Happy Birthday Relief Society

In March we celebrate the anniversary of the organization of the Relief Society (the women’s organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) so I thought it would be a good time to write a bit about RS and who we are and what we do.
From its inception, the Relief Society was an organization for uplifting and supporting each other, both physically and spiritually. In our Sunday meetings we study and discuss gospel topics. We have other meetings for personal enrichment, learning, developing skills, and serving others. We take meals to new mothers or ill church members. We make quilts and medical kits and school kits to ship around the world. Here in my ward we recently collected items for a local women’s shelter. Our motto is “Charity Never Faileth” and our goal is to be the hands of heaven on earth.
The following statement was released a few years ago by the general (churchwide) Relief Society presidency, and I keep it hanging on my wall because it inspires me every time I read it. (click the links to see the posts I have written about the individual topics)

We are beloved spirit daughters of God,

And our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.

As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion

to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.

We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

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Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ

through prayer and scripture study

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Seek spiritual strength by following the

promptings of the Holy Ghost.

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Dedicate ourselves to strengthening

marriages, families, and homes.

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Find nobility in motherhood

and joy in womanhood.

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Delight in service and good works.

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Love life and learning.

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Stand for truth and righteousness.

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Sustain the priesthood

as the authority of God on earth.

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Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,

understand our divine destiny,

and strive for exaltation.

Over the rest of the month I’ll be posting about these topics. I hope you will join me in discussing these things, and if you are LDS, consider taking this opportunity to write about the Relief Society on your own blog.