Universe

why is it that rainbow has one web site with very little helpfull info and jobies has a few and demolay has such an awesome site. demolay job's daughters and rainbow are todays masonic future. why dont we have a place wher all can connect on equal ground and socialize throughout the world. we also need to have a way for members who dont know whats what to be able to find out. there are few of us who know everything we should know about the other organizations as well as our own. to be able to make our masonic family stronger we need to try to connect the whole of it all. while im sort of on that subject why is it that we dont have a universal site for all masonic bodies to talk and make connections with others in other places. it would be such a help to recruitment of all of these organizations if we had a place were people could ask questions and not feel too awkward.

You're right. This is a great idea. Anyone?

Nicole,

To answer your question of "why dont we have a place wher all can connect on equal ground and socialize throughout the world." I believe this is the best place! There are mom's, dad's, advisors, DeMolay, Sweethearts, Rainbows, and Jobs Daughters all on this site from all around the world! You can post any topic you wish to discuss. Now if your question was ment to ask why the three groups haven't gotten together and formed "one uniform" web site, I would imagine it is because each group is focused on its own goals! After all the "major" differnece in recruiting between Rainbow and Jobs is that to be a Job the girls "MUST" be related to a Master Mason, and Rainbow will take any girl interested.

quote:

we also need to have a way for members who dont know whats what to be able to find out. there are few of us who know everything we should know about the other organizations as well as our own.

First, those that "know eveything" should "teach" those that will replace them! "Knowledge is Power!" "With great power, comes great responsibility!"

Second, there are many different ways for members of each group to discover whatever they want about the other! Remember the old cliche "you will only get out of it, what you put into it." If memebers "truly" what to be educated about the other Masonic groups, then they will educate themselves! Through my many years as an active DeMolay, I had many friends that were HQ's, GBHQ's...I am currently drawing a blank on Rainbow's titles and their web site was not helpful in refreshing it, but I said all that to say that I learned what I know about the other orders by supporting them! I went to their functions, asked questions if I did not understand what was going on, and inquired into their teachings. Now, I have two daughters of my own, and while I will not pressure them to join either group, I will introduce them to it, and if they want to join I will gladly support their decision! Gaining education about each other should be done personally! Not by reading it in a book or on the internet! TALK to the members of your local chapter. They are your BEST resource!

I think in this era of technology and the interenet, we are loosing site of the most important tool for recruitment - "word of mouth." A person can read all they want about our groups and say to themselves that sounds ok, but what is it like? They will never fully understand what it is like to attend Grand Assembly, Grand Session, or Conclave. They will never understand the excitement of comrodery, or the global and eternal bond of sisterhood and brotherhood we share unless someone "shares" it!!! What happened to the old saying "each one, bring two" One to replace you, and one to grow!

Remember the MAIN thing that makes us different is that "the active members are responsible for the FUTURE of the orders!" It is your Order! Talk about it in school, in your church groups, in your neighborhoods. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see you good works, and glorify our father that is in heaven." YOU MUST be willing to do the work! New meembers will not COME to you, YOU MUST go to them!!

i just feel like there are people who wont want to just go and ask or inquire. i know i wouldnt just walk up to someone i dont know and ask of them odd things.

I'll also add that there are a number of groups in Facebook for Combined Youth communications. And I image there are in MySpace as well.

How many times have you sat back with friends of the same or opposite gender and been asked "So, what did you do this weekend?", "What are you doing this weekend?" And replied with either "I had so much fun at this DeMolay, Job Daughter's, Rainbow event," or I am going to (laundry list) event." Did the conversation stop there, or did they say "What's that?" If this question was asked, did you then reply with the Eor hum drum of "Oh, just a group I belong to," or was there a tone of excitement in your voice "It's this group that I am a part of that......."

It is not about just walking up to people you don't know, what about the people you DO know? School, Church groups, etc., what about them? Are all of your friends Jobs (DeMolay, Rainbow)? Would you want all of your friends to be Jobs?

Think of membership this way: if you have 10 friends, and bring all 10 of those friends into Jobs. Chances are that they may have 10 friends. If each of your 10 brings 10, and those 10 bring 10, and so on...so, you see there is no need to talk to those you don't know, if everyone you do know is brought in!

