Have you ever heard of, or even thought about, the various names of our auxiliaries?\u00a0 What we recognize now as the Relief Society, Young Women’s, and Primary were all the brain-child (of course inspired by our Heavenly Father) of sisters in the Relief Society.\u00a0 Once the idea blossomed, it was organized under the enormous hat of Eliza R. Snow, who was over so much responsibility at the onset of the community in this valley.\u00a0 Here are some of the titles used:
\nRelief Society of Nauvoo
\n\u00a0Female Relief Society
\nRetrenchment Association
\nSenior Retrenchment
\nJunior Retrenchment
\nYoung Ladies Mutual Improvement Association
\nMutual Improvement Association
\nPrimary Mutual Improvement Association
\n\u00a0
\nHere is an agenda for a random Primary MIA in 1879:
\nSinging
\nPrayer
\nSinging
\nRoll Call
\nMinutes read from former meeting
\nPrimary President speaks
\nQuestion and Answer period
\nHistory of Joseph Smith or Bible Stories
\nChildren Recite:\u00a0\u00a0 Ten Commandments
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Articles of Faith
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Restoration of the Gospel
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Names of Presiding High Priesthood
\nTalks by Children
\n(I imagine this was Sharing Time and Lesson Time together)
\n\u00a0
\nTalks given at an YLMIA Meeting were as follows (still 1879):
\nYoung Ladies should exercise faith and rely on God.\u00a0 They should look forward to becoming wives, they should prepare themselves for the holy office of motherhood, becoming proficient to teach those principles that lead to the exaltation and happiness of the human family.
\n\u00a0
\nDuring this same year, Sisters all over the territory were holding Mass Meetings, which included several neighboring wards, depending on how populated the area was.\u00a0 The main topic, in these meetings, was \u201cThe Woman Question\u201d, which was centered around Woman Suffrage.\u00a0 During this period of time, all women, everywhere in the Territory of Utah, were fighting for their rights.\u00a0 The world saw them as \u201cpoor Mormon Women\u201d subjected to Men\u2019s rule and forced into Polygamy.\u00a0 The world had it all wrong.\u00a0 The women were fighting for the right to live in whatever way they pleased.\u00a0 As they met they made the following Resolutions:
\n1st Resolve:\u00a0\u00a0 To worship God according to our own dictates and conscience and sustain our husbands in carrying out every principle of our holy religion in righteousness.
\n2nd Resolve:\u00a0\u00a0 That we, as sisters and true women, will sustain our husbands in every righteous principle that tends to increase their families and do all in our power to bring about the redemption of the human family.\u00a0 We choose Polygamy and Celestial Marriage.
\n3rd Resolve:\u00a0\u00a0 That we will keep the commandments which include the doctrine of plural marriage.
\n4th Resolve:\u00a0\u00a0 That sisters of the LDS church thank other territory women for kind support.\u00a0 In behalf of \u201cpoor Mormon Women\u201d, we suggest they pay attention to their own poor degraded women because we, with the help of God, can take care of ourselves.
\n5th Resolve:\u00a0\u00a0 We do truly appreciate those ladies of the National Suffrage Association who, without agreeing with our belief, still support our cause.
\n6th Resolve:\u00a0\u00a0 We resolve to protest against anything that may injure our cause.
\n\u00a0
\nCertainly, meetings ran differently back then.\u00a0 First of all, none of these meetings were typically held on Sundays.\u00a0 Often the men attended and were just as involved.\u00a0 There seemed to be specific goals and assignments they were setting.\u00a0 There was a lot demanded of everyone in these auxiliaries.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t come to a meeting to fall asleep; you were involved, memorizing, learning, voting, etc.\u00a0 And clearly, the women were riled up with a Cause.\u00a0 I wonder what our Cause would be today?\u00a0 Maybe Relief Society Sisters need one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you ever heard of, or even thought about, the various names of our auxiliaries?\u00a0 What we recognize now as the Relief Society, Young Women’s, and Primary were all the brain-child (of course inspired by our Heavenly Father) of sisters in the Relief Society.\u00a0 Once the idea blossomed, it was organized under the enormous hat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[484],"tags":[160],"class_list":["post-711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-relief-society-challenge-ideas","tag-organizations"],"yoast_head":"\n