International Order of Job's Daughters
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Now officially named Job's Daughters International (Sometimes abbreviated to JDI) and known throughout the world simply as Job's Daughters, is a Masonic sponsored youth organization for girls aged 10 to 20 who are related to a Master Mason. It is the oldest of five Masonic sponsored organizations for girls, dating from 1920. The individual group is called a Bethel, and each is numbered sequentially according to when they were instituted in their jurisdiction. They usually meet at a Masonic Lodge building and when they are in session they refer to the meeting place as the Bethel.
The presiding officer of the Bethel is called the Honored Queen and she is elected by the members of her Bethel. The position is roughly analogous to Worshipful Master in a Masonic Lodge, and to the President of an association of any kind. The Honored Queen is assisted in her duties by a Senior Princess and a Junior Princess. The Senior Princess is usually considered to be next in line as Honored Queen. Girls who finish a term as Honored Queen use the Past Honored Queen (abbreviated PHQ) designation within Job's Daughters.
Stations (Officers) of the Bethel:
elected:
Honored Queen
Senior Princess
Junior Princess
Guide
Marshal
appointed:
Senior Custodian
Junior Custodian
Recorder
Librarian
Chaplain
Treasurer
First Messenger
Second Messenger
Third Messenger
Fourth Messenger
Fifth Messenger
Inner Guard
Outer Guard
Musician
A Grand Bethel Honored Queen is the head of Job's Daughters for each state or province. The Supreme Bethel Honored Queen is the head of the international organization. In order to serve in one of these positions, a girl must be a Past Honored Queen of a Bethel.
The Bethel Guardian Council is the group of adults that helps advise and supervise the girls of the Bethel. It is headed by the Bethel Guardian, an adult female, and the Associate Bethel Guardian, a Master Mason. They are joined by other adults, mostly parents, with offices like Guardian Tresurer. At the state level a group of adults called the Grand Guardian Council oversees all of the Bethels in their state.
Members who reach the age of 20 or marry while members in good standing go through a ceremony to become Majority Members. Majority Members may still be active in the organization but are no longer allowed to vote on business matters in the Bethel. Some states allow girls up to age 25 to be part of their Grand Bethel, which is composed of members from all over the state. Young women who wish to remain active in Masonic activities may join Order of the Eastern Star upon reaching the age of 18.
The organization was founded as The International Order of Job's Daughters (IOJD) by Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1920. The original minimum age for membership was 13 but has been changed several times over the years, most recently in 2004, to age ten. The purpose of the Order was to band together young girls who are related to a Master Mason and is intended to build character through moral and spiritual development including a greater reverence for God and the Holy Scriptures, loyalty to one's country and that country's flag, and respect for parents and guardians. From the beginning, Job's Daughters have been active in their communities through charities and other social activities. In 2004, the organization voted to change its name to Job's Daughters International although most states still use the IOJD designation and JDI is for the most part at the Supreme level.
Mrs. Mick was particularly fond of the Book of Job, and took the name of the organization as a reference to the three daughters of Job. The Book of Job, 42nd chapter, 15th verse says, "In all the land were no women found so fair as the Daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among their bretheren". She founded the Order with the assistance of her husband, Dr. William H. Mick, and several Freemasons and members of Eastern Star of Oklahoma. She dedicated the organization to the memory of her mother, Elizabeth D. Wead.
The "Jobs Daughter to Be" or "JD2B" program gives Bethels a way to involve eight- and nine-year-old girls in the Bethels' public and social activities before the girls become full members at 10.
Today, Bethels and Grand Bethels are active in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines and the United States. Within the United States, there are currently Bethels in 32 states. Most states and provinces have a Grand Guardian Council but a few are under the direct supervision of the Supreme Guardian Council. Some jurisdictions still use the IOJD title, while others, particularly those directly under the SGC, use JDI. No matter which designation is used, "Job's Daughters" is the common name that is familiar to the general public.
