Joining the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an exciting opportunity to become part of a Nationwide community dedicated to service, charity, and fellowship.
To be eligible for membership, you must:
01. Be at least 21 years of age.
02. Believe in God.
03. Be a citizen of the United States who pledges allegiance to and salutes the American Flag.
04. Be of good character.
Fees for Saint Louis Lodge#9 covering April 1st (2025) through March 31st (2026):
$125.00 – Initiation Fee (due upon completion of application)
$214.50 – Annual Dues (may be prorated depending on Initiation date)
$75 – $325 – Optional Pool Membership (sold separately)
Stats
– Of the 1833 Elks Lodges in the Country, Missouri has 71 Lodges separated into five districts: Metro East #4780, East Central #4760, Northeast #4800, West Central #4940, Southwest #4920, Metropolitan West #4790, Northwest #4840, & Southeast #4880.
St. Louis #9 is one of 8 Lodges in Missouri East Distinct 4780 which includes Affton #2635, Crestwood #2503, Ellisville #2664, Florissant #2316, Manchester #2058, St. Charles #690, & Troy #2805.
* If looking to reinstate contact Secretary Missy – missy.dillon@compass.com *
March Newsletter Article –
After beginning the fiscal year (April 1st) with 871 actives we’re now up to 927 actives 21 of which are classified ‘Life’ (30-year Elks who’re at least 65 years old) and 60 delinquents. Of our 29 membership applications on hand; 12 are ready for balloting, 9 are in the hands of the investigative committee, 6 are ready for orientation, and 2 will be read during the next lodge meeting.
This year we’ve increased membership by 101 (93 by Initiation, 4 by Reinstatement, 4 by Affiliation) countered by a decrease of 45 (39 Dropped, 3 Transferred Out, 3 Deaths) which has us at a net (gain / loss) of +56 which in the entirety of BPOE (Best People on Earth) ranks 192nd (of 1796 total lodges) behind #1 ranked Greater Wild wood New Jersey (with a +794) while on the other end of the spectrum there’s Beaver Falls Pennsylvania #348 with a -168. Within the MEA (Missouri Elks Association) our +56 ranks 10th (out of 71 lodges) behind leader Festus Crystal City #1721 with +124 while on the other end sits four lodges at -1.
Age
The youngest lodge in the BPOE is Dallas Texas #71 with an average age of 49.24 while our average of 56.78 respectfully has us as the 107th youngest in the country, 17th youngest in Missouri, and the 2nd youngest in Metro East District #4780 behind Ellisville #2664 who sit at 55.99.
Size
The largest lodge in the BPOE is Greater Wildwood New Jersey #1896 ( https://www.elks1896.com ) with 9106 members, while our 927 actives rank us 171st Nationwide, 7th Statewide, and 1st of the 8 Metro East lodges which includes Affton (569 members), Florissant (299), Crestwood (286), Ellisville (253), Troy (183), Manchester (179), and St. Charles (151).
Elkdom’s Heart for America
As February concluded the 11th month of the fiscal year, All American #9 is a SpaceX Rocket with room for more. If you have a prospect, bring her or him to Bunco, Happy Hour, Karaoke, or Trivia because @ the Red, White, and Blue American Loving Saint Louis #9 we Kneel for God and Stand for the Flag.
Timothy Luby – Past Exalted Ruler / Trustee – 03/05/25
Saint Louis 9 Setting the Pace
– In fiscal 2024 (April 1st-2023 through March 31st-2024) the lodge had a net gain of +19 which ranked #21 (of 72) in Missouri and #479 (of 1817) in the Country.
– In fiscal 2023 (April 1st-2022 through March 31st – 2023) the lodge had a net gain of +88 which ranked #2 (of 73) in Missouri and 101st (of 1833) in the Country.
– In fiscal year 2022 (April 1st-2021 through March 31st-2022) the lodge had a net gain of 138 which ranked #1 (of 75) in Missouri and #45 (of 1876) in the Country.
– In fiscal 2021 (April 1st-2020 through March 31st-2021) the lodge had a net gain of 120 which ranked #1 in Missouri and #55 in the Country.
– In fiscal 2020 (April 1st-2019 through March 31st-2020) the lodge had a net gain of 124 which ranked us #2 in Missouri (behind Eureka Pacific Lodge #2664 who had a net gain of 160) and 86th in the Country.
In fiscal 2019 (April 1st-2018 through March 31st-2019) the lodge had a net gain of 232 which ranked us #1 in Missouri and #38 in the Country.
Becoming a Member – Let’s Get it Started
To be eligible for membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, you must be a citizen of the United States over the age of 21 who believes in God.
You can be sponsored by any member in good standing from any lodge in the country. You’ll also need two other Elks who will be your references. The Elk who proposes you for membership will provide you with a copy of the Membership Application, or will email you a link to the online version of the form. Please follow all instructions and answer all questions. If applying via hard copy, please return your completed application to the Lodge Secretary.
Your application will be read at a regular Lodge meeting. It will then be forwarded to the Investigating Committee, who will call you and set up a time for you and your sponsor to meet with the committee so that they can interview you.
After the interview is concluded, the committee will report to the Lodge concerning your membership. The members will be given a notice not less than 10 days nor more than two months before the vote will be taken.
When the vote is concluded, you will be notified and asked to present yourself and your spouse for indoctrination. During indoctrination, you will learn more about the Order’s programs and charities. You will also be told during the program the date you will be initiated.
After initiation as an Elk, you can take part in all meetings and social functions of the Lodge.
If for any reason your application is rejected, you can submit a new application for membership after six months from the date of rejection.
https://www.elks.org/membership/default.cfm?source=Membership
What my Elks membership card really tells me? (An old article first printed in 1932 but still relevant today!
I hold in my hand a little scrap of paper, two by three inches in size. It is of no intrinsic worth, not a bond, check, or receipt for values, yet it is my most priceless possession. It is my membership card in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America.
It tells me that I am an American citizen–the proudest title in all the world that can be conferred upon a man. It tells me that I am the peer of emperors and kings, the ruler of my own destiny, the maker of my own fortune. It tells me that I am a citizen of a land where democracy rules, where brotherhood prevails, where tolerance holds sway, where justice is enthroned.
It tells me that I have joined with 800,000 other Americans in the pledging of allegiance to our country and its laws: in placing the American flag first in our hearts as loyal Americans and first upon our altars as loyal Elks.
It tells me that I have entered into a spiritual and material kinship with my fellow Elks to practice charity in word and deed; to forgive and forget the faults of my brothers, to hush the tongue of scandal and innuendo; to care for the crippled, the hungry and the sick; and to be just to all mankind. It tells me that in 1,500 cities under good fellowship prevails a home among brothers and friends; a home dedicated not only to the high principles for which the Order of Elks stands, but to the need of play, which is inherent in the heart of every man.
It tells me that my loved, my home, my fireside, and my household, are under the protection of every member of this great Order, who has sworn to protect and defend mine, as I have sworn to protect his. It tells me that should I ever be overcome by adversity, the hand of every Elk in all the world will be stretched forth to assist me in my necessities. It tells me that if old age should find me alone and homeless, that, as an honored guest of our Order, surrounded by my old comrades, and with every comfort and luxury, I may sit upon the veranda at Bedford in Virginia, and watch the evening sun sink behind the Peaks of Otter for the last time before my fading eyes.
And, finally, it tells me, Brothers, that when my final exit from the stage of life has been made, there will be gathered in my Lodge Room friends and brothers, who, when the Eleventh hour has been struck, will recall to mind my virtues, though they be few, and will write my faults, though they be many, upon the sands.
Reprinted from Denison, TX Lodge 238
