I’m always impressed by the sheer volume of support that can come out of just one Odd Fellow’s lodge. Support for not only members but for the larger community.
My lodge provides communal space for dance, music, theatre, and martial arts classes. We have a museum of local history centering influential Odd Fellows. We award laptops to high school seniors who actively give back to their community. We donate to relieve the distressed and to support humanitarian causes. We raise money for local PTAs with an annual Halloween carnival, and much more! And that’s all in addition to the support that we Odd Fellows offer to one another inside the lodge. I’ve seen first hand how we render aid to our members in need. Members that have gone through everything from strain and sickness, to the loss of a job, or a loved one.
I’ve described the impact of just one lodge. Now think of the collective impact of our many lodges, the world over. Odd Fellows gather together for fellowship, encouragement, mutual aid, and to plan and carry out relief of the distressed. As varied as the programs and activities may be from one lodge community to the next, all of those efforts arise from our cherished ability to assemble freely, and to speak truth so that we can identify distress and coordinate our uplifting efforts.
Let’s remember that common thread and not only be champions of our fraternal works, but also champions of the things that allow us to do that work. Whatever we do to protect these cherished abilities to assemble and to speak freely, protects the very cornerstones of our Order. Cornerstones that allow us to function as we were designed. The only stance required to see the value in these liberties is a stance in favor of the continued good works of Odd Fellowship.
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