Order of the Arrow
Scouting's national honor society. The East Texas Area Council's lodge is Tejas Lodge, and its weekends happen here at Camp Pirtle.
Upcoming Tejas Lodge weekends
Fall Fellowship
Dates and registration are on the council calendar.
View the East Texas Area Council calendar → (opens in a new tab)
Fall Fellowship weekends are open to all members of Tejas Lodge. Fellowship is what it sounds like — a weekend of food, competition, ceremonies, lodge business and time with Arrowmen from across the council.
Fall Inductions
Dates and registration are on the council calendar.
View the East Texas Area Council calendar → (opens in a new tab)
The weekend where candidates elected by their units complete their Ordeal and are inducted as members of the lodge.
What the Order of the Arrow is
The Order of the Arrow recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, and who have been chosen for that by the people who actually know — the members of their own unit.
The OA is a service organization first. Arrowmen are the people who show up to work on camp, run ceremonies, and do the unglamorous jobs that keep Scouting running in this council.
How election works
- Units hold an election. A lodge election team visits the troop or crew and the youth members vote.
- Youth are elected by their peers, based on camping requirements and on living the Scout Oath and Law where people can see it.
- Adults are nominated by the unit committee, in limited numbers, for what they contribute to the unit's program.
The Ordeal
Elected candidates become members by completing the Ordeal — a weekend of service to camp, undertaken in a way that tests self-reliance and cheerful service. Arrowmen do not spoil the specifics for candidates, and neither will this page. Bring work clothes, boots, and a willingness to be uncomfortable for a short while in good company.
Camp Pirtle and the OA are tied together. A great deal of the service work that keeps this camp running is done by Tejas Lodge on weekends when nobody else is here. If you have used this camp, some Arrowman built or fixed part of what you used.
Documents
Lodge forms and event paperwork are posted here as they are released. In the meantime, the council calendar (opens in a new tab) listing has the current documents.
Register for a lodge weekend
Tejas Lodge events are registered through the East Texas Area Council event calendar.