OA Membership

Lodge Membership

Membership Requirements

• Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
• Have experienced 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
• At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery Award, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Adviser or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
• Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to and approval by the lodge adult selection committee.

The Candidate

Once a Scout is elected by his peers at the Troop Level, he is considered a candidate. Each Candidate must complete an induction weekend to become an Ordeal member in the Order of the Arrow. A candidate has one calendar year from election to participate in their chosen induction weekend. The TKäen DoD Lodge holds Induction Weekends twice in the spring and once in the fall.  At the time of election each Candidate receives a letter of information, and a registration form. Ordeal registration is not automatic with election but can now be completed online.

 

The Ordeal

The induction weekend begins on Friday evening and lasts through an open lodge meeting on Sunday Morning. At registration(Between 6:30PM and 7:30PM), a Candidate is assigned a group, called a Clan, that they will work with throughout the Ordeal. An Order of the Arrow member called an Elangomat guides each clan. The Elangomat stays with the clan during the entire Ordeal. Throughout the Ordeal the Candidate learns about the Order of the Arrow and contributes to various improvement or service projects. If the Candidate is successful, an Ordeal sash with a red arrow is placed upon his shoulder at the Ordeal Ceremony. The sash signifies that he is now an Ordeal Member of the TKäen D?D Lodge of the Order of the Arrow and he will receive a member handbook, a membership card, a lodge flap, and their first years dues are covered.  New members are encouraged to take advantage of the Jump Start program soon after achieving Ordeal Membership. 

Any member is considered active if his yearly Lodge dues are current, they are a registered member with the Five Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America, and they keep in touch with lodge activities.

 

The Brotherhood

To deepen their understanding of the Order and become a Brotherhood member, an Ordeal member must participate in a Brotherhood Ceremony. To be eligible for Brotherhood, an Ordeal member must be active for at least 10 months following the Ordeal, and must be registered with the BSA. Shortly before a Brotherhood Ceremony is to take place, the Ordeal member receives a Brotherhood letter of information, and a registration form. If successful, the Ordeal sash is replaced by a Brother sash with a red arrow and two red bars.

 

The Vigil

After at least two years of active participation as a Brotherhood member, and having also shown exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest as an Arrowman, a member is eligible for nomination to the Vigil Honor. Both youths and adults can receive the distinction. Any Lodge member can submit a nomination to the Lodge Nomination committee. The committee reviews the nominations, and prospective honorees are petitioned to the National Lodge. To receive the honor, Arrowman must participate in the Vigil Honor ceremony. Upon successful completion, a sash with a red arrow, two red bars, and a red Vigil triangle replaces the Brotherhood sash.

Click here to submit an Arrowman for the Vigil Honor