The North Carolina Mason

Freemasonry is truly an international association of friends and brothers. And lodges and Grand Lodges from around the world regularly meet in conferences and symposiums to discuss issues that are very often the same around the globe – relevance to society, membership growth, financial health, history, and how to create a positive impact for local communities, our states, and national cultures. This year's World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodge was held in Jerusalem, Israel. The World Conference is open to all regular Masons, and each member jurisdiction has two representatives. North Carolina's representatives are the Grand Master and the Grand Secretary. Because the Conference is every 18 months and overlaps the one-year tenure of our Grand Master, the immediate Past Grand Master is often in attendance. This year, Most Worshipful Kevan Frazier, Most Worshipful Larry Thompson, and Right Worshipful Jonathan Underwood represented North Carolina. Their trek started in Tel Aviv, the old Port of Joppa, and progressed into the country to Jerusalem. Besides attending the Conference and making friends from around the world – at least 75 other countries – they visited the Western Wall (the foundation of Solomon's Temple), the Noble Sanctuary (the site of Solomon and Herod's Temple, and later the headquarters of the Knights Templar), the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (where Christ was crucified and buried), and peeked into the "Mason's Hall" inside the archaeological excavations adjacent to the Western Wall. The next World Conference will take place in November 2024 in Parana, Brazil. The next North American Conference (an annual conference) will take place in Seattle, Washington, in February 2024. World Masonic Conference Jerusalem, Israel: May 2023 by Matthew Robbins, Assistant Grand Secretary 36 | T H E M A S O N M AGA Z I N E

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