The Order of the Arrow is known as Scouting's National Honor Society.

Purpose of the Order
To recognize those campers - Scouts, and Scouters - who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and by such recognition cause other campers to conduct themselves in such a manner as to warrant recognition.

• To develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit.
• To promote Scout camping, which reaches its greatest effectiveness as a part of the unit's camping program, both year-around and in the summer camp, as directed by the camping committee of the council.
• To crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.

Membership
During your Ordeal weekend, you were inducted into the Golden Sun Lodge. Through the Ordeal Ceremony, you became an Ordeal Member. As you were told, you have all of the rights and privileges of the Order of the Arrow. The Order does not have ranks like in Scouting. It has levels of membership. However, these levels do not cause one Arrowman to be superior to another, for we are all brothers.

After you have been active as an Arrowman in the Lodge for 10 months, you are eligible to become a Brotherhood Member. This involves a ceremony similar to that of the Ordeal. The Brotherhood Ceremony builds upon some of the occurrences in the Ordeal Ceremony. This is an important step that you should plan to take. By becoming a Brotherhood member, you seal your membership in the Order. You must meet a few more challenges regarding the customs, tradition and obligations of the Order.

Each year the Lodge honors several Arrowmen with the Vigil Honor. These individuals are Arrowmen who seem to go above and beyond what a typical Arrowman is expected to do. They have held Brotherhood membership for two or more years. These Arrowmen undergo new tests and a new ceremony before receiving the Vigil Honor. A committee meets each year to nominate the Vigil Honor Recipients. The selections are made based on continuing service and devotion to the Order of the Arrow and Scouting.

Lodge Leadership and the Lodge Executive Committee
The Lodge is lead by several youth Arrowmen who serve as officers, under the guidance of selected, capable adult Arrowmen. Together, these Arrowmen are responsible for conducting the program of the Lodge. Many of these Lodge leaders comprise the Lodge Executive Committee, the decision-making body of the Lodge. The LEC is composed of the Lodge Officers, Lodge Advisers, Committee Chairmen and Committee Advisers.

The officers of the Lodge are the Chief, the Vice-Chief, the Secretary and Treasurer. These Lodge leaders, along with the chairmen of the Lodge Standing Committees and the Chapter Chiefs, are responsible for overseeing and conducting the operations of the Lodge and administering the Lodge program.

There are many opportunities for Leadership in the OA. If you have an interest in becoming more involved in the Lodge Program and in learning about the Order of the Arrow through one of its numerous leadership positions, contact one the Lodge Leaders and discuss it with him. There's a role for every Arrowman in the Order of the Arrow, whether it be an officer, a chairman, or an adviser.