An open door, a quiet welcome.

Who can join

Kearsarge Lodge welcomes any adult of good character — regardless of profession, political party, race, ethnicity, or religion — who believes in a Supreme Being and is willing to make a serious commitment to the three principles of Friendship, Love, and Truth.

You do not need to be a Mason. You do not need to know an Odd Fellow already. You do not need to live in Swampscott, most of our members live in surrounding towns on the North Shore.

What we ask of members

The standing commitments of an active member are modest, but real:

• Attendance at lodge meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, as your schedule allows
• Annual dues of $50 that cover lodge expenses and Grand Lodge per-capita fees
• Willingness to serve on a committee — vetting, sick visitation, charitable giving, or the work of running the lodge
• Showing up for one another, in good times and bad. The work that doesn't get written down.

The path to membership

1. Come visit.

The simplest thing is to email or call our Noble Grand. Tell him you are curious about the lodge. He will arrange for you to attend a portion of an upcoming meeting, meet a few of the members, and ask any questions you have. There is no pressure and no commitment.

2. Submit an application.

If, after meeting us, you would like to proceed, you fill out a brief application. A current member sponsors it. The lodge votes on whether to accept the application — this is a longstanding part of the process, and it is the lodge's way of making sure every new member is welcomed wholeheartedly.

3. Initiation.

Once the lodge accepts your application, you are invited to an initiation ceremony. The ritual is brief, dignified, and rooted in two centuries of tradition. Nothing about it is theatrical or strange — it is simply how an Odd Fellow lodge formally welcomes a new member.

4. The work begins.

That is when membership starts in earnest. You attend meetings, get to know the members, find the part of the work where your hands fit, and grow into the lodge at your own pace.

Dues and finances

Lodge dues are $50 per year, kept low on purpose so that they are never the barrier to a member continuing to belong. Dues cover building maintenance, Grand Lodge obligations, and basic operating costs. They do not fund our charitable giving, that comes from the lodge's own savings, fundraising, and direct gifts.

Open to brothers and sisters

Kearsarge Lodge welcomes both men and women into membership. We are not a Rebekah lodge, we are a regular Odd Fellows lodge that initiates brothers and sisters alike. If you are interested in the work, the door is the same door, and the welcome is the same welcome.

A note from our Noble Grand

We are a small lodge, and we mean to stay that way. What we offer is not a club or a network, it is a room where people sit with each other honestly, do the work the order has done for two centuries, and quietly help when help is needed. If you are looking for that kind of company, come visit us. We would be glad to know you.

Cabot Dodge, Noble Grand