Mississippi Blues: The Story So Far

By Christopher Hodapp

Despite what many regular readers might think, I really hate reporting on internal Grand Lodge fights. I REALLY don't like doing it. And I notoriously wind up getting the story in bits and pieces which makes if difficult to be factual and unbiased. 

With that disclaimer in mind, I need to try and address the current mess going on in the Grand Lodge of Mississippi F&AM. So, here goes... 

Over the last few weeks, a story has been bubbling out of Mississippi that’s been tough to piece together. The whole situation has become a tangled web of internal disputes, legal challenges, and procedural wrangling, with various factions all trying to assert authority and protect their interests and reputations. 

The story starts way back in 1966, when the Mississippi Demolay Foundation was set up by Master Masons to support youth activities and manage charitable funds. In 1985, the Mississippi DeMolay Foundation was renamed the Mississippi Masonic Youth Foundation, Inc. as an independent Masonic-related organization operating within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi. That word 'independent' would eventually turn out to be wide-open to interpretation. 

Things went along fine for another fifteen years or so. But then, between 2000 and 2016, not a single meeting of the foundation would take place. In 2017, the foundation was resurrected, new officers were elected, and it began functioning again. 

Fast forward to 2024, when the foundation’s president passed away, leading to new leadership. Around this time, tensions started brewing between the foundation’s board and the Grand Lodge’s strategic planning committee. That committee, led by Chairman Terry McLeod and then-Grand Master Jerry L. Lewis, wanted the foundation to shut down and hand over its funds, claiming the Grand Lodge had authority over it. The foundation’s board pushed back, arguing that the Grand Lodge didn’t actually control their funds or governance. 

(Shades of what happened in the District of Columbia MESH charities a couple of years ago. From what I can tell, there were no allegations of impropriety – it's strictly about who controls it: the Grand Lodge, or the foundation's officers.)

This disagreement spilled over into various meetings and communications. In March 2025, during a DeMolay Legion of Honor meeting, Terry McLeod successfully moved to strip former foundation board members of their honors. Then, at the Annual Grand Communication, McLeod got up and gave a lengthy report accusing the foundation’s board of withholding funds and being subversive. The report caused confusion and controversy among members, with some calling for clarification. 

Eventually, Past Grand Master Butch Britt moved to strike the report from the official proceedings, and the motion passed. But the words and accusations hung in the air like a great hanging thing. New Grand Lodge officers were elected, and the session continued. But the fallout from McLeod’s comments led Polar Star Lodge #154 to file charges of Un-Masonic Conduct against McLeod, the strategic planning committee, and other senior members for allowing the report to be presented in such a manner in the first place. These charges were sent to the new Grand Master, Billy Wayne Bunch, who recused himself from the trial and handed authority to Deputy Grand Master Melton V. Broome. 

DGM Broome announced a Grand Lodge Trial, but the process was murky since the Masonic laws didn’t spell out how such a trial should be run. He decided each subordinate lodge would get one voting representative. This decision, along with other actions, sparked further opposition: fourteen Past Grand Masters submitted a resolution criticizing Bunch’s authority, the trial procedures, and the handling of charges. They called for the rights of all members to be respected, and even suggested impeachment proceedings against GM Bunch.

Bunch responded with an official communication, defending his actions and criticizing the Past Grand Masters’ resolution. He ordered the Grand Secretary to refund costs related to the resolution’s distribution and remove it from the online system. He insisted he was acting in the best interests of the Craft, and wouldn’t be swayed by hidden agendas.

As the Grand Lodge trial date approached, a continuance was granted to allow more time for review. The Law and Jurisprudence Committee was asked to throw in their two cents on the matter, and their report outlined how a Grand Lodge Trial should be conducted, including the makeup of the trial commission, procedures, and rights of the accused. Bunch issued an edict to enforce these procedures, but the Past Grand Masters pushed back again, arguing the edict was illegal and denied members their voting rights.

Eventually, enough subordinate lodges and Past Masters supported a call for a Special Meeting of Members to address the issues, including the charges and possible impeachment. On October 10, 2025, an official notice signed by Deputy Grand Master Melton Broome was sent to all Mississippi lodges that the Trial Commission would convene on November 5, 2025, at Joppa Shrine Temple in Biloxi. On October 14, Grand Master Bunch issued his own official communication to the lodges reiterating that the Grand Lodge Trial Commission would indeed proceed on November 5th. Copies of these notices began to appear on social media platforms as Mississippi Masons attempted to make sense of the whole mess, and pro and con opinions mounted.

Suddenly, the Shriners got nervous that they were being sucked into this whole whirlwind, if only by association. The Biloxi Shrine Temple Divan made it clear they wanted no part in the controversy, and the national Shriners leadership advised them to steer clear of the whole mess. This, too, made the rounds of Facetwit and Xwitter.

Meanwhile, legal action was filed in civil court by McLeod, Lewis, Vining, Jones and McMahon, seeking a restraining order against the Grand Lodge’s actions. Dragging grand lodge disputes into civil courts is usually a horrible development, but this had an almost immediate effect: after the court filing got widely circulated on social media, the scheduled trial was abruptly canceled.

That brings us up to the present. As of right now, the Grand Lodge still embroiled in these issues, waiting for the next chapter to unfold. I'm afraid everyone involved should take a line out of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi's own social media policy to heart: "We should seek Brother to Brother intervention." Their Grand Lodge slogan is "Cemented With Love." Unfortunately, it appears they are now hip deep in a quagmire made of ever-hardening cement as the days pass.