A description of the IOOF membership process...
So just how does one become an Odd Fellow? It's quite easy: You ask to join or you are asked, you find it to be a good idea, and apply for membership. Like all societies, we have a process for the intake of new members. Since we are a fraternity who may go out of our way to seek promising members and ask them to join us, chances are you may have come into contact with the lodge that way. Or maybe you are a person who would be interested in Odd Fellowship and who just hasn't run into an Odd Fellow who has invited you to check into it. You can ask to join, it's okay. So call, e mail us or drop by the lodge! We receive all who are interested in membership with a great sense of welcome. You've flattered us, after all, by showing some interest. The lodge is a friendly place to members and non-members alike.If you have had some kind of contact with the lodge or learned of it's existence and are interested, here's how it usually goes from there:
In a
nutshell, you fill out an application which is also signed by your
sponsor. Finding a sponsor should be no problem. They'll also help you
fill out the application. The three basic requirements to be an Odd
Fellow are:
You are attesting that you meet those three requirements by your signing the application, and yes it does say that on the application. Your application is then presented and voted upon formally at the next lodge meeting. (Which can be as soon as mere minutes afterwards if, by chance, it was filled out at lodge during a meeting night.) This is only a vote on the application itself, not your membership. If the vote was to accept then an interviewing committee of three brothers will be appointed to, well, interview you. Your sponsor cannot be an interviewer. You'll be contacted by the Interview Committee and an interview date arranged, usually scheduled for the social time prior to the next weeks meeting.
Interviews are done with only the interviewers and prospective member present. The interview can last about ten minutes most of the time. You may be asked if you have time for Odd Fellowship, why you want to join, and if your significant other (should you have one) agrees with your involvement. It can also serve as a chance to ask any special question you may have. There is no serious grilling done in the interview nor is the candidate made to feel uncomfortable. You'll also have to verbally be asked, and then attest, that you meet the three basic requirements noted above. The Interview Committee has to stand there during their report and say they heard you say "yes" so of course they have to ask first.
At the next meeting the committee will discuss the interview and what they thought of you. You'll then be voted on by way of secret ballot. It is strictly forbidden for a brother to discuss how he or anyone else voted, nor the discussion that surrounded your membership, so don't even ask. If a brother did talk about this he would be risking expulsion.
Assuming the vote was to accept you as a member, you will be contacted by your sponsor and congratulated. An initiation date, normally falling on a lodge night, will also be scheduled. This can sometimes be done as soon as the next lodge meeting. Until you are initiated you cannot attend meetings since you're not a member yet, but you are more than welcome to share fellowship with us during our pubic hour, prior to our weekly meeting. And be sure to dress nice for your initiation, it's a big deal!
- Belief in a supreme being who created the universe.
- You are over the age of eighteen.
- You are loyal
to your country.
You are attesting that you meet those three requirements by your signing the application, and yes it does say that on the application. Your application is then presented and voted upon formally at the next lodge meeting. (Which can be as soon as mere minutes afterwards if, by chance, it was filled out at lodge during a meeting night.) This is only a vote on the application itself, not your membership. If the vote was to accept then an interviewing committee of three brothers will be appointed to, well, interview you. Your sponsor cannot be an interviewer. You'll be contacted by the Interview Committee and an interview date arranged, usually scheduled for the social time prior to the next weeks meeting.
Interviews are done with only the interviewers and prospective member present. The interview can last about ten minutes most of the time. You may be asked if you have time for Odd Fellowship, why you want to join, and if your significant other (should you have one) agrees with your involvement. It can also serve as a chance to ask any special question you may have. There is no serious grilling done in the interview nor is the candidate made to feel uncomfortable. You'll also have to verbally be asked, and then attest, that you meet the three basic requirements noted above. The Interview Committee has to stand there during their report and say they heard you say "yes" so of course they have to ask first.
At the next meeting the committee will discuss the interview and what they thought of you. You'll then be voted on by way of secret ballot. It is strictly forbidden for a brother to discuss how he or anyone else voted, nor the discussion that surrounded your membership, so don't even ask. If a brother did talk about this he would be risking expulsion.
Assuming the vote was to accept you as a member, you will be contacted by your sponsor and congratulated. An initiation date, normally falling on a lodge night, will also be scheduled. This can sometimes be done as soon as the next lodge meeting. Until you are initiated you cannot attend meetings since you're not a member yet, but you are more than welcome to share fellowship with us during our pubic hour, prior to our weekly meeting. And be sure to dress nice for your initiation, it's a big deal!