Alpha Gamma Omega
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| Alpha Gamma Omega (ΑΓΩ) |
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| Founded | February 25, 1927 University of California, Los Angeles |
| Type | Social |
| Emphasis | Christian |
| Scope | National |
| Motto | "Fraternity for Eternity." |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Flower | Easter Lily |
| Chapters | 16, 8 Active |
| Free label | AGO |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| Homepage | http://www.ago.org |
ΑΓΩ - Alpha Gamma Omega (aka "AGO") is a national, Christ-Centered fraternity. It was founded in 1927 at UCLA, making it one of the oldest national Christian fraternities in the United States. There were 12 original charter members, with E. Harlan Fischer appointed as the first president. There are currently eight active chapters. AGO's Christian sorority counterpart is Alpha Delta Chi and is considered the fraternity's "sister sorority."
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[edit] The Preamble to the Constitution
The preamble to the fraternity's constitution is as follows:
Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we, as Christian young men of Alpha Gamma Omega Fraternity, purpose that it shall be the aim of this fraternity:
- To win others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ,
- To promote Christian Fellowship,
- To present Christian ideals in word and deed,
- To search reverently for the Truth,
- To uphold the traditions and ideals of the university,
- And to deepen the spiritual lives of the members.
[edit] Significance of the Letters
Alpha Omega, the first name chosen by the Fraternity, was taken from the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ where our Lord says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending..." This name was chosen to show that we are a group which recognizes the sovereign majesty of God and His dominion and Lordship over all things.
However, it was later found that there was an organization in existence which had the same name. Therefore, the letter "Gamma" was chosen to be added since it is the third letter of the Greek alphabet, thus corresponding with the "C" in the Latin alphabet -- "C" being the initial of Christ. It was inserted between the Alpha and Omega to signify the oneness of Christ with God, and to remind us that He is to be kept at the center of our lives and our Fraternity.
[edit] Fraternity-Wide Events
- Founders' Day Banquet. The last Saturday of February, the active and alumni members hold a lunch-time banquet to celebrate the founding of the fraternity. Usually held at The Castaway restaurant in Burbank, CA, the banquet is usually followed by an after-party at the home of a local alumnus.
- All-AGO Pismo Beach Flag Football Tournament. Every October, the various chapters compete on the Pismo-Oceano Dunes against one another for the trophy, followed by an evening of dinner and prayer in San Luis Obispo.
- Prayer at Noon
- Monday Night Meetings
[edit] Membership Requirements
Pledges may become active members of an AGO chapter at the invitation of the current active members. To become eligible for activation, pledges must complete a pledge program, slightly unique to each chapter but governed by the National Executive Committee.
During the pledge semester, pledges take part in activities designed to promote brotherhood among themselves. For example, in the Beta chapter at UC Berkeley, pledges usually gather for dinner with the active body on Mondays and later have a session of Bible study. A long held tradition in the Beta chapter is the "President Sneak" event, in which instead of attending the Monday night dinner, the pledges sneak the president of the chapter away for the Monday. The active body try to find the president by following clues laid out by the pledges, which lead to a specific restaurant and time where the president is being held by the pledges. Other chapters have similar traditions, but with some distinctive variations.
[edit] List of Chapters
- Alpha - UCLA
- Beta - UC Berkeley
- Gamma - California State University, Long Beach (inactive)
- Delta - California State University, Los Angeles (inactive)
- Epsilon - San Diego State University
- Zeta - University of California, Santa Barbara
- Eta - California State University, Fresno (inactive)
- Theta - Arizona State University (inactive)
- Iota - UC Davis
- Kappa - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- Lambda - UC Irvine (inactive)
- Mu - Illinois State University (inactive)
- Nu - Baylor University (inactive)
- Xi - University of Colorado at Boulder
- Omicron - University of North Carolina at Charlotte (inactive)
- Pi - University of Southern California
[edit] Famous Members of Alpha Gamma Omega
- Honorary Member - Evangelist Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ: UCLA Chapter
- Percy Crawford, Founder of Kings College: UCLA Chapter
- Sports newscaster John Howard, CBS News: SDSU Chapter
- Founder of the independent record label The Militia Group, Rory Felton: USC Chapter
- Journalist / Documentarian Bobby Bailey of "Invisible Children": USC Chapter
- Actor Beau Wirick of "Raising Dad"
[edit] External links
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