For those who were unable to attend this event, here is the text from the evening's program- Thank you so much to all those sisters whose hard work made this evening a success.
Reader #1: The Prophet Joseph Smith when he and the Brethren organized the first Relief Society March 17, 1842 said :“I now turn the key in [behalf of all women].” This society is organized “according to your natures. … You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies [within you]. … “If you live up to [these] privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates. … “If this Society listen[s] to the counsel of the Almighty, through the heads of the Church, they shall have power to command queens in their midst.”
Relief Society. The name evokes as many images as there are women, eras, and countries. But regardless of time or place, Relief Society has meant sisters lifting one another spiritually, loving and taking care of one another, and absorbing insight and inspiration from other women headed in the same direction.
At the first meeting of the Relief Society, President Emma Smith stated, with no small amount of vision: “We are going to do something extraordinary.” 1 What has transpired through the past 170 years has been nothing short of extraordinary. And women have responded magnificently to a multitude of pressing calls
(-Sister Sheri Dew, Something Extrodinary, 1992)
Relief Society. The name evokes as many images as there are women, eras, and countries. But regardless of time or place, Relief Society has meant sisters lifting one another spiritually, loving and taking care of one another, and absorbing insight and inspiration from other women headed in the same direction.
At the first meeting of the Relief Society, President Emma Smith stated, with no small amount of vision: “We are going to do something extraordinary.” 1 What has transpired through the past 170 years has been nothing short of extraordinary. And women have responded magnificently to a multitude of pressing calls
(-Sister Sheri Dew, Something Extrodinary, 1992)
HYMN #219 “As Sister’s in Zion" Sung by All Sisters
Reader #2: “When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up... into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life.” (Sister Julie B Beck)
The Relief Society prepares all of us for these eternal blessing by helping us increase our faith and personal righteousness, strengthen our families and homes, and helping us to seek out and help those in need.
In today’s uncertain world, we may not know what tomorrow will bring, but faith in Jesus Christ can give us spiritual peace, even in the face of calamity and heartbreak. As President Ezra Taft Benson explained, “Faith in [Jesus Christ] means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does” (“Jesus Christ: Our Savior and Redeemer,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 8).
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel (see A of F 1:4). By exercising faith we receive strength to face difficulties and overcome temptations. As we put our faith in Him, repent, and are obedient, He will forgive our sins and help us return to Him. “If ye will have faith in me,” He has promised, “ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moro. 7:33).
“To have faith in Christ,” says Sister Sheri L. Dew, “is to believe in Him, follow Him, and rely on Him. And it is to be blessed with the peace of conscience and mind that the Apostle Paul spoke of when he said, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me’” (Philip. 4:13)( "Increasing Our Faith in Jesus Christ", Ensign, Apr. 2001, 53)
Hymn #134 “ I Know That My Redeemer Lives” Sung By Michelle D.
READER #3: The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed. (The Family A Proclamation to the World)
READER #4: “Each of us is in a different family situation. Some families have a mother and father with children at home. Some couples no longer have children at home. Many members of the Church are single, and some are single parents. Others are widows or widowers living alone.
“No matter what our family looks like, each of us can work to strengthen our own families or help in strengthening others
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke on motherhood:
“When you have come to the Lord in meekness and lowliness of heart and, as one mother said, “pounded on the doors of heaven to ask for, to plead for, to demand guidance and wisdom and help for this wondrous task,” that door is thrown open to provide you the influence and the help of all eternity. Claim the promises of the Savior of the world. Ask for the healing balm of the Atonement for whatever may be troubling you or your children. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you.
You can’t possibly do this alone, but you do have help. The Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you—He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep, sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlastingly for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.” Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘Because She Is a Mother’,” Ensign, May 1997, 35
SONG: “Love At Home” Piano Solo by Holly K.
READER #5: In the Savior's mortal ministry, He set the example of seeking out and helping those in need. Relief Society has within its commission some of the most remarkable service opportunities on earth, and they are available to all sisters. People will have trying experiences, and the network of help offered through the Relief Society can provide strength and support.
A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”
Reader #6: We are the Hands of Christ.
Hands that Embrace: I hope that we welcome and love all of God’s children, including those who might dress, look, speak, or just do things differently….. Let us lift those around us. Let us extend a welcoming hand. Let us bestow upon our brothers and sisters in the Church a special measure of humanity, compassion, and charity so that they feel, at long last, they have finally found home.
