We are charitable, but we are not a charity. Our purpose is to take good men and make them better. That having been said, the Masonic fraternity has a variety of charities that are almost exclusively devoted to children. There are numerous hospitals around the country that treat children free of charge including the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, schools, clinics, scholarships and treatment programs for a variety of conditions including dyslexia, dental health, vision and a variety of other conditions.

As a lodge we offer scholarships, the Lamar Medal, and the Community Builder Award for deserving non-Masons who demonstrate leadership and make a positive difference in the community.

Additionally, JPL sponsors at least one Gift of Life blood drive per year. The purpose of the Gift of Life blood drive was originally to provide all of the blood needed to support the various Masonic children's hospitals in Texas. This goal has been reached. Today, the goal of the Gift of Life program is to provide all the blood needed to support ALL of the children's hospitals in Texas - not just the Masonic hospitals. This is a very ambitious goal for the Masons of Texas, but one we believe will be achieved in time.

One of our newer endeavors has been to volunteer at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. We are setting aside some of our Thursday evening meetings and directing the members to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children to work with the children in the evenings and help bring some fun for them during a stressful period. Please speak with one of our officers if you are interested in volunteering. We would love to have you.

Those would be Shriners, and are affectionately known as the party animals of Masonry. All Shriners are Masons, but not all Masons are Shriners.

The process takes approximately two months after the Membership Committee has met with you and you have met the members of the lodge and have let us know that you believe that you are good fit for JPL by delivering to us a completed petition. Generally speaking we want the opportunity to get to know you prior to your affiliating with or joining JPL. We have a lodge social scheduled on the last Thursday of each month where we will expect to meet you and for you to meet our members. You are also welcome to have dinner with us at our Stated Meeting.

Our dues are currently $60 per year and are occasionally adjusted upward at the will of the lodge. There are fees associated with each of the degrees. The fees vary according to the degree and the fees that the lodge is required to pay to Grand Lodge. Until this webmaster is told exactly what the degree fees are you should assume that they are approximately $300.

The members of the lodge are expected to find a niche whereby they can use their talents and natural inclinations to perform one of the many duties around the lodge that must be done. Some serve on investigation committees, degree teams, work on the newsletter or Web site, assist with the blood drive, select the sites for the Socials, make reservations for other family nights, or any of the other countless duties that cross the desk of the Master each week. Generally, we expect our members to do what they can and to try to reserve a couple of hours on Thursday evenings.

First and foremost you should feel comfortable with the members and know that they have your best interest first and foremost in their minds.

Ask the lodge if their ritual will pass the scrutiny of the Committee on Work of the Grand Lodge of Texas.

Ask to meet the people who will be responsible for teaching you the work. Does your instructor look like someone you would want in your peer group?

Ask to meet some of the lodge's current Entered Apprentices or Fellowcrafts and interview them. Do they say things like, "I really like coming here" or "I really like learning with these guys?"

Interview the Master and the officers. Do they appear to be confident and competent or unsure and unusually eager to get your signed petition?

Ask about the finances of the lodge and if they have a sufficient endowment to sustain the lodge or at least have an active plan to create the needed endowment

JPL is looking for men of good moral character who are interested in improving themselves and helping others improve themselves.

No. Crimes involving moral turpitude will disqualify a man for membership. Minor mistakes made in the past that one has learned from will not disqualify one for membership. We only ask that we know of them up front on the petition so that the lodge can make an informed decision.

Yes. Men of all races are welcome to join our lodge.

Yes. Men of all faiths are welcome to join our lodge. We require our members to have a belief in a supreme being and everlasting life.

No. Freemasonry is a male only fraternity.

We request that our members be available for lodge on Thursday evenings. During the learning process a candidate will need to expect to spend at least one hour three times per week for approximately twelve weeks to get through the esoteric work.

No, but we are required to describe the handicap to Grand Lodge. We require that our members be physically and mentally able to support their families.

JPL has no educational requirement. We require that our members have the ability to read and write and support their families.

JPL does not officially limit our membership, but we have found that 11 petitions per year balances the lodge well. Here is why. We meet almost exclusively on Thursday evenings with few and rare exceptions. This means that we will have 52 possible meetings per year. We are generally dark for six weeks beginning Thanksgiving through New Years Day. We have 12 Stated Meetings where we conduct the business of the lodge. This allows us 34 opportunities for degrees. Grand Lodge Law only allows for one candidate per degree. We expect each of our candidates to receive each of the three degrees, therefore, 34 / 3 = 11.3. Accepting more than 11 petitions per year would require that JPL make alternative arrangements for the degrees. Generally, the alternate arrangements include conferring degrees on Wednesday evenings or sometimes on Saturdays. We have also conferred multiple degrees the same evening.

All of our members find us. We do not solicit members. Half find us on the Internet, the other half are referred to us by other members.