How to Run A Lodge Meeting – by Toby Hanson, PGM, PGP

We’ve all attended lodge meetings that were slow, boring, meandering, and pointless. Nothing kills the desire of members to participate in meetings faster than having to sit through terrible, formless meetings with seemingly no reason to be there. Having been through that very same experience too many times myself, I decided to gather some sources and put together a guide to how a lodge meeting should be run.

Religion and Odd Fellowship -by Toby Hanson, PGM, PGP

The end result of all of this is that Odd Fellowship is left in a kind of middle ground. For some, the secrecy of our operations is reason enough to raise suspicions of our activities. For others, our religious inclusion makes us unsuitable. For still others, there’s already too much inclusion of religion within Odd Fellowship. We’re non-political and non-sectarian. You can support the political philosophy of your choice and worship in the way that suits your conscience and still be an Odd Fellow.

Why I Joined -by Sergio Paredes

With the rise of Wi-Fi and mobile smart phones came the decline of in-person friendships and authentic human contact. I didn’t know what had happened until I found myself wondering what was missing. At one point I thought it was my career. Then 2008 came and I lost the job I saw providing something I thought I wanted but didn’t need. Then life took my attention as family and work took over my schedule. So I continued to go about still wondering why I just couldn’t find that sense of fulfillment. No matter how many friends or followers I had on social media, every time I looked back there was no one there. As my schedule slowly opened up I was able to use my biggest distraction to my advantage: I Googled fraternities.

Members Have Needs Too – by Billy Sanderson

Prior to joining Odd Fellows, I realized that I was unhappy with certain parts of my life, and at the time I found hard to articulate what these parts were. When I look at the hierarchy today, I estimate that I was not having my “Belongingness” and “Esteem” needs fulfilled by everyday and work life until I joined. As leaders in our lodges, we can easily be aware of Members who are striving for more. They are saying or act like they are “all-in”, or they “can’t get enough”. We can see it in their enthusiastic participation in meetings or events. These members can get our attention for “moving up” to become officers and mentors for new members.

Second New Podcast! Modern Goat Rider

The landscape for Odd Fellows podcasts has been baren for too long! If you have been searching for information about Odd Fellows or how to live a life full of Oddfellowship, then this podcast is ready for your discovery. Brother Billy Sanderson and Brother Josh Miller discuss life inside and outside of Odd Fellows. When joined by guests their view of Odd Fellows around the world expands. Subscribe and listen to join them on the journey.

NEW PODCAST! The Three Links Odd Cast!

Odd Fellowship is about to make a major stride into the Twenty-first Century with the launch of The Three Links Odd Cast, the first major podcast focused on the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Hosted by Sovereign Grand Musician Toby Hanson, SGL Communications Committee member Ainslie Heilich, and Brother Sergio Paredes, the podcast will feature discussion of various topics of interest to Odd Fellows including history, origins, traditions, current situations, and others. The format of the podcast is a guided discussion with each episode having a particular focus. For the first episode, the hosts discussed their experiences in joining the Odd Fellows and shared observations on the process.

First Ever GUOOF International Online Meeting

With the blessings of the Committee of Management IN America and Jurisdiction; as well as the District Grand Lodge of Georgia with St James 1455 hosting… This is uncut. This is the first online meeting of its kind… EVER with members from around the world. 05/17/2020. This has involvement from members of the USA, Ghana, and Bahamas. Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Nigeria will be on the next call along with the sisters of House Hold Of Ruth. This is truly a historic event.

The Ante Room: Ep 4, Tour of Tuscola Odd Fellows Lodge #316 with Ainslie Heilich

On this episode: Brother Ainslie Heilich shows off his unusual living arrangement of sharing living quarters with an active Lodge. Take a tour of the apartment and Tuscola Lodge #316. Lots of antiques and oddities to see.

The Ante Room: Ep 3 (3/3) Odd Fellows Symbolism by Billy Sanderson

On this episode: Brother Billy Sanderson is a member of Columbia #2 in Victoria, BC. He is presenting on the symbolism of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. On Part 3 he discusses the symbolism of the First Degree, the Degree of Friendship!

A Remembrance of Mutual Relief – by Michael Greenzeiger, GW CA

Our forebearers in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows knew that the acts of love and compassion we performed were at the center of our collective identity and were the secret to our growth and success. Somehow, though, we have become increasingly distant from these noble ends and our Order has paid the price, becoming a mere shadow of its former self in terms of size and vibrancy. It didn’t happen all at once, but rather bit by bit until we have found ourselves in a place where many members don’t even know what our aims and principles are, let alone work to carry them out in their communities.

Encampments: What Do They Do? by Toby Hanson, PGP

The Encampment branch of Odd Fellowship is intended to be the place where more active, more experienced Odd Fellows can come together and share ideas and information with one another. It’s supposed to be a meeting of more advanced Odd Fellows who have gained wisdom from their years of service within the Order. It’s also supposed to be a place where those learned Odd Fellows can pass their knowledge and experience on to younger, newer Odd Fellows. I like to call Encampments the “think tanks” of Odd Fellowship.

The Ante Room: Ep 3 (1/3) Odd Fellows Symbolism by Billy Sanderson

On this episode: Brother Billy Sanderson is a member of Columbia #2 in Victoria, BC. He is presenting on the symbolism of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. On Part 1 he discusses the background and function of symbolism as it pertains to Oddfellowship. Stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3!