Guardian, Secure The Door!

Odd Fellowship isn't something that can be joined casually.  It requires a certain amount of effort to be expended on behalf of those joining the lodge to fill out an application, pay the application fee, and proceed through the interview and initiation.  For the applicant, this process should ensure that they get an opportunity to find out about the nature of the lodge to which they are applying.  For the lodge, this process should help them decide if this applicant should become a candidate for membership and, ultimately, a member.  For the process to work as intended, the Interviewing Committee must do a thorough job of investigating the applicant and find out if they will make a good member of the lodge.  Just like in many other areas of Odd Fellowship, however, that doesn't always happen as intended.  Too many lodges treat the Interview as a formality; a speed bump on the path to getting as many people in the lodge as possible as quickly as possible.  Ray Jackson, PGM of Illinois, joins us to talk about the application and interviewing process and how it is supposed to go when done properly, and some of the ramifications of it not going properly.  The Shoutout goes to another West Virginia Lodge, Harrisville #99.  In the Odd Podge, Toby previews his upcoming 50th Birthday Party (hint: it's also a fundraiser), Ray remembers a departed long-time member in Illinois, Ainslie shares the positive outcomes of holding an open meeting at his lodge, and Mike talks about visiting Ainslie's lodge for that open meeting—and then gives us all a shocking surprise!