Membership
Have you been searching for a way to help others and be a part of something bigger than yourself?
Welcome to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Evolving from the earlier Orders of Odd Fellows first founded in England during the 1700's, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) is a non-political and non-sectarian co-ed international fraternal order founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland.
The command of the I.O.O.F. is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.” The mission is to “improve and elevate the character of mankind.”
So ask yourself:
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Do you want to learn to be a better person and empower yourself to be more successful in all parts of your life?
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Do you want to help make your community a better place and help those in need?
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Do you feel lonely or crave quality social interactions and want to be part of something important?
If you answered YES to any of these questions then you are ODD enough to be an Odd Fellow! If you are interested in becoming a member of one of the oldest active “Secret Societies”, then take a look around and decide if you want to be a part of the HISTORY and the MYSTERY of being an Odd Fellow.
Friendship
You gain a new family in the members of your Lodge and a vast network of Brothers and Sisters worldwide. By joining Odd Fellows with your friends it helps to give a deeper purpose and meaning to your friendship. We are a diverse organization and have members of all faiths, races, genders, occupations and abilities with over 600,000 members in over 10,000 Lodges in 30 countries.
Love
The historic command of the Odd Fellow is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.”
Odd Fellows are active in helping fellow members and the community at large in working to make the world a better place. Local lodges do good works and join together in larger projects.
Truth
Be a part of the HISTORY and the MYSTERY. As an Odd Fellow one is a member of one of the world’s oldest and largest fraternal Orders. Rituals, symbols, and degrees teach moral lessons and are designed to “elevate and improve the character of mankind.” By taking these lessons to heart you become a better person and in turn help to make the world around you a better place.
Becoming a Member:
The Requirements for Membership
Any person of good moral character and reputation, of any race, gender, nationality and social status, who is loyal to his or her country and believes in a Supreme Being, is eligible for membership. Odd Fellowship strictly forbids any interference with one’s religious beliefs or political opinions. Most jurisdictions require candidates for the adult Lodges to be 16 years old. Some jurisdictions include Junior Lodges, Theta Rho clubs or United Youth Groups which accept members 8 to 18 years old (some jurisdictions have a minimum age limit of 10). The Jurisdiction of the District of Columbia does not currently operate any youth branches of the Order.
The Procedure for Membership
The best way to inquire about becoming a member is to ask someone you know to be a member. When you make contact with a lodge or with a member of a lodge, you may be invited to one or more events, where you and the members of the lodge will have the opportunity to get to know each other. If you would like to become a member of a lodge, you may ask a member for an application for membership to be initiated into Odd Fellowship and made a member of that lodge. After submitting an application along with a requisite application fee which is set by the lodge, you will meet with a committee of members of the lodge, who will make recommendation to the lodge regarding your candidacy. Assuming the lodge elects you to membership, you will be contacted with information about where and when the degrees of Odd Fellowship will be conferred upon you. Lodges charge an initiation fee and annual dues the amount of which is set by each Lodge.