COMING SOON: “The Ante Room” Video Series

Heart in Hand: The Modern Odd Fellow’s Guide is proud to announce “The Ante Room”. A video series where we discuss all things “Odd” and interview members from all over the globe. If you have a topic idea you would like to see covered or want to be featured on the show, just send an […]

Ainslie discusses the Lodge Goat on the Historical Light Podcast -full video interview

Have you heard the jokes around Freemasonry about “the goat”? Have you heard of the Odd Fellows (IOOF)? Well, in this episode of Historical Light our resident historians tackle both topics head-on with a special guest, Ainslie Heilich. To top things off, Ainslie is our first guest on the show that is not a Freemason, but rather an Odd Fellow. We get to go on a special private tour of an Odd Fellows lodge and tackle the issue of the goat head-on in the process. You will not want to miss this episode!

17 Songs That Make You Think About Odd Fellowship

Matisyahu, Tim McGraw, Drake, Michael Franti, singers from the musical Rent, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Rage Against the Machine, Queen, Luminaries, Black Eyed Peas, Craig Morgan, White Stripes, Aretha Franklin, Bo Diddley, Swedish House Mafia, Bob Dylan. OK folks, these are music videos that can get you thinking about being an Odd Fellow. Some are […]

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 […]

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 […]

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.

Traditional Odd Fellowship, by Michael Greenzeiger

I have often been asked if I consider myself to be more of a traditionalist or a reformer when it comes to Odd Fellowship. I actually don’t consider those to be a contradiction, however. Odd Fellowship itself has evolved considerably over the years, from the “convivial society” of the 1700’s through the height of ritual and symbolism during the 1800’s and the charitable and service focus of the 1900’s. I do not yet know what this century will bring, but I do know that there is much of value in our past.

Is It Time For Your GL to Call It Quits? A Historical View.

The number we keep seeing is 200. We see this number from research conducted by Dedicated Members for Change (God bless ye!), and also mentioned by others on various Facebook posts and direct messages some of us receive. What’s the number 200? The consensus seems to be, that if your jurisdiction has fewer than 200 […]