Thoughts on the Degree of Friendship -by Michael Douglas PG/PCP WA

It may sound odd to speak of friendship as a contract, because it seems to reference an unfeeling or legalistic business model, but in the ancient world, in the pre-lawyer culture of the patriarchs, there wasn’t much of a difference. A contract was a promise; it was a vow; it was giving your word of honor; and people would swear themselves to friendship in a way that is no longer common in our culture. Establishing a relationship of voluntary commitment in this way is the purest exercise of our freedom.

Issuing Member Benefits in the Modern World -by Paul Mitchell, GUOOF

Long ago one of the reasons our Fraternity was one of the biggest was the issuing of member benefits. Lodges provided benefits for Sickness, Death, and Funeral costs. Most Lodges today have not issued benefits in years. There has been discussions lately about changing that.

Thoughts on the Initiatory Degree -by Michael Douglas, GHP of WA

The Initiatory Degree is the doorway to Odd Fellowship. Its chief moral lesson is the consciousness of mortality. In fact, the contemplation of our own mortality is the starting point of many fraternal paths and wisdom traditions. There are different ways to do this and also different levels on which to approach it. We can do this with intention or without. We are forced to do it by external circumstances periodically in our life when friends, or relatives, or people close to us die or are in danger of death.

But What Do You DO? -by Toby Hanson, PGM, PGP

When it comes to explaining Odd Fellowship to people not familiar with fraternalism, it’s a challenge. The two most common modes of explaining the Order to others are either 1) comparing it to certain *other* fraternal groups (of the apron-wearing persuasion, usually) or 2) talking vaguely about community service and listing off some of our bigger charitable partners or a couple of local lodge activities.

The Initiatory Degree: A Love Story- By Michael Greenzeiger PGM (CA)

I decided that it was time to restore the Initiatory Degree to its rightful place as a shining jewel in the diadem of Odd Fellowship. In this, I enlisted the help of my other love, my wife Linnea who is my partner in Odd Fellowship as in my life… We searched far and wide and got our hands on every versions of the Initiatory Degree we could put our hands on.

Changes in the I.O.O.F. of California- by Rodney Metoyer Grand Rep. (CA)

Let’s revisit change as we have two controversial issues facing the Order today, that were submitted by a member. The first is to remove the Supreme Being from our Code. The second is to remove the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) from the Ritual.

“Odd fellows Symbolic Vanitas” New Art by Ainslie Heilich

I am proud to introduce the latest art project for the Good of the Order, the “Odd Fellows Symbolic Vanitas”. Scroll down for the link to order items from Zazzle.

1954-55 GL of OH Official Guide for DDGMs and School of Instruction

I recently picked up this little guide book on eBay. I love buying old IOOF pamphlets and booklets mostly because I can build my library of visual elements that might come in handy. Sometimes the content is the same information we already have access to, but sometimes I get lucky and the content is worth sharing.

This is one of those lucky finds. The explanations of duties are clearly written and very informative and there is a bonus detailed “Charter Draping Ceremony”.

An Odd Fellows Christmas Carol

Young Tim Cratchit had, somewhat reluctantly, finally given in to his father’s pleadings to “just come check it out” and had decided to apply. When the time came to initiate him, Bob requested the lodge do as close to the full initiatory degree as possible instead of what they usually did, which was merely watching the video degrees and then unceremoniously draping a white collar around Timmy’s neck.

How We Saved The Lodge In Wenatchee

Everything seemed like it was going along well for Prosperity Lodge #301…. until Covid reared its ugly head. That wasn’t the only problem, however. Personality conflicts and disputes over the meeting time and other issues started tearing the lodge apart. When the meetings stopped in March 2020 the lodge looked like it was done for.

Burying the Dead- by Kaitlyn L. Osman

In the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), we have several mission statements. The one I am personally drawn to the most is “Bury the Dead.” In modern times, this mission has somewhat fallen wayside. However, I believe by using the international Odd Fellows platform to help spread awareness about the importance of burying the dead, as well as utilizing all the modern options available, we could completely revolutionize the death industry.

Growth Mindset -by Toby Hanson PGM, PGP

The hand-wringing keeps coming up: young people just aren’t joiners; nobody wants to be an Odd Fellow anymore; we don’t have the members we used to. But is that an accurate picture of Odd Fellowship and does it take into account the huge potential for growth going forward?