Ordeal Ceremony Sequence

[Tampa Turtle]

When I did a few years ago we wrapped up our service by late afternoon, got a little juice and some peanut butter crackers and silently changed into our class A's for the ceremony. Did all the cool stuff in the woods, got the sash, etc. By then it was getting dusk and we marched back to the dining hall to what, it seemed at the time, one the best appreciated meals in a long time. (Our Lodge having a number of current and former cafeteria directors does excellent and economical meals...we are quite spoiled)

[Tampa Turtle]

Oh we had barbecued chicken, mashed potato, corn on the cob, green beans, cheddar biscuits, and tea. For desert we had strawberry shortcake with ice cream. I heard it came to $3.17 a head.  A few hours later the cracker barrel for the late night party started and they had home made pizzas, fresh baked cookies, and large pretzels. The pizza's did not all get eaten so they were served with the breakfast biscuits in the morning. You can get fat in that lodge.

[CalicoPenn]

If it helps your argument for a change, it might help if the Kitchen Crew all announce that they want to watch the ceremonies and will not cook dinner while the ceremonies are taking place.

[Oldscout448]

I did manage to move the brotherhood ceremony to after dinnwr. It's a start I guess. I think the selling point was that this way brotherhood candidates could also serve as elongomats, without " deserting" their clan to attend a ceremony. The reaction of the youth who had never witnessed a night time ceremony was everything I expected.

They were awe struck.

 

I also hold that Meteu's line " we are gathered here together, underneath the stars above us." Makes no sense at 5:00pm . It just sounds ridiculous.

[Oldscout448]

SSS. Scout, I can't seem to get the PM to work, so apologies to the other posters here.

 

Yes I have shark teeth from the cliffs, and have faced the dreaded nettles. But it is my sad duty to report that I joined boy scouts in '69 and Roosevelt closed in '68?

 

after half a century of serving scouts. The older scouts talked of it often around the campfire, and as a tenderfoot I listened intently. I wish I could have camped at the birthplace of The Order of the Mystic Oak.

[MikeS]

CalicoPenn and Oldscout448,

 

Yeah, oftentimes I suspect it's the kitchen crew who actually determines when the ceremonies are held! Typically, they have an idea of when dinner will be ready and it's almost up to the adult ceremonies advisor to then determine when the ceremonies will be held. It's totally ridiculous.  

 

With the change, the kitchen crew could do dinner whenever they wanted to since the ceremonies would not happen until later in the evening.

 

Totally agree - some of Meteu's lines sound ludicrous at 5:00 pm in bright daylight and even worse at our past Fall Lodge Conference (they decided to offer an Ordeal Weekend as well) this past weekend when the ceremony was at about 2:30! Just kills it completely!

[Eagle94-A1]

In the lodge I grew up in, ceremonies were strictly at night time. There was a light snack offered for dinner, enough for energy. Then eryone but the cook crew was required to attend the Ordeal Ceremony. Once it was over, new members were dismissed for dinner (fest), then Ordeal Members, then the Brotherhood candidates assembled at a location to prepare for their ceremony and everyone else stayed in the ceremony ring. Once the Brotherhood Ceremony was over, new Brotherhood members were dismissed, then everyone else.

 

Current lodge does it differently. lodge leadership got the idea from a NOAC a few years back. They have tweaked the schedule, but essentially the ceremony is at Dusk.

[SSScout]

OS448:  Yep, doesn't seem to be any PM function.  Try this: 

Go to NCAC website, White Oak District, and find the BSRTcommish....

[MikeS]

Night time seems to be the general consensus with which I totally agree; the Ceremonies as written (particularly Ordeal) are really not written for a "daylight" performance.  

[sst3rd]

Up until two years ago, our sequence on Ordeal Weekends (now called service weekends to avoid possible thoughts of abuse) for ceremonies were:

Brotherhood in the afternoon (daylight)

Dinner for brothers, then dinner for Ordeal candidates

Ordeal Ceremonies after dinner in the dark for as long as needed (possible multiple ceremonies)

 

Two years ago, old lodge advisor forced out, new advisor in. He wants immediate action to get more members in. Pushed more elections even with troops that said "NO", changed our service weekend schedule by cutting service time in half so everybody can enjoy dinner together as all ceremonies done in the afternoon (sun brightly shining), and evening activities can be for fun and fellowship.

 

Now, our lodge numbers took a hit by having more troops opt-out of the OA, because older adult OA leaders/troop leaders seeing reduced value of the OA.

 

That was predictable.

[Oldscout448]

Why is it so hard for some people to realize that the worth of an award is directly proportional to the amount of effort that went into earning it.

 

I wouldn't take $100 for my Eagle badge but I could go online and buy the same one for 10 bucks at least it would look like the same one.

 

The scouts aren't stupid, they can see what's going on they know what's real they know what is fake they spend their whole lives as students listening to teachers lie to them or tell them the truth.

 

If we as scouters water the order or the eagle or anything else down they will know it within a week and they will treat it with the contempt it deserves. It's sad but really not surprising that your lodge took a hit in membership.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Oldscout448