The Relief Society program, which changed in the last few years, is still trying to find its way.  I hear of women still trying to figure it out.  So, if your Relief Society is running smoothly I seriously want to hear from you.

It seems to me that when Pres. Hinckley wrote the book Standing for Something, his message stood for many things, one of which was to not be afraid to start something good, to be the catalyst, to stand up and invite the crowd to follow.  As members of the church, we are often sheep waiting to be told what to do; often murmuring because we seem to know what should be done, yet we’re not willing to do it; often allowing apathy to rule our actions.

This program was simplified to accommodate a world-wide church where sisters struggle to get together and have dire needs that circumvent fun.  Interestingly, there is a ward in Norway, where sisters live hours away from one another, yet they still want to meet together once a month, because they like each other and want to be with one another-doing good works. In the United States, and particularly in Utah, Relief Society suffers from casual membership.  We feel obligated to fill the assignments, yet seek ways to minimize our efforts.

Sisters can work together, in support and harmony, by communicating and discussing mutual needs.  In the early Relief Society meetings it appears the sisters spent much time bringing attention to certain needs of fellow sisters.  Goals were set.  Needs were organized and assigned out all during their meeting time together.  Lessons, at first, were secondary.  We don’t do that today.  Announcements are minimized and rushed through in order to get to the lesson.  The act of helping has been relegated to a sign-up sheet passed along and often ignored.

What if, instead of a President’s lesson on Fast Sunday, Relief Societies were to use that time to discuss needs, set goals, evaluate the completion of those goals, give out assignments by a raise of hands, not sign-up sheets.  What if this meeting bound us to action, and we were to return to our next Fast Sunday RS meeting with accomplished tasks to report, sisterly errands bestowed, helpful hands busied, moving further along the road to exaltation.

Relief Society needs to become a working industry again, not an entertainment factory.  We are women with purpose.  We all need help and we all can give help.  It is our nature to serve, succor and save.