Ordeals

2008 Ordeals:
Ordeal 1 - May 2-4, Camp Hinds
Ordeal 2 - May 30 - June 1, Camp Hinds
Ordeal 3 - September 5-7, Camp Bomazeen

The Ordeal process is the most important part of the lodge year. It revitalizes the Lodge by inducting new members and is where the Lodge provides most of our service to Council Camps.

The Ordeal season begins with the election season. This is where the Troops elect our candidates. For whatever reasons, some troops do not have the best opinion of the Order of the Arrow while others know little to nothing about our mission. For these reasons, it is important to portray the very best image possible when scheduling troops and when actually conducting elections. Always be courteous, and in full Scouting uniform with the OA sash. Remember to respect the troop and its members, and their traditions. Be prepared and organized. Do not give a troop any reason to have a bad opinion about the Order.

The next obvious step is the Ordeal weekend itself. The Ordeals are the most important events that the Lodge undertakes each year. This is where we perform most of our service. This is where we get our new membership, the future of the lodge. An ordeal can be something that a candidate enjoys or despises. It is a test of themselves. As our handbook states, for some it will be like a supernova, burning brightly for a time, and then fading, and then for others, it is a fire which burns continuously throughout life. If done correctly, a brother will remember his ordeal and will live a life of cheerful service. Long after all the other campouts have meshed together, they may still be able to pick out details from their Ordeal. That is the kind of effect an Ordeal should have on a brother.

How is an Ordeal done correctly and successfully? Part of it is financial and making it come out in the black. Part of it is the technical items, such as food, scheduling, and projects getting done. Those are parts, but only small parts. The most important component to a truly successful Ordeal is making it meaningful to each individual candidate. Meaningful projects that they can come back to camp and show to others years later. Knowing they helped with camp improvement, establishing meaningful experiences and ceremonies, and by having the Elangomats play more of a role than in the past, and by observing the traditional tests of the ordeal process. These are the components that make an Ordeal meaningful.

The personal touch of the brothers, and knowing that we care and that each candidate is an important member of the Lodge, are crucial to the retention of our membership. If a candidate has a meaningful Ordeal that they enjoy, then they are more likely to come back and become an active member of the lodge. At each ordeal there is a possibility that we could be inducting a future lodge, section, region or even national chief. We need to make sure that all candidates have the best Ordeal possible, for themselves, for their Troops, and for the Order.

Lodge Leadership Development Weekend (LLD)

Every year the lodge gathers for a Lodge Leadership Development, or LLD, weekend. The purpose of this weekend is twofold. The first, is to provide a place the lodge members to gather outside of the Ordeals to participate in meaningful fellowship, training, and spirited competitions. The second purpose is to hold our annual business meeting at which we approve the following year's budget and elect new lodge officers.

Our LLD weekends are held in the fall, typically in October. We try to vary the location from year to year, to provide a feel for the different areas of Maine that Madockawanda Lodge covers. In the past we have held it at various council camps, as well as the Bog Brook training facility.

As previously stated, the main focus of the LLD weekend is to provide fellowship and training opportunities to the membership of the lodge. Training subjects vary depending on what the brothers of the lodge feel they would like to learn more about. In the past we have held training sessions on unit elections, ceremonies, the elangomat, and of course on "How to pick up chicks in a Boy Scout uniform" which is designed to show how to wear you uniform properly. Fellowship activities range from soccer and ultimate Frisbee competitions, to a fully running COPE course, as well as a pie throwing auction.

The LLD weekend is geared around you, the members of the lodge. If you are interested in helping run a training cell, have an idea for program, or have a location you think will be suitable to hold an LLD, please contact the Lodge Vice Chief.

ArrowCorps⁵

ArrowCorps5 is a joint partnership between the Order of the Arrow and the US Forest Service. Working closely together, the United States Forest Service and the OA have chosen five project sites, spread across America that will be the focus of our combined efforts. ArrowCorps5 will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for each participant to set an example of leadership in service to those who treasure our national forests. Whether building new trails or helping preserve nearly extinct species, we will be working shoulder-to-shoulder with Arrowmen from across the country to improve our forests, our lands, and our world. Open to both youth and adult Arrowmen, ArrowCorps5 will teach you valuable leadership and conservation skills you can take home to your lodge to bring the Outdoor Code to life in your community.

