- International Association of Rebekah Assemblies
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Daughters of Rebekah Founded September 20, 1851
U.S.A.Type Fraternal and Service Organization Scope International Symbol Three Link Chain, dove, lily, moon and seven stars Headquarters Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Homepage http://www.ioof.org The Daughters of Rebekah, also known as the Rebekahs and the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies, is an international service-oriented organization and a branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It was initially designed as the female auxiliary of the IOOF,[1] but now allows both female and male members.[2]
It is one of the units of the IOOF, but women need not be related to an Odd Fellow to be a member of the Rebekahs. As long as she meets the moral, ethical and age requirement for admission, any woman may join. In most jurisdictions, women aged 16 or 18 years old and above can join a Rebekah Lodge.[3]
An 1898 print depicting various themes related to the work of the Rebekah Lodges.
Schuyler Colfax, U.S. Vice-President from March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1873.Contents
Philosophy and Purpose
The general duties of the members of this unit are, “To live peaceably, do good unto all, as we have opportunity and especially to obey the Golden Rule, Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.”[3]
Together with the Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs:
- manage more than 80 Odd Fellow and Rebekah Homes or facilities which provides a caring environment for the elderly, orphans and youth
- spend over $775 million in relief projects annually
- The Educational Foundation provides substantial loans and grants to students
- SOS Children’s Village provides a caring home for orphaned children in 132 countries around the world
- Living Legacy focuses on planting trees and enhancing the environment
- The Arthritis Foundation
- Visual Research Foundation supports vision care and research through the Wilmer Eye Institute
- United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth sponsors a group of students for an educational trip to the United Nations
- Annual sponsorship of a float in the Rose Parade (Pasadena, California)
- Annual pilgrimages to the "Tomb of the Unknowns" (Arlington National Cemetery, USA), and other Tombs of the Unknown Soldier.[citation needed]
Becoming a Rebekah offers many opportunities to:
- Understand the principles of Friendship, Love, and Truth
- Be involved in leadership training applicable to everyday life.
- Have a more purposeful life.
- Develop enduring friendships far and wide.
- Become an active participant in your community.
- Broaden your mind.
- help children, the elderly, and the less fortunate.
- develop an inner satisfaction that money cannot buy.
- have a warm friendly welcome in strange cities and distant lands.
- have companionship at a time of loneliness.
- enlarge your circle of friends.
- use your talents to help others
- have fun [4]
History
The Rebekah Lodges were founded on 20 September 1851, when, after considerable debate, the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows voted to adopt the Rebekah Degree, largely due to the efforts of an Odd Fellow named Schuyler Colfax. The first Rebekah Degrees were honorary awards only, conferred on wives and daughters of Odd Fellows at special Lodge meetings, and recipients were known as "Daughters of Rebekah".[5] The name is taken from the Biblical character of Rebekah.
These early Daughters of Rebekah had no lodge system of their own, and operated in an informal and local manner. On September 25, 1868, the IOOF voted to establish Degree Lodges of the Daughters of Rebekah, mirroring the existing arrangements for their male counterparts. The Daughters were given the right to elect their own officers, charge for initiation fees, collect dues and undertake charitable and benevolent activities. The name was changed to "Degree of Rebekah" in 1874.[6]
Teachings and Symbolism
The Rebekah Degree was designed especially for women, and its ceremony and lectures are based upon the characters of notable women in Biblical history. It is named for that woman of early Hebrew history whose kindness and hospitality to a humble and unknown stranger best portrayed the nobility and character of women. There are also other notable women of Biblical history whose characters and virtues form the basis for the Rebekah Degree and lessons of life to be followed by the Rebekahs. They were famous for their loyalty, patriotism, for civic and national services, for humanitarianism, and for devotion to God and the cause of righteousness among mankind.[7]
The Rebekah Degree ceremony is illustrated by distinctive symbols employed in the work of the degree, each having a beautiful significance and an appropriate application:
- The Beehive, a representation of cooperative industry teaching the advantages of united efforts in all the noble ministries of the Order.
