Brothers,
We have had a great year! We hosted Conclave, we attended National events like SummitCorps and Indian Summer, we’ve serviced events like Calumet and the Angelica camporee. Our Lodge is doing a lot, and we do get better all the time. Unfortunately, we still face many problems.
Even as our Lodge continues to improve, our attendance is going down. At our Fall Ordeal, we performed some amazing service for Camp Merz. We built trails, bridges and stairs… with just seven inductees! Think of what we could accomplish with twenty! Ours is an incredible organization, but so few people are taking advantage of the opportunities it provides.
What do you stand to gain from becoming more involved with the Lodge? Leadership, Fellowship, and Life-Changing Experiences. I would like to take a moment to tell you about my experience with these things in the OA.
Leadership is something I may never have acquired had it not been for the Order of the Arrow. Sure, I was an Eagle Scout before I became Lodge Chief, but this organization has presented me with challenges, training, and opportunities I would never have faced otherwise. As a scout, you are faced with challenges between other scouts; in the Order of the Arrow, I have worked with people all over the country! It always pushes your boundaries; it takes you places you never thought you could be.
It has been said that you can judge a man by the company he keeps. If this is true at all, it speaks volumes about life in the Order of the Arrow. Everywhere you go in this organization, you see, interact and bond with the leaders of tomorrow. This Fellowship is one of the greatest treasures of Scouting. In the Order of the Arrow, I have made great friends. I’ve worked with the best of the best from all over the country. These brothers are tomorrow’s CEO’s, presidents, doctors, athletes…the people you meet in the OA are incredible.
Last year, I went to Northern Tier on the OA Wilderness Voyage trek. I spent two weeks living in nature with six other guys. We carried everything, we had no soap or deodorant, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. We spent six days repairing a trail originally built by the CCC in the 30s. We spent the next six canoeing (and portaging) over 100 miles back to the base camp. This just one of the many life-changing opportunities I have had in the OA. From the fellowship of 9,000+ Arrowmen at NOAC, to the time I crawled under a downed tree with a canoe on my back, to our annual Fellowships and Ordeals, my life is changed every time I put on the sash. These are experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything. They push your boundaries, they urge you forward; they revolutionize the way you think. The Order of the Arrow offers you experiences that will change your life forever.
So what’s the point? Get more involved! Take advantage of these amazing opportunities. Our Order and our world is starving for men of character, people who can do anything and who know it. And nothing teaches that like the OA.
Yours in Brotherhood,
Braden Stewart
Lodge Chief
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