Visiting California Bethels

From Sacramento, we drove south to Fresno, and on Monday night attended the meeting of Bethel 49 in Fresno, which was Susan's Bethel as a girl. It was the 80th anniversary of the Bethel, and several PHQ's and PBG's were in attendance, as well as a Past Supreme Guardian. We had heard it was one of the stronger Bethels in California, so were disappointed when there were only 8 girls there for the meeting. Still, Jennifer enjoyed visiting them at refreshment after the meeting.

Tuesday we drove to Selma to attend the meeting of Bethel 151. We arrived at the Lodge a few hours before the scheduled meeting, and when an adjacent business owner asked if he could help us, we asked him if he knew whether the Job's Daughters were meeting that night. He made a few calls, and a few minutes later, the Bethel Guardian came by and invited us to dinner with her husband and youngest daughter, a Past Honored Queen. Selma is a fairly small Bethel, and was just placed under reorganization, although the Bethel Guardian hopes they will emerge from it shortly. Many of their members are busy with sports, and were unable to make it to the meeting, so they opened with four daughters and Jennifer. The good news was they had two Jobies-to-be come to watch some of the opening and closing and submit petitions. The girls will be initiated next meeting. Afterward the Bethel Guardian invited us to come by her house, and we visited for an hour or so, and promised to keep in touch.

Today, we drove north to Citrus Heights, a suburb of Sacramento, and attended the meeting of Bethel 292. They have a large Bethel, with almost all their chairs filled. They even have a musician. Bethel 292 has a Grand Bethel officer, the Representative to Alaska, Montana, and Canada. It was very impressive seeing so many girls and such good ritual work. Afterwards, we had rootbeer floats.