Order of the Arrow Chapter

The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America and recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, developing leaders, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich, support and help to extend Scouting to America's youth. The San Jacinto District chapter is called Ani-Lati and is part of Colonneh Lodge.

Activities Brotherhood Dues Elections Ordeals Resources

San Jacinto Chapter Meetings

Second Thursday of the month

OA chapter meetings are currently held the second Thursday of every month (except June and July) at 7:00 pm at University Baptist Church (16106 Middlebrook Dr, Houston, TX 77059). Chapter meetings provide an opportunity for the youth to develop a plan to support units in the district, promote upcoming events, participate in ceremony team preparation and regalia building, learn leadership skills and have fun. See the district calendar for a list of upcoming chapter meetings.

Colonneh Lodge

Arrow of Light and Crossover Ceremonies

Lodges and chapters that are asked to conduct Arrow of Light or crossover ceremonies for Cub Scout packs are only permitted to conduct them using the newly approved official ceremonies. These ceremonies are to be conducted in a Scout uniform and are no longer permitted to be done in American Indian regalia. Packs or troops can also conduct these ceremonies. Source.

OA Unit Representative Program

OA troop representative patch The OA unit representative is a youth, serving their unit as the primary liaison to the unit’s lodge or chapter. They meet the unit’s needs by providing a communication and programmatic link to and from all Arrowmen, Scouts who are not presently members of the Order, and adult leaders. These efforts are meant to assist the unit and its members in achieving the mission of the Boy Scouts of America, and at the same time fulfilling the lodge’s role in the Strategic Plan of the Order of the Arrow of being an integral part of the council. By setting a good example, they enhance the image of the Order as a service arm to their unit. The OA unit representatives and their advisers are encouraged to register with the lodge to receive important updates and information.

More Information

Ordeals

ordeal arrow Scouts who were elected into the Order of the Arrow by their unit must complete an Ordeal within one year, in order to become a member of Colonneh Lodge. Please keep in mind that weekends in the fall are full of football games, band competitions, and other outside obligations, so please plan to attend one of the Ordeals earlier in the year, if possible. A candidate can only complete their Ordeal in the lodge they were elected.

Register for an Ordeal

Colonneh Lodge Executive Committee (LEC) Meeting

LEC The LEC meets several times a year to facilitate the business matters of Colonneh Lodge. All lodge officers and chapter chiefs (or designee) and their advisers are required to attend the LEC; however, all Arrowmen are welcome to attend this important planning and business meeting. See the lodge calendar for a list of dates.

Colonneh Lodge Dues

Colonneh Lodge dues are renewed annually. Dues can be renewed online or through the mail.

Pay dues online

The Order of the Arrow, Scouting's Honor Society, is made up of thousands of great Scouts and Scouters like yourself, who were elected to the Order by their fellow Scouts because they saw something in you, something special - those qualities of trust, leadership, friendship, brotherhood, and a desire to serve others - that set you apart.

You undertook the Ordeal to prove your dedication to the high ideals of service that is the hallmark of our Order. Perhaps you have achieved an even greater understanding of Wimachtendienk, Wingolauchsik, Witahemui by sealing your membership through the Brotherhood, or even now keep the flame of cheerful service alive through leadership in service. You are an Arrowman and we ask that you continue your support for the Order of the Arrow and its worthy goals which are more important now than ever.

An active member in Colonneh Lodge is someone who is a currently registered Scout or Scouter in the Sam Houston Area Council with current dues paid. With active membership, you are entitled to attend all functions of the lodge appropriate for your honor level. It also entitles you to wear your OA flap. Technically, if you don’t pay your dues, you are not a member, and the flap should be removed from your uniform.

Think back on your Ordeal. Remember the Obligation and Admonition. Remember ... "The ones, who chose you, need you."

Wear the flap, pay the dues graphic

Resources

Colonneh Lodge Communications

@oashac | #colonneh

History of the San Jacinto District OA Chapter

The Legend of Ani-Lati

San Jacinto OA chapter logo As we begin to look at the history of the Ani-Lati Chapter it is important that we look back a few years before its beginning so that we can understand what events caused its creation.

It was on September 19, 1961, when NASA announced that the $60 million manned space flight laboratory would be located in Houston, Texas, on a thousand acres of land to be made available to the government by Rice University. The land, in Harris County, borders on Clear Lake and on the Houston Light and Power Company’s saltwater canal. The laboratory would be the command center for the manned lunar landing mission and all following manned space flight missions. The Johnson Space Center, as we know it now, was established in 1961 as the Manned Spacecraft Center. Not until 1973 was the Center renamed in honor of the late President and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson.

As a result of the new space center what had been farm and pastureland south of Houston began to grow into a new community known as Clear Lake City. NASA sub-contractors began to move to the area, thousands of jobs became available and families began to relocate close to these jobs. As the new community and the surrounding area grew, Scouting also began to grow in the area located on the southeast side of Sam Houston Area Council.

As Scouting continued to grow in the area, Sam Houston Area Council saw the need for a Scouting District in this area. It was in September 1964 that the new Bayshore District was born in Sam Houston Area Council. Several units that had been in the San Jacinto District were now within the boundaries of the Bayshore District. These units with a total of 806 youth members became the new Bayshore District. Along with that, a new Order of the Arrow Chapter now exists in Colonneh Lodge.

During this time NASA was working on the Apollo program. This program would result in the first humans landing on the moon in July of 1969. These were exciting times in the world but were especially exciting in our area where so many were directly involved.

When a name was chosen for the new OA Chapter it was fitting that we took a look at what had brought so many of us together in the southeast corner of Colonneh Lodge. Obviously that was the arrival of NASA and the related aerospace business that built or caused the building of the surrounding community and supported so many of our Scouting families. Thus it was fitting that we take the Native American name “Ani-Lati”, meaning in English, “Sky People”.

The area has continued to grow with the addition of many petro-chemical related businesses and the expansion of the Port of Houston in the north and east ends of our Chapter. We find that today not all of our Scouting families are supported because of NASA. We also find it is still important that we remember that our center and our beginning remains the NASA area.

Resources

General Resources

Chapter Resources

Social Media

Contacts

For additional information about the Order of the Arrow, contact the district chapter adviser or Colonneh Lodge.