RELIEF SOCIETY HISTORY
This prophet said, "And now I turn the key to you in the name of God and this Society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time. This is the beginning of this Society."
Who is President Joseph Smith?
The Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's organization in the world. It was officially organized on this date.
What is March 17, 1842?
The "Female Relief Society of Nauvoo" was organized on the upper floor of the Red Brick Store on March 17, 1842. There were 20 sisters present. In 2017 there were approximately 7.1 million members.
As members of Relief Society, "we'll comfort the weary and strengthen the weak." That line comes from this Hymn.
What is "As Sister's in Zion"?
The Relief Society Motto
What is "Charity never Faileth"?
Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul (see 1 Nephi 11:23).
True or False: The visiting teaching program started a little more than a year after the Relief Society was organized in 1843.
What is True?
The origins of Visiting Teaching started in 1844, was then adjusted in 1944 to adopt the goal of bringing the spirit into homes through friendly visits. Today Visit Teaching has been replace with a "higher and holier" way of watching over our brothers and sisters called "Ministering".
This is the name of the magazine sent to LDS women who paid their dues and joined the Relief Society organization.
What is the Relief Society magazine?
Before 1971, female Church members did not automatically belong to Relief Society; they had to join. Joining meant choosing to live worthily and to actively engage in the work of Relief Society.
This temple was being built when the Relief Society was organized.
What is the Nauvoo Temple?
In Mosiah 18:9 Alma taught that we should "bear one another's________, to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort"
What are Burdens?
The Relief Society colors.
What are Gold and Blue?
In March 1931 the Relief Society General Board decided to adopt blue and gold as the official Relief Society Colors.
These women are eligible to be members of the Relief Society.
Who are all women 18 years of age and older?
These circumstances initiated the organization of the Relief Society. It was a desire of the sisters to unite together to do this.
What is to make work clothes for those working on the temple?
She was the first General Relief Society President.
Who is Emma Smith?
The Relief Society theme "Charity Never Faileth" comes from a scripture in this book of the New Testament.
A. Ephesians
B. 1 Corinthians
C. 2 Corinthians
D. Galatians
What is (B) 1 Corinthians? Corinthians 13: 4-8, Another reference is Moroni 7:46
Sister Emmeline B. Wells was called to serve as the fifth Relief Society general president in 1910. Wells and her counselors, Clarissa S. Williams and Julina L. Smith, established this motto in 1913 as a constant reminder of the organization’s founding principles and inspired origins.
The Relief Society Emblem
A. The Beehive.
B. The Sego Lily & Wheat Sheaf.
C. The Sego Lily & Beehive.
D. The Sego Lily.
What is (B) the Sego Lily/Wheat Sheaf? (The sego lily was selected because of its usefulness in sustaining life along pioneer settlements. It is an appropriate symbol of purity, beauty, patience through winter and darkness, and storing of strength for the time of blossoming. The wheat sheaf has been used as an emblem along with the sego lily, symbolizing storing of grain against time of need.)
This was the original purpose of visiting teaching before it changed in 1944 to the goal of bringing the spirit into homes through friendly visits.
A. Gathering money and goods for charity.
B. An opportunity to gather and socialize.
C. An opportunity to build friendships.
D. A forum for spiritual instruction.
What is (A) the goal of gathering money for charity?
In 1843, the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo were divided into four wards. That summer, Relief Society leaders appointed a "Necessity Committee" of four sisters for each ward. Their job involved assessing needs and collecting donations.
Families donated money, food and clothing. These items were then given to the treasurer of the Relief Society to provide aid and relief for the needy.
This practice continued well into the 20th century. In addition to collecting donations, the committees assessed the needs in the homes they visited and reported their observations to leaders, who organized efforts to help.
After settling in the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young commissioned the men of the valley to begin storing this commodity, but was disappointed to discover that they never seemed to get around to it.
Summoning Emmeline B. Wells to his office one day, he gave her the assignment to announce in her newspaper, that women would now have the responsibility of gathering this commodity and that she would be in charge of the operation.
What is wheat?
At first the women gleaned wheat from existing wheat fields, they held wheat parties (where admission was a bushel of wheat), they held bazaars and creatively raised money. Soon, they were able to buy their own fields or purchase wheat. Ward Relief Societies up and down the territory of Utah were buying and growing their own wheat and building their own granaries.
Women would watch the wheat market and buy when prices were low and sell when they were high. Tips about combating pests and when to buy or sell were discussed at various Relief Society meetings.
To this day, the Wheat Project is among the largest and longest running assignments ever undertaken by the Relief Society.
In 1978, Relief Society General President Sister Barbara B. Smith turned over approximately $3 million in wheat and money to the welfare department, fining this century-long project.
The number of sisters that attended the organization meeting of the relief society.
A. 10
B. 18
C. 16
D. 20
What is (D) 20?
This is the second verse from the hymn #311, "We Meet Again As Sisters". It begins "We meet to plan our service to neighbors now in need. May charity and kindness____ ____ ____ ____."
A. always be our motto.
B. inspire our every deed.
C. show in our deeds.
D. be our guiding star.
What is (B) "inspire our every deed?"
The current Relief Society General President
Who is Jean B. Bingham?
Sister Bingham is the 17th General RS President and was sustained on April 1, 2017.
The Purpose of Relief Society is to help prepare Women for the _____ ______ ______ ______.
A. challenges that lay ahead.
B. work they must do.
C. second coming of Christ.
D. blessings of eternal life.
What is (D) blessings of eternal life.
In 1918 (WWI time) the President of the US, Herbert Hoover, wrote a letter of appreciation to the church for this.
A. Contribution of wheat and flour for war use.
B. Contribution of clothing for war use.
C. Contribution of money for war use.
D Contribution of medical supplies for war use.
What is the (A) contribution of wheat and flour for war use?
*All of the wheat and flour donated was gathered and paid for by the Relief Society. The US government later paid the church $1.20 for each bushel donated which was estimated at 205,528 bushels. The money received was invested as a trust fund made available for charitable purposes for the poor of the church.
This was the actual official name of the Relief Society when it was first organized.
A. The Benevolent Society of Nauvoo.
B. The The Benevolent Relief Society of Nauvoo.
C. The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.
D. Nauvoo's Benevolent Relief Society.
What is (C) The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo?
This sister, who was a member of the original organization of the Relief Society, was the second General President of the Relief Society, and wrote 10 songs that are currently in our hymn book. Including "How Great the Wisdom and the Love", "O My Father", and "In our Lovely Deseret."
A. Eliza R. Snow
B. Bathsheba W. Smith
C. Emmeline B. Wells
D. Clarissa S. Williams
Who is (A) Eliza R. Snow?
During Eliza’s presidency, the Primary and the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association were organized, the Woman’s Exponent was created, and principles of welfare were introduced. The women grew and stored grain, opened cooperative stores, and manufactured silk. The Relief Society sent women to medical school to become doctors, nurses, and midwives. In return, these women came back and taught others. Eliza served as Deseret Hospital’s first president.
She was the longest serving General Relief Society President.
A. Eliza R. Snow
B. Bonnie D. Parkin
C. Belle S. Spafford
D. Barbara B. Smith
Who is (C) Belle S. Spafford?
*She served from 1945 to 1974 (29 years)
In the 2nd Relief Society meeting ever held she said, "We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in heaven together."
A. Lucy Mack Smith (the Prophet's Mother)
B. Emma Smith
C. Eliza R. Snow
D. Sarah Kimball
Who is (A) Lucy Mack Smith?