It all boils down to how much of Jobs, Rainbow, DeMolay you want in your life? Do you want all of your frineds to be Jobs, Rainbow, or DeMolay? Or do you want two separate list, and never the twain shall meet? Personally, I regret doing the later! I wish I had included all of my friends into DeMolay, Jobs, and Rainbow! My home chapter of Jupiter-Tequesta is doing really great, and as of April 2007 celebrated its 21st year! But, I can't help but wonder how much stronger my chapter would have been back in those early years had I include insted of excluded my friends!

what im asking for is imput on a thing id like to see. something to make us closer as a whole. to stop breaking it up into groups. i do not need to know how to recruit. that i know how to do. i want to know how to make that idea a possibility

Start scheduling joint events!

My Chapter never has a fun activity where we don't invite the Rainbow & Jobs. They (as a group) rarely attend (a few individuals will, like my daughter, who is a member of both), but we always invite them!

Unless you stick out your hand in friendship, no one will know that you want to do things together.

Down here in Florida, the relationships with the three youth groups are getting much better. Yes, there are some older advisors that seem to be "stuck in the past" -- but on the whole, there is a lot of cooperation with the groups (much more than there was just a few years ago) - and it just takes some youth and adult leaders who are willing to "make it work."

Dad Ron Blaisdell
DeMolay Chapter Dad
Guardian Recorder (soon to be Assoc. Guardian)

Here here!!

Follow Ron's advice and make the effort to schedule joint events!

When my chapter first started, the Rainbow "Advisors" wanted nothing to do with the DeMolay because as they put it "the only interest we had with "their" girls was to get them pregnant." You may laugh, but it is true, and there are still advisors involved with both Jobs and Rainbow that feel that way. In order for my chapter to have successful dances or social activities we had to recruit other assemblies to come from neighboring lodges. Since our lodge did not have a Jobs we were already going to neighboring lodges to invite Jobs.

Act! Schedule social events, fund raisers, cook outs, public ceremonies or public awareness day and include a fund raiser like a carnaval, or here in KY all the Catholic Churchs have picnics where they have rides, and blow-up jumping things for kids. Have FUN! When you are in the "scheduling phase" for the event use some kind of cheesey slogan on your invitation to co-sponsor with the other orders like..."Remember we spell FUN without U. So come and join with us in sponsoring....."

Aside from planning joint events (which is a great thing, we have planned many events with Job's and all have turned out great) such as dances, parties, haunted houses, whatever!! unless i have missed something i have not read anything that would say that we could not have such a place.

In fact if it is something truly believed in I could see about setting up a forum or something to get it rolling and test it!! I have the ability to do such things and all I would have to do is raise a bit of money to get a website name. not so tough after all

IDEAS????

that would be awesome.

This makes me think of a nice little story. You say a lot of people won't want to just ask questions, and yeah some people are like that, but listen to this.

"A used car salesman was trying his hardest to sell a car to a man who seemed on the verge of buying it or leaving. No matter how hard the man tried, he could not badger the customer into buying it. After the customer left he returned to his boss and said "Well, You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." The man's boss just smiled and looked him in the eye. "You're going about this the wrong way my friend," he said, "Your job isn't to make him drink, it is to make him thirsty""

We can't MAKE people want to join our organizations, just as the salesman couldn't MAKE the man want to buy the car. But if we can just make our potential members thirsty, if we can just give them a taste of something so amazing as our Orders, then perhaps there we'll have everything we need.

Now, I understand the need to have people who know everything be well informed, why do we need websites to make ourselves well informed? I'm 19 years old, I'm a member of DeMolay, Lodge, and Eastern Star, and I'm working my way through the York Rite. I, in my thirst for knowledge (there's that thirst thing again, my point just reiterated on accident), decided to ask my FRIENDS who are in the organizations about them. I'm now to the point where if given a few moments before hand I could recruit for DeMolay, Star, Lodge, YR, Job's, and Rainbow without a second thought.

It's all a matter of wanting to get something done, and how badly you want it.

S&F