Our Hands Can Comfort. With this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn. We are commanded “to mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” 5
Our Prophet Howard W Hunter said:
"We need to be kinder with one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared suffering, for that is the way God loves us....
"We need to walk more resolutely and more charitably the path that Jesus has shown. We need to 'pause to help and lift another' and surely we will find 'strength beyond [our] own.' If we would do more to learn 'the healer's art,' there would be untold chances to use it, to touch the 'wounded and the weary' and show to all 'a gentle[r] heart'" (Ensign, May 1992, 61).
SONG: “Where Can I Turn For Peace” solo Michelle W.
Reader #7: Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley wife of the prophet Gordon B Hinckley said this:
"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
President Thomas S. Monson said: " My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle."
Testimony by Phebe
Hymn #113 “Our Savior’s Love” sung by All Sisters
The Relief Society prepares all of us for these eternal blessing by helping us increase our faith and personal righteousness, strengthen our families and homes, and helping us to seek out and help those in need.
In today’s uncertain world, we may not know what tomorrow will bring, but faith in Jesus Christ can give us spiritual peace, even in the face of calamity and heartbreak. As President Ezra Taft Benson explained, “Faith in [Jesus Christ] means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does” (“Jesus Christ: Our Savior and Redeemer,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 8).
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel (see A of F 1:4). By exercising faith we receive strength to face difficulties and overcome temptations. As we put our faith in Him, repent, and are obedient, He will forgive our sins and help us return to Him. “If ye will have faith in me,” He has promised, “ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moro. 7:33).
“To have faith in Christ,” says Sister Sheri L. Dew, “is to believe in Him, follow Him, and rely on Him. And it is to be blessed with the peace of conscience and mind that the Apostle Paul spoke of when he said, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me’” (Philip. 4:13)( "Increasing Our Faith in Jesus Christ", Ensign, Apr. 2001, 53)
Hymn #134 “ I Know That My Redeemer Lives” Sung By Michelle D.
READER #3: The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed. (The Family A Proclamation to the World)
READER #4: “Each of us is in a different family situation. Some families have a mother and father with children at home. Some couples no longer have children at home. Many members of the Church are single, and some are single parents. Others are widows or widowers living alone.
“No matter what our family looks like, each of us can work to strengthen our own families or help in strengthening others
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke on motherhood:
“When you have come to the Lord in meekness and lowliness of heart and, as one mother said, “pounded on the doors of heaven to ask for, to plead for, to demand guidance and wisdom and help for this wondrous task,” that door is thrown open to provide you the influence and the help of all eternity. Claim the promises of the Savior of the world. Ask for the healing balm of the Atonement for whatever may be troubling you or your children. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you.
You can’t possibly do this alone, but you do have help. The Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you—He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep, sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlastingly for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.” Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘Because She Is a Mother’,” Ensign, May 1997, 35
SONG: “Love At Home” Piano Solo by Holly K.
READER #5: In the Savior's mortal ministry, He set the example of seeking out and helping those in need. Relief Society has within its commission some of the most remarkable service opportunities on earth, and they are available to all sisters. People will have trying experiences, and the network of help offered through the Relief Society can provide strength and support.
A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”
Reader #6: We are the Hands of Christ.
Hands that Embrace: I hope that we welcome and love all of God’s children, including those who might dress, look, speak, or just do things differently….. Let us lift those around us. Let us extend a welcoming hand. Let us bestow upon our brothers and sisters in the Church a special measure of humanity, compassion, and charity so that they feel, at long last, they have finally found home.
Our Hands Can Comfort. With this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn. We are commanded “to mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” 5
Our Prophet Howard W Hunter said:
"We need to be kinder with one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared suffering, for that is the way God loves us....
"We need to walk more resolutely and more charitably the path that Jesus has shown. We need to 'pause to help and lift another' and surely we will find 'strength beyond [our] own.' If we would do more to learn 'the healer's art,' there would be untold chances to use it, to touch the 'wounded and the weary' and show to all 'a gentle[r] heart'" (Ensign, May 1992, 61).
SONG: “Where Can I Turn For Peace” solo Michelle W.
Reader #7: Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley wife of the prophet Gordon B Hinckley said this:
"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
President Thomas S. Monson said: " My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle."
Testimony by Phebe
Hymn #113 “Our Savior’s Love” sung by All Sisters
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