the proposals the floor will be opened for comments and questions. Panola Lodge is located on the Square in Downtown Bates...ville. The street address is: 135 Public Square Batesville, MS 38606 Please share as appropriate.

You think you want to be a Freemason. What is next? First you must contact a Master Mason and ask for a petition. One of the rules is that Masons can’t ask som...eone to become a Mason. The prospective Mason has to ask to join. Two members of the same Lodge must sign your petition stating that they have a personal knowledge of your character and that they believe you would make a good member. These two members will then turn your petition into the Lodge at its business meeting. At the Lodge’s business meeting a committee of three Master Masons will be assigned the responsibility of investigating your background. This will include interviewing you in person to make sure you understand what the Lodge’s expectations are of you. They should talk to your wife letting her know what the Lodge is and does. If your family does not fully support your desire to become a Freemason, you are wasting your time and ours. The committee will report to the Lodge what they find and report you as favorable or unfavorable. At that point the Lodge will vote on your petition. If you are elected by a unanimous ballot you will be asked to come to the Lodge, and you will be interviewed again to make sure you will be an asset to the Lodge. You will then be required to pay a fee to the Lodge and you will be initiated. From start to finish, you can expect this process to take at least two to three months, but then you are just getting started. Congratulations and welcome to the Fraternity. For even more information, follow this link: https://ms.grandview.systems/public_lodges/inquiry

The Grand lodge of Mississippi Leadership 101 class scheduled for November 23 has been moved from Ebenezer Lodge to Northwest Shrine Club due to higher than expected enrollment. There is now plenty of space available. Follow the link below to register. https://www.msgrandlodge.org/emerging-leaders-program/