We Were All Strangers Once -by Ian Love-Jones

I deeply value a world where former strangers can build community with one another and celebrate universal kinship. Wanting to live in and to create that kind of world, was one of the things that first drew me to Odd Fellowship.

What Questions To Ask -by Laurel Delony, PGM, Grand Secretary of Washington

Frequently, lodges don’t do a thorough-enough interview to find out if the candidate should be allowed to join the lodge. To help the process and improve the quality of interviews, I’ve developed a set of questions to help lodges find out more useful information about candidates and spark discussions that can help lodges to make better decisions about candidates.

Ask Me I May Know -By Ian Love-Jones

“Ask me, I may know.” is a warm invitation to others that puts our approachability, and our humble spirit on display. In just one line, that phrase connects two very important qualities – the willingness to share, and the modesty to admit when we don’t know it all.

Where Do You Lead From? -By Ian Love-Jones

Odd Fellows build and maintain programs, speak publicly, coordinate charity, and hold together the connection and direction of their chosen-family. All of that means that Odd Fellows are in unique positions to learn, practice, and demonstrate leadership. Ponder this my friends, where do you lead from, as an Odd Fellow?

De-escalation in the Day to Day -By Ian Love-Jones

If you’re wondering why an Odd Fellow would want to explore the topic of de-escalation, consider that wherever there are humans in community with one another, humans who become strained or burdened by the layered aspects of their lives, there is always a need for de-escalation.

Degree Work Tips -by Aiden Brink

When I first joined my lodge our degree work had much to be desired, it was always haphazard, no one knew which costumes were which, there was always a last minute scramble putting people into each place as needed. Despite this haphazard nature I still fell in love with doing degree work. I began learning parts, not just reading, but actually memorizing and performing. We acquired some nondescript robes and props which gave us more flexibility.

Mutual Aid -by Ian Love-Jones (OR)

For all that caring and kindness requires of us, the returns are beyond measure. Because one of those many returns is the restoration of hope. In times when aggression, hatred, and deception call out loudly for our attention, and awe, offers of aid restore our hope, and our faith in one another. Mutual aid reminds us of our capacity, with all of our varied talents and resources, to be there for one another in times of personal need.

A Resplendent Display: An argument for Regalia and its importance -by Aiden Brink

In those early years regalia looked a little bit different than it did today, in fact Odd Fellows were in the habit of wearing both collars, sashes, and aprons. You can find many examples of beautifully decorated aprons and collars from the early years of our order, which demonstrate in their intricate designs the care and regard with which their owners held OddFellowship.

Member Retention Seminar -by Toby Hanson, PGM, PGP

We’ve all had the experience of people coming to join the lodge only to leave after the Initiation and never come back. I have collected some suggestions from various sources to help keep those members engaged so they will continue to attend lodge meetings and events and become valued, regular members.

The Covenant of Friendship -by Aiden Brink

While standardized benefits are largely gone at this point, caring and helping one another surely should not be. For my part, one of our senior members can no longer mow his lawn, so I have been going out each week to mow and clean up. I never would have known that he needed help had I not reached out to him, the structures we have in place had failed.

How has Odd Fellowship Changed You? -by Ian Love-Jones

Some members entered Odd Fellowship with Odd Fellow’s values already firmly intact. I hope that statement did not cause a collective gasp, because I’m about to wade in further into that idea.

It’s unlikely that someone was drawn to Odd Fellowship because they had no concept of Friendship, Love, and Truth, community, or sharing – and simply wanted to celebrate those values for the very first time.

The Odd Fellow Academy of Sweden: It’s Origins And Purpose -by Bro. Torbjörn Andersson

The Odd Fellow Academy, which is directly subordinate to the Grand Lodge of Sweden, deals with questions about the past, present and future. As the Odd Fellow Order in Sweden grew, it became increasingly clear that a central documentation of what had happened and is happening within the Order was needed to help out with and gather information […]