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| Courtesy www.lds.org |
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Samoan women enjoy singing in a Relief Society meeting. The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the world’s largest women’s organizations, numbering 4.7 million in 165 countries.
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A worldwide sisterhood will unite to worship God as the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrates its 163rd birthday on March 17 this year.
Taking in the homeless, providing work opportunities for the poor and donating to families in need are just a few of the things that early members of the Relief Society did. Those original purposes of the Relief Society, to provide relief and save souls, are continued today, according to the gospel reference manual True to the Faith.
Unknown to many newcomers into the Relief Society are some of the changes it has seen since the original establishment by Joseph Smith.
“It used to be held every Tuesday morning,” Anita Williams, a Rexburg resident and member of the Relief Society, said. “Then years later when more women started to enter the workforce, a second session began to meet on Sundays. It was that second session that evolved into what we now know [Relief Society] to be today,” Williams said.
“We also used to have monthly bazaars,” Williams continued. “The Relief Society bazaars were mainly instituted for the raising of money to build new church houses,” she said. Quilts, stuffed animals and even personalized bricks were just some of the items that would be sold during a bizarre. “Whatever money was left was part of the Society’s budget,” she said, which was usually used to help start the next service project.
Linda Hawkes, a faculty member of the Education Department at BYU-Idaho and Relief Society Adviser for the 23rd ward, recalls the Sunday lessons having different focuses in the past. “The lessons were less focused on the scriptures,” Hawkes said. “We had cultural refinement lessons that taught us about different cultures, languages, and its people.”
Hawkes and Williams agreed that the lessons are now more centered on teachings of the prophets and scriptural doctrines than ever before. A common theme for LDS general conferences has been to focus attention back to basic doctrines of the Church, including the strengthening of the family. This was shown in 1995 when “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was released. Naturally the Relief Society’s focus would shift also.
“Women of the Church are focusing on Family Home Evening ideas, personal scripture study and personal prayer more,” Hawkes said.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the twelve apostles said in his October 2004 General Conference address, “From its beginning the Relief Society has led out in a charitable work.” Today, even with the several changes that have occurred, the members of the Relief Society are still seen fulfilling their mission to provide relief to the needy and save the souls of humankind.