Our lodge has chosen to participate in a western site, the Bridger-Teton National forest in Wyoming.  The dates for this event are July 23 thru August 2, 2008, although we are looking at the possibility of adding a couple of days for additional exploration of that area prior to the beginning of this ArrowCorps session.  There is also a great deal of recreational activities at each site, which at the Bridger-Teton site include whitewater rafting, canoeing, hiking, and water skiing.

We’ve already committed to 15 participants from our lodge at the 2006 NOAC, and were there after only our banquet promotion! The information display and "for more information" cards will be at all Spring Ordeals. If you know of lodge members who might like to attend, feel free to bring this to their attention or to provide their email to our attention. Watch for further updates and reminders later this spring.

Madockawanda Lodge's participation in ArrowCorps⁵ is being coordinated by the National Activities Committee, and Carl Gagnon is serving as Trip Coordinator.

OA Troop Representative

"Let it be remembered that the Order of the Arrow was created to help of the unit... for the unit is our best hope in Scouting."
-E. Urner Goodman, Founder

Basic Information

What is the OA Troop Representative?

The troop representative program was started in 1999, and is a program of the Order of the Arrow that has been officially adopted by the Boy Scouts of America. The OA Representative is now an official leadership position within the troop or team, and boys can earn time towards their leadership rank requirements, just as with a Den Chief, troop scribe, or any of the other leadership positions.

What are the responsibilities of the Troop Representative?

There are numerous possibilities for the job description of the OA Representative. The beauty is that it is flexible enough to allow your unit to fine-tune the exact responsibilities. However, the most basic tasks of the representative will be to coordinate service opportunities within the unit, to coordinate unit involvement within the Order of the Arrow, including unit elections, camp promotions, and inductions, and request lodge and chapter resources to help meet unit needs.

Who can serve as the Troop Representative?

Anyone in the unit who is under the age of 18 can serve as the OA Representative for the unit, provided he is a dues paid member of the Order of the Arrow. He should be appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader or Varsity Team Captain, and will be a member of the Patrol Leaders' Council and attend lodge and chapter meetings.

Will there be an adviser for the Troop Representative?

As with all positions in the Order, the OA Representative should have adult adviser. This adult should be over the age of 21, be a dues paid member of the Order of the Arrow, and be appointed by the scoutmaster.

Job Description, Duties, and Qualifications

OA Troop Representative Job Description

An Order the Arrow Troop Representative is a youth liaison serving between the local OA lodge or chapter and his troop. In his troop, he serves as a communication in programmatic link to the Arrowmen and adult leaders and scouts who were not presently members of the Order. He does this in a fashion that strengthens the mission of the lodge and the purpose of the Order. By sending a good example, he enhances the image of the Order as a service arm his troop.

OA Troop Representative Duties

• Serves as a communication link between the lodge or chapter and the troop.
• Encourages year round and resident camping in the troop.
• Encourages older scout participation in high adventure programs.
• Encourages scouts to actively participate in community service projects.
• Assists with leadership skills training in the troop.
• Encourages arrowmen to assume leadership responsibilities in the troop.
• Encourages arrowmen in the troop to be active participants in the lodge and/or chapter activities and to seal their membership in the Order by becoming Brotherhood members.
• Sets a good example.
• Enthusiastically wears the scout uniform correctly.
• Lives by the Scout Oath, Scout Law and OA Obligation.
• Shows Scout Spirit.

OA Troop Representative Qualifications

• Under 18 years old
• Appointed by SPL with SM approval
• OA member in good standing

OA Troop Representative Reports To:

Assistant Senior Patrol Leader

Who Benefits from the OA Troop Representative Program

Lodge/Chapter

• With an easier camp promotions process, the lodge can increase the number of the units visited, increasing the effectiveness of the program in the Council.
• Eases the unit election process by having a person in the troop whose job is to ensure that elections are held.
• With positive OA leadership on the unit level, lodges will experience greater membership retention and higher brotherhood conversion rates.
• A unit’s OA members will have someone to organize transportation to OA events, increasing attendance at chapter/lodge functions.

Section NE-1A Conclaves

2007 Conclave:
June 8-10, at Camp TL Storer in Barnstead, NH

As you are aware, when you are elected into the Order of the Arrow, you are inducted into a Lodge. However, the structure of the Order is much greater than that. One step above the lodge is the section. Each Lodge around the nation is put into a section, which the main purpose of is to create a greater link of communication to share ideas and support one another. We are a part of Section NE-1A, which has seven lodges covering the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and parts of Massachusetts.

