Immigrant Among You -by Arike van de Water

Here in Mountain View Lodge #244 we are trying to give hands and feet to the call to “relieve the distressed” by holding fundraisers, for detained immigrants and refugees, among other things. Isn’t that too political a cause? some critical thinkers in our lodge asked. So it may seem.

Diagram of the 1797 Lodge Layout of the Patriotic Order of Odd Fellows

First, the link below should bring up a diagram of a lodge of Patriotic Odd Fellows in 1797: Patriotic Order of Odd Fellows Lodge Layout The documentation I used to support the making of this diagram is the description of the lodge found in the 1797 ritual book. In looking at the diagram of the […]

I Live My Life According to the Philosophy of Oddfellowship – by Asean Malik Bey

I live my life according to the philosophy of ODDFELLOWSHIP, a philosophy that exemplifies the very essence of life itself, oneness with your creator, discovery of self, and the universal brotherhood of man.

Following Yourself On The Jericho Road

What if the story of the Good Samaritan is about YOU and your personal suffering? Taken as a whole, The Good Samaritan story can be about your own “inner suffering.” Those nights you are alone and cry yourself to sleep. Your anguish at not being able to achieve your goals, or that nagging addiction part […]

What is Oddfellowship? The Three Link Fraternity

The name itself signifies something different or out of the ordinary. And, it is ODD, because it endeavors to enlighten the mind without taking privileges. It conforms to Law, Religion, and sound Morality without usurping the rights of the rights of the church or that of the courts. It creates a brotherhood and sisterhood and not a division among men and women. It presents life in all its fullness, through degrees, so linked together that each one receiving the degrees may broaden his or her mind and elevate his or her character.

IS Odd Fellowship Worth While?

As man has become more and more advanced in his civilization, there has developed in him a knowledge that a selfish life, though it may be rewarded with much of this world’s goods, is, after all, a narrow and useless life — a life but poorly lived.

Christopher McHale Interview -by Toby Hanson PGM

I went from not being a member of the Odd Fellows to then, as I’ve said—it’s kind of overtaken my life. It literally has become a huge chunk of my life and I’ve had a few people over the past two years ask me if they joined Odd Fellowship what would they get out of it. You can literally get out of it whatever you want. You could just show up to a meeting a month and not participate, you can make life long friends, you can travel the world and meet brothers and sisters all over the place.

CONSIDER THE POOR, 1845.

CONSIDER THE POOR. (Adapted and edited for the 21st century reader from The Symbol and Odd Fellows Magazine, 1845. I used 19th/early 20th century photos and drawings to keep with the tone of the article) We call the attention of our readers to the following excerpt, from a report, made by the Episcopal city missionary, Bro. […]

DISCRIMINATION AND RELIEVING THE POOR

As we are called to relieve people who are in distress, we need to understand how certain discriminatory laws contribute to making life harder for others and creates problems beyond their control, especially if one is poor. It is very common for such laws to create inequality even today in 21st century societies. Following is […]

Tips For Creating An Effective Social Media Campaign For Your Lodge

If we’re going to continue increasing membership, we need to consider this statement: In order to recruit Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, we’re going to have to engage them online using social media FIRST. “…using social media FIRST” is an extreme statement, but I mean to sound extreme to challenge some of you to understand the […]

10 Sites To Help Your Lodge Learn About Recruitment

Below are 10 sites that can help give you ideas for recruitment in your lodge! 5 Ways to Attract Young People to Your Nonprofit How To Get People Interested In Your Club Extend An Invitation To Join An Organization 4 Ways To Persuade People To Join Your Startup Effective Student Organization/Recruiting and Membership 11 Effective […]

Odd Fellowship is Progressive by Michael Greenzeiger

We have established a set of requirements to earn each of the three degrees which are intended to help the candidates deepen their involvement with the Lodge and the District as well as to further their internalizing of the lessons of those degrees: Friendship, Love and Truth respectively. The requirements we are currently utilizing are as follows.