Hello Black Eagle Lodge!
 
  My name is Jake Whitten and I am your newly elected lodge chief!  First, I would like to thank you all for electing me and I promise, I will do everything within my power to make this lodge even better than it already is today.
 
  My email is lodge.chief@tac-bsa.org.  Feel free to email me with any questions or suggestions you may have and we will welcome your opinions and ideas on how we think your these may help.  Also, you can reach me here on Facebook. 
   To start off this first news letter, I  like to encourage all new youth Ordeal brothers from the last fellowship to volunteer as Elongomats for the August fellowship, or try out for the ceremonies team.  The reason I encourage you to take on these important jobs, is because having new Ordeal brothers in these key roles helps inspire the new candidates who are soon to join our circle and help support the lodge.  As an Ordeal member one should continuously strive to serve cheerfully and help out any way you can both in and out of the lodge.  Being an OA member is not a title, it's a lifestyle that involves not only helping out where you live, but being present for lodge events and helping to support the lodge through your attendance.
 
     For our next Fellowship in 17-19 August, I want us to have a great turnout.  I really wish we can encourage our brothers help out as Elongomats. Bailey Callahan, our lodge program vice chief will be looking for lots of volunteers. I will post a status on the Facebook wall for people to post and know before hand, if they would like to volunteer for an Elongomat Position.   REMEMBER, the Elongomat is the first brother that ordeal candidates have experience with and sets the example for cheerful service.  It's one of the most important things you could do for the new candidates.  For them having a good Elongomat could make the difference between an active lodge member and one who just has his name on the books and doesn't show up.  For the Ceremonies team I think it would be great if there were seperate teams for pre Ordeal, Ordeal and Brotherhood ceremonies.  This way one person does not have to memorize all of the lines for each ceremony and more brothers can take an active role in our lodge events.  Zach Stough, is going to do great as the Lodge ceremony vice chief and he needs your help and the participation from all our chapters.
 
    Also, I would appreciate it if someone would volunteer to serve cheerfully as the Ordeal Master.  The Ordeal Master is another very important position that I would like to have someone step up so we can make plans ahead of time to better organize our work.  Please if you are interested in any of these positions contact me or Carlos Lopez lodge our advisor so, that we know what numbers we have to work with in August.  The more we have organized in advance the better prepared we are when we arrive at camp.
 
     I also like to encourage our lodge and chapter leaders and members to become active in their troop and district events.  Volunteer to open your district camporee campfire representing the OA.  Help out your local cub pack with a crossover ceremony or blue and gold banquet.  Make an effort and encourage everyone OA member in your troop to wear their sash once a month and to remind folks who their OA members are in the troop.  I am going to try and visit each chapter/district this year so, I can meet with you and hear your ideas.  We will also hold regular lodge leaders meetings on Go-To-Meeting to help keep us connected and share ideas for coming events like the National Leadership Seminar and the winter gathering and banquet. 
 
    Again, I would like to thank you all for electing me as your lodge chief; I am honored to serve this great lodge.  I promise there will be many more news letters to come; so feel free to send me any information you would like to be inserted into the letters email them to me with any pictures you may want posted to lodge.chief@tac-bsa.org.
 
WWW,
 
Jake Whitten