- The Moon and Seven Stars represents the never failing order which pervades the universe of God and all of nature, and suggest to the members the value of system, regularity and precision in all worthy undertakings
- The Dove, a universally recognized emblem of peace, has this significance in the Rebekah Degree. Through the mission of love and charity, of tolerance and forbearance, Rebekahs are to strive to bring happiness to others and to promote “Peace on earth and good will to men.”
- The Lily, regarded for untold ages as the emblem of purity, is a fitting symbol of the purity of character, of thought, of word, and of action which should always be found and manifested in the heart and life of members of the Rebekah Lodge.[8]
Rebekah Creed
I am a REBEKAH. I believe in the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man and the sisterhood of women. I believe in the watch-words of our Order - Friendship, Love, and Truth. Friendship - is like a golden chain that ties our hearts together. Love - is one of our most precious gifts, the more you give, the more you receive. Truth - is the standard by which we value people. It is the foundation of our Society. I believe that my main concern should be my God, my family and my friends. Then I should reach out to my community and the world. For in God's eyes we are all brothers and sisters. I AM A REBEKAH![citation needed]
Notable Rebekahs
- Lucy Hobbs Taylor, first U.S. female dentist [9]
- Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady of the United States [10]
- Bina West, one of the leaders of the Ladies of the Maccabees in 1920.[11].
Today
Rebekah Lodges are still active in the United States despite the fact that the IOOF now accepts women as full members in the United States. There are male and female Rebekah members. There are also Rebekah Lodges in Europe, Canada, Australasia and South America.[citation needed]
In the U.S., girls too young for membership in the Rebekahs may join the Theta Rho Girls' Clubs, just as boys can join Junior IOOF Lodges. Rebekahs observe the IOOF creed of "Friendship, Love and Truth", and are engaged in many social and charitable activities worldwide. Rebekahs manage or support various facilities for children.
Rebekah Children's Services
Rebekah Children's Services is a public benefit corporation founded in 1897 by the California Rebekah Lodge as an orphanage. They now provide foster care placement and support services, parent support, prevention and early specific needs of the child and family whenever categorical services do not work. Their services include outpatient therapy, education to the community, and behavioral health care services to children living in the Gilroy Unified School district.[12]
See also
- Independent Order of Odd Fellows
- Oddfellows - the British orders
- Odd Fellows
- category: Odd Fellows
- Junior Odd Fellows
- Theta Rho Girls
- Fraternities and Sororities
References
- ^ "A Grand Gathering, but One With a Solemn Note". New York Times. August 26, 2007. "As with most matters of Odd Fellowship, nearly every aspect of the annual convention of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows must adhere to protocol. The dais for the officers’ banquet, for example, must be two-tiered and able to accommodate 50 people, important on the bottom, really important on the top. Seats for the sovereign grand master, the deputy sovereign grand master, the sovereign grand warden, the sovereign grand secretary and the sovereign grand treasurer. Seats for the leaders of the two uniformed branches, the Patriarchs Militant and its Ladies Auxiliaries. A seat for the president of the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies, established when the Odd Fellows long ago recognized “the need for a woman’s touch.”"
- ^ Grand Lodge I.O.O.F. of Texas. A charitable organization in Corsicana, Texas
- ^ a b Membership Product 2
- ^ Independent Order of Odd Fellows
- ^ "Our Rebekah History". Official website. Rebekah Assembly of Idaho. http://www.rebekahsofidaho.org/history.htm. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ "The International Association of Rebekah Assemblies". Rebekahs In the San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area - website. http://rebekahs.org/IOOF%20HISTORY.htm. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ Philosophy & History
- ^ Meanings of the symbols are taken from the Manuals of a Rebekah lodge
- ^ Notable american women: a ... - Google Books
- ^ Jim McKee: Lincoln Odd Fellows have been around for more than 140 years
- ^ Ms. Bina West, a guiding force in the Ladies of the Maccabees (and subsequently to its successor in interest, the Women's Benefit Association) was also a member of other fraternal orders, including the Odd Fellows Rebeccas (Rebekahs) and Woodmen's Circle auxiliary of the Woodmen of the World
- ^ Rebekah Children's Services
External links
Categories:- 1850s establishments
- Odd Fellows
- Women's organizations
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