Every year, all the lodges in the Section gather for one big weekend of training and fellowship, called the Conclave. The training cells are too numerous to list here, but we guarantee that there is something for everyone. The programs range from the standard soccer and volleyball competition, to an iron "arrowman" relay, and a Pinewood Derby. The weekend is capped off by a Saturday Night Theme show and the election of the following year's Section Officers.

The Conclave is an experience that NO ONE should miss. With over 250 brothers from around New England attending, it is one of the greatest fellowship activities that the Order of the Arrow has available to you. For more information, visit the Section NE-1A website, or find forms and promotional material on our forms page.

OA Service Hour

The OA Service Hour is a program that gives all brothers of the Order the opportunity, while at summer camp, to "pitch in" with cheerful service. Under the adult direction of the camp Ranger, every Thursday at Camp Hinds, brothers chip in with an hour or so of work projects designed to keep the camp in tip top shape, and more importantly, designed to lend a helping hand in-service.

Although too numerous to list here, historically, projects have included the painting of various buildings at Camp Bomazeen, installation of display boards and fire tool racks at various campsites at Hinds, and general maintenance and Council ring repair at both facilities. For your service, you get a wonderful patch that is designed on a yearly basis on only given to those brothers who participate in the Service Hour.

The program was implemented in 1999 under the direction and guidance of the lodge officers. Camp Hinds designates one staff member to run the service hour each week. When you are at camp this year, be sure to participate!

Honor Chapter

"The Lodge is only as strong as its weakest chapter"

The Honor Chapter recognition was designed with requirements and guidelines similar to those of the National Honor Lodge recognition. A chapter needs to complete certain required requirements and a specific number of optional ones.

The purpose of this program is twofold. First, it is to aid the chapters by giving them certain benchmarks that they should be striving for in creating their chapter programs. Second, since the requirements are similar to those for Honor Lodge, this program aids the lodge in achieving Honor Lodge.

View the recipients of the Honor Chapter Award

Honor Chapter Requirements

• Each chapter is required to keep a logbook (in a three ring binder). This logbook shall contain all records of attendance, service projects, etc.
• Each chapter is required to contact 100% of all troops in their chapter for elections and camp promotion presentations.
• Each chapter is required to have positive member growth
• Each chapter is required to have 30% brotherhood conversion
• Each chapter is required to hold an elangomat training session with the Elanogmat committee on a yearly basis and each chapter provide three names of possible elangomats for the ordeal season to the Elangomat Chairman.
• Chapter is represented by a youth member at each LEC.

Non-Required (at least FOUR must be completed):

• Send at least 5% of chapter's membership to the LLD and Annual Banquet.
• Perform at least 6 (six) hours MINIMUM service, of which only 1 (one) hour MAXIMUM for ceremonies and 2 (two) hours MINIMUM work on council camps (this includes the ordeals and Call Out Ceremonies as these are services that should already be provided by each chapter.
• Chapter meets at least 6 (six) times throughout the year (copies of attendance sheets recorded in logbook).
• Chapter performed a Call Out Ceremony using the nationally approved ceremony or performed a recognition of elected candidates.
• Chapter published AT LEAST two newsletters (copies recorded in logbook).
• At least three youth attended the years Section Conclave.
• Chapter provided at least 6 (six) members for the Ordeals.

Annual Banquet

Every year is capped off with a banquet to recognize the accomplishments of the Lodge and its members. The banquet location is rotated between chapters every year. Registration pamphlets are sent out in early November. Stay tuned to the website and Turtle Soup to find out where it will be held as well as other details.

The Annual Banquet is open to any and all dues-paying members of the lodge and their families and friends. Each committee presents their final report and their plans for the upcoming year, the Founders' Award recipients are announced, and the new Vigil Honor recipients are presented with their certificates. The Section Chief and his officers are usually invited to promote the Section Conclave. The Lodge Chief also gives his "State of the Lodge" address, recapping the years' events and introducing the newly elected Lodge Officers.

The banquet is capped off by a keynote speaker. In the last years, the lodge has been graced by then-current National Vice Chief Andy Oh, then-current National Chairman Ed Pease, National OA Director Clyde Mayer and other notables such as the Honorable John T. Jenkins.