Relief Society

"Charity never faileth" is the motto of one of the world's oldest and largest women's organizations, the Relief Society of the LDS or Mormon Church. Its official declaration likewise proclaims the goals of the organization as a whole and the individual goals of its members. All Mormon women age 18 and older are automatically members. The Relief Society was founded by the Prophet Joseph Smith on March 17, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois. Today the Relief Society includes over five million women in over 170 countries.

The Relief Society Seal

History

During the Church's [Nauvoo and the Martyrdom| Nauvoo period] the sisters of the Church wanted to create a women's organization to help in the effort of building the Nauvoo Temple as well as to help the poor among them. They originally called themselves the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.

The Prophet Joseph Smith gave the following promises to the sisters of the Relief Society:

• If you live up to [these] privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.
• If this Society listen[s] to the counsel of the Almighty, through the heads of the Church, they shall have power to command queens in their midst.

(Quoted from Boyd K. Packer, “The Relief Society,” Ensign, May 1998, 72).

http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,4748-1,00.html "Emma Smith became the first president of the Relief Society when it was organized in Nauvoo, Illinois, on 17 March 1842. Under her leadership the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo raised funds for the Nauvoo Temple, sewed clothes for the temple workmen, petitioned Governor Thomas Carlin to protect Joseph Smith, nursed the sick, cared for the poor, and gave relief where it was needed."

See also Nauvoo and the Martyrdom

The Relief Society Today

The Relief Society meets each Sunday (excluding conferences) during the Mormon block schedule. Weekly lessons consist of messages from former prophets or the current Church leaders. Sisters also gather regularly for Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment meetings and activities (Enrichment for short). Enrichment gives sisters an additional opportunity to socialize, learn, and be uplifted. At Enrichments, sisters strengthen each other in their common roles as wives, mothers, sisters in Zion, and daughters of God.

During one of the Relief Society's annual conferences, current President Bonnie D. Parkin (2002--) had this to say about Relief Society:

Relief Society—the Lord’s organization for women. Relief Society is important to the Lord ... He provided women a safe haven from the harshness of the world when He gave us Relief Society. From the beginning our association together and our direction from priesthood leaders have helped us come unto Christ. There was no greater cause then; there is no greater cause today.

Relief Society was not man-made or woman-made. It was, as President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) explained, “divinely made, divinely authorized, divinely instituted, divinely ordained of God to minister for the salvation of the souls of women and of men.” Bonnie D. Parkin, “Oh, How We Need Each Other!” Ensign, Mar. 2004, 16

President Parkin went on to list six objectives of the Relief Society:

• Build faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and teach the doctrines of the kingdom.
• Emphasize the divine worth of each sister.
• Exercise charity and nurture those in need.
• Strengthen and protect families.
• Serve and support each sister.
• Help sisters become full participants in the blessings of the priesthood.

A large part of meeting these objectives is the Relief Society's Visiting Teaching program. In this program, two sisters are asked to look after and visit other sisters in the ward at least once a month. This usually involves some sort of spiritual message and a chance for the sisters to get to know one another and strengthen each other. Through Visiting Teaching, every sister has someone to watch over them and the bonds of sisterhood are strengthened.

For more information about the Relief Society visit www.lds.org