Women Counseled To Deepen Faith In Jesus Christ And The Atonement At The October 2012 LDS General Relief Society Meeting

Special Note: All posts on the October 2012 Semiannual General Conference can be simultaneously displayed HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

On Saturday September 29th, 2012, over 20,000 women packed the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City for the General Relief Society Meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Authorities present included the Relief Society General Presidency, consisting of Sister Linda K. Burton, general president, and her first and second counselors, Sister Carole M. Stephens and Sister Linda S. Reeves respectively, as well as the LDS Church First Presidency, consisting of President Thomas S. Monson and his first and second counselors, President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf respectively. This post summarizes news stories from the Deseret News (the most detailed), the Salt Lake Tribune, and KSL Channel 5.

Archives and transcripts of the addresses are now available HERE. KSL news video embedded below:



If there was a common theme to the meeting, it was the counsel to the women to deepen faith in Jesus Christ and His infinite atonement. During her remarks, Sister Linda K. Burton said making, keeping and rejoicing in covenants will be the evidence that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is truly written in the hearts of Latter-day Saint women. Sister Burton asked the women to remember three principles: One, all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Two, there is power in the Atonement to enable church members to overcome the natural man or woman and become true disciples of Jesus Christ. And three, the Atonement is the greatest evidence Latter-day Saints have of the father's love for his children. Sister Burton also said that while it is a good thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us, we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires to live in us -- not only to direct us, but also to empower us. Read a more detailed summary at LDS Church News.

Sister Carole M. Stephens said Relief Society sisters must be spiritually awake to fulfill their duties, explaining that a heart that's soft, humble, teachable, and gentle is necessary to prevent the noise of the world from distracting people from the gentle promptings that come from the Holy Spirit. Sister Stephens also reminded the audience that this life is a time of testing, and that we will continue to have opportunities to use our agency to choose what we will learn from the adversity that will surely come. She noted that Relief Society prepares women for the blessings of eternal life by awakening them spiritually to increase in faith and personal righteousness. Read a more detailed summary at LDS Church News.

Sister Linda S. Reeves said individuals must turn to the Lord for strength and comfort when they are weighed down by the anguish, sin, adversity and pains of life. She reminded the audience that the Lord has not forgotten them, noting that whatever sin or weakness or pain or struggle or trial encountered are understood by the Lord, and He will carry people through those moments. Sister Reeves also described a couple of challenges in her own life where the Lord bestowed upon her a spirit of peace even though the outcome of each challenge was different. When her husband was mortally ill, she turned to the Lord, and said that the sweetest, most peaceful and loving feeling came over her. Her husband recovered. In contrast, when her daughter fell ill years later and passed away, she still felt that same spirit of peace. What this means is that although we may not always get the outcome we want, if we trust unconditionally in the Lord and give Him control of our selves, He will do what's in everyone's best interest and reassure us accordingly. Read a more detailed summary at LDS Church News.

Finally, President Henry B. Eyring was the one member of the First Presidency who addressed the group. During his remarks, President Eyring told the congregation that each Latter-day Saint woman is in a unique place in her journey to eternal life. Although each woman is unique in her personal history and her challenges, all are sisters and beloved daughters of our Heavenly Father, who knows and watches over each of them. President Eyring also related a personal anecdote which illustrated how the miracle of one Relief Society sister arriving to help just in time can be multiplied through the power of a unified society of sisters. President Eyring noted that the Holy Ghost is sent to Relief Society sisters and to those they care for, and said that if they keep the faith, they will find themselves invited by the Lord often to serve someone in need even when it will seem inexplicable and not necessarily convenient. But he also urged the sisters to balance doing for others with fulfilling their own needs (as President David O. McKay once said, no success abroad can ever compensate for failure in the home). Read a more detailed summary at LDS Church News.

In closing, President Eyring said, "I testify that the Lord will be with you and that your way will be prepared and marked for you by him in your service to those he loves in their needs and trials."

LDS Church To Distribute New Relief Society Manual, "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society"

Update August 29th: The Exponent has published a review of "Daughters In My Kingdom" from a mildly feminist perspective; A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman has published a more faith-promoting review.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced its intention to distribute a new Relief Society manual. Entitled "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society", the 208-page book is organized by themes such as family, sisterhood and charity. Each chapter includes stories of Latter-day Saint women throughout history and around the world today. It is intended to be an additional resource for personal study, teaching at home, and in Relief Society and other church settings. The manual won't be posted online until paper copies are distributed worldwide.

Sister Julie B. Beck, President of the Relief Society, discusses the manual in the video embedded below. She notes that the history portion is intended to address some of the insecurities and myths many LDS women have felt about themselves and their religion. Those insecurities are frequently expressed and discussed on the two leading feminist-oriented Mormon blogs, Exponent and Feminist Mormon Housewives.



Media stories were also published by the Deseret News and KSL Channel 5, whose video is embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

One of the major contributors to the book is Susan W. Tanner, the former Young Women general president for the LDS Church who is now serving a mission in Brazil with her husband. Sister Tanner noted that "This work needs to get the women of the world and the women of the church from where they are to where they need to be."

Sister Beck and her two counselors are expected to discuss the book in more detail at the General Relief Society Meeting to be held in Salt Lake City on September 24th, a week before the 181st Semiannual General Conference to be held there on October 1-2.

Distribution Schedule: Each woman in the Church will receive a personal copy.

-- Copies will be sent to English-speaking units of the church by September 30th.
-- Spanish and Portuguese copies distributed by November 30th.
-- Twenty other languages by January 15th, 2012.

LDS Media Talk notes that after the book is distributed, it will also be made available online on LDS.org. This is now the case; it's available HERE (14 MB PDF file, takes a few minutes to load)

LDS Women Reminded Of The Purpose Of Relief Society And Asked To Be More Charitable At The September 2009 General Relief Society Meeting

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' General Relief Society Meeting was held in Salt Lake City on Saturday September 26th, 2009, and there were no real surprises except for an announcement that Relief Society meetings would be simplified somewhat in the future. The message to the sisters was to be more charitable. The speakers also touched on different aspects of the history and administration of Relief Society, the LDS Church's organization for women which was founded in 1842.

If you missed it, you can listen HERE.

For a complete perspective on the event, read stories in the Mormon Times, the LDS Church News, the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, and KSL Channel 5. Bloggernacle reaction posted by ByCommonConsent and Feminist Mormon Housewives.

Addressing the worldwide congregation of LDS women, 19,000 of who were personally in attendance at the Conference Center, were Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, and her counselors, Silvia H. Allred and Barbara Thompson. A member of the LDS First Presidency, Henry Eyring (first counselor), delivered the closing address. KSL news video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com