Female members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered across the world on Sunday, March 17 to celebrate the 182nd anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society organization.
Women who belong to the Relief Society were encouraged to gather with members locally for a broadcast devotional by President Russell M. Nelson and the General Relief Society Presidency of the Church. Following the devotional, local wards and stakes held testimony meetings.
“So much of the good this Church accomplishes — and so much of the good that happens in the world — takes place because of you!” President Nelson said to the women. “It is simply not possible to quantify the life-refining influence of covenant women of God.”
He emphasized the important role women have always played in Heavenly Father’s plan, beginning with Eve, “the mother of all living,” and Mary, the mother of Jesus.
President Nelson also encouraged the women to never underestimate their power for good, warning that “If the world should ever lose the moral rectitude of its women, the world would never recover.”
President Nelson then concluded his remarks with three invitations:
- 'Make the scriptures your personal Liahona'
- '(Make) the temple your place of refuge and recalibration,' and
- '(Make) your personal prayers the way you learn where the Lord needs you to be.'
Camille N. Johnson, General Relief Society president, followed similar themes in her remarks with Sisters J. Annette Dennis and Kristin M. Yee.
“As His covenant daughters, we are a conduit through which Jesus Christ provides His relief,” President Johnson said. “You are fulfilling your divine mandate as a member of the Relief Society whenever you do anything to bring relief to others — temporal or spiritual — because you are bringing them the love of Jesus Christ.”
Sister Dennis and Sister Yee also focused on creating unity for covenant sisters with varied life situations and accessing the priesthood power available to all women through their temple covenants.
President Johnson mentioned that the Relief Society women’s organization was originally founded with 20 women in Nauvoo, Illinois, in anticipation of the newly constructed temple. Exactly 182 years later, the organization is nearly 8 million strong with the same purpose.
“In this season of unprecedented temple building, the objective of Relief Society remains the same: to prepare a people temporally and spiritually for the blessings of the house of the Lord,” President Johnson said. “No worldly organization can articulate a comparable, divinely appointed platform to that of Relief Society.”
The full addresses in video and transcript can be accessed here.