Our entire lodge has very little chapter activity. Most things get done at the Lodge level, which works rather well (though I'd like to see more activity in my chapters). Our lodge is small (350 members); some *chapters* in other Lodges are this big. I guess it depends on the size of the Lodge what to expect.
Chapter Adviser non-activity is sad, though. That would indicate to me some serious lack of support from people holding positions... which *is* something to have valid concern about.
Tell your sons I'm proud that they serve their Lodge; I'm sure the Chief is thankful for their support. I never climbed up through my chapter to become Lodge Chief; it was more a direct Brotherhood member to Vice-Chief transition, then to Chief, so a strong Chapter wasn't essential in my case.
And yes, to your final question: many in this day and age have trouble fitting in another activity or committing to another group with such a wide variety of other things available to Scouting-aged kids (sports, drama, speech team, girlfriends, clubs, other commmunity organizations, many more...), and thus make it seem like many new Ordeals are "sash-grabbers." Some are, but most just don't make an effort to attend Lodge events besides the Ordeal due to the foreignness of it (i.e., you get a flyer for an event in the mail and feel that "this isn't for me, it's for more involved OA members...").
My philosophy is to "communicate 75% of the way" rather than 50%. The best people to recruit to jumpstart a chapter are new Ordeals who have joined within the past year... just keep on them, most likely they *want* to do something in the Lodge, but don't know *how*.
Chapter doesn't do much
in Order of the Arrow
Posted
Our entire lodge has very little chapter activity. Most things get done at the Lodge level, which works rather well (though I'd like to see more activity in my chapters). Our lodge is small (350 members); some *chapters* in other Lodges are this big. I guess it depends on the size of the Lodge what to expect.
Chapter Adviser non-activity is sad, though. That would indicate to me some serious lack of support from people holding positions... which *is* something to have valid concern about.
Tell your sons I'm proud that they serve their Lodge; I'm sure the Chief is thankful for their support. I never climbed up through my chapter to become Lodge Chief; it was more a direct Brotherhood member to Vice-Chief transition, then to Chief, so a strong Chapter wasn't essential in my case.
And yes, to your final question: many in this day and age have trouble fitting in another activity or committing to another group with such a wide variety of other things available to Scouting-aged kids (sports, drama, speech team, girlfriends, clubs, other commmunity organizations, many more...), and thus make it seem like many new Ordeals are "sash-grabbers." Some are, but most just don't make an effort to attend Lodge events besides the Ordeal due to the foreignness of it (i.e., you get a flyer for an event in the mail and feel that "this isn't for me, it's for more involved OA members...").
My philosophy is to "communicate 75% of the way" rather than 50%. The best people to recruit to jumpstart a chapter are new Ordeals who have joined within the past year... just keep on them, most likely they *want* to do something in the Lodge, but don't know *how*.