Grand Encampment Officers
Charles Lusk, Grand Patriarch
Edward Bowling, Grand High Priest
Jeff Hess, Grand Sr. Warden
Steve Ray, Grand Jr. Warden
Robert Henderson, Grand Scribe
Robert Ogden Sr., Grand Treasurer
Grand Encampment of Ohio
The Encampment
In 1827, Thomas Wildly, the founder of Independent Order of Odd Fellows in America, along with some other leaders created an additional branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows called the Encampment.
The Encampment is a higher branch of the I.O.O.F. open to any Third Degree member, man or woman, in good standing. The seal of the Encampment is a purple tent with gold trim. Above the entrance of the tent are three links and crossed shepherd hooks. The tent was chosen to represent a humble home and hospitality. The three links represent a triad in eternity while the shepherd’s crook is the emblem of Christ, the Good Shepherd.
Encampment members enhance the Odd Fellowship principles of Friendship, Love and Truth with the principles of Faith, Hope and Charity.
The Three Degrees of the Encampment are:
• Patriarchal Degree- the lessons of honesty, domestic purity, genuine hospitality and righteousness.
• Golden Rule Degree- the lessons of good will, tolerance, and true brotherhood.
• Royal Purple Degree- the lessons of alertness and determination as a foundation for success in life.
In the jurisdiction of Ohio there are currently 10 Encampments divided into six districts across the state.
~ Grand Patriarch’s Message ~
Greetings.
First off, I would like to thank all the members of the Grand Encampment of Ohio for putting your trust in me as your Grand Patriarch for the current year. I have been a member of Mad River #16 Encampment for several years and have watched many members come and go. As with all branches, we need to keep our members involved in the lodge activities and not let them sit in the back and not be involved. I have been to so many lodges that elect the same members into various offices repeatedly while new members sit and do nothing. The way to keep members is to get them involved in moving through the chairs and we need to listen to our new members, they might have fresh ideas that might help us gain membership. Ask your Odd Fellow and Rebekah members to join the Encampment and take the next step in our order.
I look forward to visiting as many Encampments as possible to see if there is anything we can do to help them in any way. If any Encampment needs anything from the Grand Encampment, please do not hesitate to contact myself or anyone on our board. We are all here to help you. Without you, we will slowly cease to exist. Please mark your calendar for the Testimonial for the Heads of all branches July 18th , 2026, come and have some fun and a great dinner and have a night of fellowship with Brothers and Sisters you don’t see that often.
In F, H & C
Chuck Lusk, Grand Patriarch
