Brothers,

It’s Springtime in Virginia!!! The green haze of the tree pollen is all around us and as I write this column we are readying ourselves for a trip to the mountains and Camp Rock Enon for our 2018 Conclave event. For those who are attending, thank you so much for helping and supporting our Lodge as we participate in one of the biggest Conclave events in the Nation. We are truly blessed to be in one of the best sections in the Nation...SR-7A!! We are hopeful that Nawakwa Lodge will be well represented and will showcase our Spirit, Service and competitiveness in true Nawakwa Brotherhood fashion.

Let’s hope we can bring home some rather elusive hardware in the form of the Spirit and Lodge of the Year awards!!

On the heels of Conclave, registration for the Summer Service and Inductions weekend is now available on-line. Register now to ensure you are part of the service and festivities of the event as well as to elect the 2018-2019 Lodge Officers that will represent you and the Lodge during our Centennial year.

Speaking of elections, please be sure to review the qualifications in this edition of the Tom-Tom and notify me of your intent to run so we can be sure all the approvals are obtained by May 15th. We will publish a special Election edition of the Tom-Tom with your biography and platform on which you are running. The officer positions open for election are Lodge Chief, Vice Chief of Administration, Vice Chief of Program and Vice Chief of Communications.

I would also like to address one special group of Arrowmen in this Adviser minute; the Ordeal members that are eligible for Brotherhood membership. Ten months after you complete your Induction into the Order of the Arrow, and after serving your unit and fellow Scouts in cheerful service, you are eligible to seal your membership in the Order of the Arrow as a Brotherhood member. Your induction is meant to be a two-step process; completing the induction and then becoming a Brotherhood member. Do you remember the words of Allowat Sakima? “...another time of testing is before you...” This is your time to complete this phase of your journey. Think of it like this; participating and completing your induction as an Ordeal member was your promise to your unit to return to your unit in cheerful service. Sealing your membership in the Order of the Arrow as a Brotherhood member is your promise to yourself to serve others in cheerful service for the rest of your life. It is an indication that you not only understand the virtues of servant leadership but are committing yourself to those values and upholding your promise in both the Order of the Arrow Oath and Admonition. Remember the meaning of our Admonition? That is what Brotherhood is all about and I hope each of you that are currently eligible will return to the Summer Service and induction weekend and take that next step in your continuing journey in our Order. For those of you that are within the 10 month window, I challenge you to live the values of the Ordeal member, working in your unit to make it a better unit, you and your fellow scouts a better leader and your community a better place to live. Do these things and you too can ready yourself to become a Brotherhood member of our Lodge.

I would also like to ask every member of our Lodge to participate in the survey that was recently sent out about a special trip to Bechtel Scout Reservation, The Summit, for a one of a kind event we would like to participate in where we will travel to the home of the 2019 World Jamboree, participate in a small but significant service project then conduct a special Brotherhood Ceremony for those currently eligible to convert their membership to Brotherhood followed by a Lodge Rededication ceremony at the home of our National Order of the Arrow Summit Circle. This site is the new home of our Order and is the same dirt, rocks and symbols that were transferred from Treasure Island, the site of our very first Order of the Arrow Ceremony over 103 years ago, to the Summit. It is a special pilgrimage and opportunity for members of our Lodge to visit the Summit Circle and pay homage to those who have built our legacy and to prepare for those who will come after us. Read more about the event opportunity in the pages that follow and on- line as we would like to ensure we have enough interest in this type of event to justify the effort it will take to coordinate and execute this awesome experience.

As always, our Lodge continues its journey to excellence by improving our program, membership and funding. This is only possible because we are able to stand firmly on the solid foundations our brothers before us have provided through their unselfish dedication, hard work and cheerful spirit...our future is bright because of this legacy and I look forward to working with each of you in the years ahead to ensure we build a lasting legacy for the next generations of our Brothers. Be sure to volunteer to help at one of the upcoming events; your service is greatly needed!!

I’m looking forward to seeing our members at the upcoming Conclave and service weekend.

In Brotherhood,

Michael W. Lynch
Nawakwa Lodge Adviser