Secrecy and What We Do

Election season is almost complete. When it ends on April 15, we should have around 150-200 candidates. With luck all of them will go to an Ordeal weekend. Last year 80 people never completed their Ordeal, and didn't become members of the OA. I have no idea why. What I do know is that Chapters should be getting in touch with their elected candidates and making sure that they know when the Ordeals are. Keep people informed. What's going to happen? When do I drop my son off? Can I see the ceremony?

Answers to these questions are available on the candidates page. You can of course talk to your Chapter Advisor or Chapter Chief, and they will know. Or you can email myself or another Lodge Officer.

In addition to keeping people informed, I still feel that some people are getting a negative image of the Order. We are not a secret society. We are an official program of the BSA, which means we follow their rules. And those rules specifically forbid secret organizations and hazing. If you are a concerned parent, and wish to see for yourself at one of our Ordeals, please contact me or Bruce Rueger, the Lodge Advisor. I have read some rather disturbing things on the Internet which show us as being out to do no good at all. Let me very honest and open here: if you approach the Order with a closed mind expecting to see it in a bad light, you will. You can see things you don't like everywhere in life if you try hard enough.

I'll address one complaint: circles. Apparently getting a group of people together in a circle to address them is inherently evil. I do not understand why. Theater-in-the-round is an accepted and very cool way to do a play, but hard to do well. Additionally, it lets all those present see what's going on. Sitting in rank and file is boring and does not.

Take it however you want, but frankly, that's not what we are here for.

What we are here for is three things. Brotherhood, Cheerfulness, and Service.

Brotherhood: Members of the Order tend to be a fairly close-knit group. You'll make friendships in the OA, some that will last a lifetime.

Cheerfulness: We enjoy service. It is all well and good to work, but if you're going to be all down and sullen the whole time, why bother? We think service is awesome, and seriously have fun devoting our time to the upkeep of Council camps, among other things.

Service: The biggest selling point of the Order, it is two things. One, the OA is a call for each member to serve his troop in a greater capacity than before. OA members are usually people who are already heavily involved in troop activities. We encourage them to take part in troop campouts and such even if that means missing one of our events. The OA will also give its members resources to take back to the troop and improve it. Leadership training, meeting ideas, new outlooks on Scouting - all found in the Order.

Thing #2, of course, is the more visible aspect of our service. Each year, we donate about 10,000 hours of service to Pine Tree Council and other camps and properties. These horus can include small stuff, like putting up tents for camp and clearing brush. Or they can be big projects, like building the Main Waterfront at Camp Hinds. We also conduct crossover ceremonies, and teach some classes at University of Scouting.

You can do as much or as little in the Order as you want. We won't hold you back - there are essentially no restrictions on what a member can do or participate in. A first-year Ordeal member can become a Lodge Officer if he runs and is elected. The only things we restrict are the ceremonies for higher Honors, because knowing what's coming ruins the fun.

I can't wait for the Ordeals to start. Not only are they my favorite event out of the whole year, but they are when we induct new members and get a lot of time put in at Council camps. We also have summer Brotherhood conversions and OA Service Hours, Thursdays at Camp Hinds (check the calendar). I look forward to seeing most, hopefully all, of those who were elected this year there.

Lodge Chief