• Your Sash and Lodge Flap
• Your Responsibilities as a Member
• What We Do in the Lodge
  • Opportunities for Fellowship
  • Opportunities for Leadership
  • Opportunities for Adventure
• Lodge Dues
• Lodge Communications
• Brotherhood and Vigil
• Resources

Your Sash and Lodge Flap: After your Ordeal, you received white sash with a red arrow on it, and a "lodge flap" patch with a crawling Indian on it. These identify you as a member of the OA in Semialachee Lodge. Wear your OA sash over your right shoulder with the arrow pointing up as seen at left. Your lodge flap should be worn on the flap of your right pocket. Never wear your OA sash and merit badge sash at the same time.

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Your Responsibilities as a Member: Members of the Order of the Arrow are selected by their fellow scouts for their excellent example in practicing the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives.  As such, your biggest job as a member of the Order and of Semialachee Lodge is to continue to uphold those ideals, to be the example.  Also, remember the Obligation to the Order.  As a member of the OA, you have a responsibility to the ideals of Brotherhood and Cheerful Service as well.  Attendance at lodge events and participation in the leadership of the lodge are excellent opportunities to demonstrate your dedication to these ideals and more, but they do not determine your level of success as a member of the Order.

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What We Do in the Lodge: OK, you're a member of Semialachee Lodge ... now what are you going to do? The answer is in the ideals of the Order. Semialachee Lodge is dedicated to Brotherhood and Cheerful Service, and everything we do is an opportunity to put those ideas into practice.  Your opportunities as an Arrowmam are extensive, so we've divided them into several categories below.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP:

Part of Brotherhood is enjoying the opportunity to meet other members of the lodge and have fun.  Semialachee Lodge has three weekend events per year that are called "fellowship weekends," and their purpose is just that.  Fellowship weekends are an opportunity for lodge members to catch up with fellow members, provide service to the camp, conduct business within their committees (explained later), enjoy activities planned by the Program Committee, attend training that might be offered, and generally have a good time. Important ceremonies for Brotherhood membership, the Vigil Honor, or other recognition may be included. Attendance at lodge weekends is not mandatory, but encouraged.  The fellowship weekends are usually held out at Wallwood Scout Reservation, and the cost is generally around $20.00 to attend. This includes all of your meals and activities, and your weekend patch.  The program usually begins on Friday night and ends before noon on Sunday. Always remember to read any information sent out about weekend programs very carefully for the right times and dates.

Besides the fellowship weekends, the lodge also holds an Annual Family Banquet in December. Recognitions and presentations related to the year's activities are regular themes, accompanied by a semi-formal dinner. Every lodge member should try to attend the banquet.

As a member of Semialachee Lodge, you can participate in events that take place at the Section or National level.  Semialachee Lodge belongs to a group of lodges called a section, which meet twice annually for training and fellowship.  Several national events are available, particularly the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) and OA Indian Summer. You can find out more about NOAC and Indian Summer by visiting the Order's National website at http://www.oa-bsa.org/.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEADERSHIP:

One form of cheerful service is servant leadership. The Order of the Arrow provides opportunities for all Arrowmen to learn leadership skills and put them into practice as leaders of the lodge.  

Semialachee Lodge , like all other OA lodges, is run by the youth members of the lodge (under age 21), and advised by the adult members (age 21 and over).  The budget, the weekend programs, the ceremonies, everything is run by youth.  Most important of all, these vital responsibilities aren't handled by just a few youth, or by the youth who have been in the OA the longest. ALL youth have the opportunity to manage a part of the lodge program.  Not only is the opportunity there, but we encourage YOU to use it! Maybe you'd like to help with the ceremonies, or manage a part of the website. You might want to help write a colorful publication to promote Wallwood Scout Reservation to troops in our council, or design a patch, or maybe you'd like to write an article for The Quarterly, the lodge newsletter. All of these opportunities and more are available to you. To find out what committees we have for you to participate in, or to search the Semialachee Want Ads and find a position that needs to be filled, check out the "Get Involved" section.  Leadership in the lodge can prepare you for responsibilities in other arenas of Scouting as well as the real world!

Even if you choose not to take part in the leadership of the lodge, Semialachee Lodge offers leadership development training that is available to all members. LLD, or Lodge Leadership Development, is usually held shortly after the Fall Ordeal.  Look for information about LLD in issues of The Quarterly or on the lodge website.  LLD can prepare you for leadership in a variety of situations in and out of Scouting.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVENTURE:

The Order of the Arrow operates special programs at three of Scouting's most prestigious High Adventure bases in America, Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Northern Tier in Minnesota, and Sea Base in Florida. Arrowmen can spend one week providing service to one of these bases and then spend another week enjoying the program just like a regular participant. The cost of these programs is greatly reduced from the normal price of attending a high-adventure base. At right are links to the various programs' respective websites. Check them out!

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Your Lodge Dues:

Every lodge member, youth and adult, pays annual dues to the lodge. These dues are used to pay for your subscription to The Quarterly (the lodge's newsletter), your national membership dues, and administrative costs such as mailings and awards.  Lodge dues are $10.00 annually for members under age 21, and $12.00 for members age 21 or over.  

If you aren't sure whether you've paid your dues, you can ask the Lodge Secretary by emailing him at secretary@semialachee.net. Lodge dues are payable on August 1 of the following year and late on January 1 of the new year.  Members who do not pay their dues by February 1 of the new year will be considered inactive and will no longer receive their lodge newsletter or other mailings. Inactive members can be reinstated by paying the current year's dues.

Dues can be paid at any lodge function, through the mail, over the phone, or at the Council Service Center. A form is provided on this website for that purpose (click here). Some forms received in the mail may also be used for paying dues - most forms include a line just for that purpose. When paying your lodge dues through the mail or over the phone, use the Council Service Center's contact information; they handle dues payments not made at lodge functions.

Suwannee River Area Council
Attn: Order of the Arrow
2032 Thomasville Rd.
Tallahassee, FL 32308

Phone: (850)-576-4146
Fax: (850)-575-6991

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Lodge Communications:

Members of Semialachee Lodge can get information about the lodge in several ways.  The Quarterly, the lodge newsletter, is published four times annually and contains most of the vital information Arrowmen need to know.  Other mailings will be sent for individual events or to announce changes for an event.  This website, Semialachee.net is also an excellent source for up-to-date information about the lodge. Visit often to catch updates.  Lodge members may wish to join the lodge mailing list, which is run through Yahoo!™ Groups.   If you need to get in touch with a lodge leader with a question, use the Contact Us section of this webpage.

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Brotherhood and Vigil:

You may notice that different members of the lodge wear different kinds of sashes. Some sashes have a red bar on either side of the red arrow, and some of them have the bars and a red triangle in the middle of the arrow. These are the sashes of Brotherhood and Vigil Honor members, respectively.  The Order of the Arrow does not have a rank system - all members are equal - but there are two kinds of membership. Having just experienced your Ordeal, you have Ordeal membership.  Brotherhood membership is sought by Arrowmen seeking to reaffirm their belief in the high purposes of the Order. Being a Brotherhood member of the lodge indicates that you are ready to serve Scouting as a full member of the Order of the Arrow. The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service to lodge, council, and Scouting. Click here for the requirements for Brotherhood membership and here for a more detailed description of the Vigil Honor.

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Resources:

This guide is useful, but much more information is available in other places if you need it. Your OA Handbook that you received at the end of your Ordeal is an excellent guide. It explains in-depth the process of the Ordeal, your transition to Brotherhood, the ideals of the Order, and many other topics. Check out the Links Section of this website to find the National OA website and other sites that contain valuable information. Last of all, ask around in your unit and find out who else is a member of the OA. You may be able to find answers to many of your questions by asking someone who has been a member for a while. Members of the lodge leadership are also good sources of information on specific issues. See the Contact Us section for their contact information.