Relief Society President Julie B. Beck: Relief Society-A Sacred Work

Tonight I hope to enlarge our testimony and understanding of Relief Society as a faith-based work.

We know that the purpose of Relief Society as established by the Lord is to prepare women for the blessings of eternal life by helping them:

1.  Increase their faith and personal righteousness.
2.  Strengthen their families and homes.
3.  Serve the Lord and His children.

Relief society is a faith-based work and has a three-fold mission. Next, Sister Beck talked about the role of Relief Society in relation to the Priesthood. This was the first time I've had the relationship between the two explained.


Relief Society is unique because it was organized after the “pattern of the priesthood”³ and we operate on a general and local level under the direction of priesthood leaders. We work in partnership with priesthood leaders, who hold keys which give them authority to preside in the name of the Lord. We operate in the manner of the priesthood—which means that we seek, receive, and act on revelation; make decisions in councils; and concern ourselves with caring for individuals one by one. Ours is the priesthood purpose to prepare ourselves for the blessings of eternal life by making and keeping covenants. Therefore, like our brethren who hold the priesthood, ours is a work of salvation, service, and becoming a holy people.


She then quoted Elder Boyd K. Parker who gave some interesting insights as to how seriously the sisters should take Relief Society - As seriously as men take the priesthood. That tells me two things: Men need to take the priesthood seriously and women need to approach Relief Society with a new found (for most) respect.

“Attendance at the Sunday meeting is but a small part of your duty. Some of you have not understood this and have set aside much of what Relief Society has meant over the years—the sisterhood, the charitable and practical parts of it.”

“The Relief Society, the Prophet [Joseph] told us, is organized after the pattern of the priesthood. When a man holds the priesthood, . . . it requires full dedication and loyalty. . . .   

“If you sisters follow after that pattern, . . . you will serve your organization, your cause—the Relief Society. . . . 

“Service in the Relief Society magnifies and sanctifies each individual sister. Your membership in Relief Society should be ever with you.”

Under the heading "Working in the Lord's Way, Sister Beck discusses a key issue for women AND for men - time. She also models a great method for understanding what we are doing: understand the group's purpose; and, find the appropriate way to carry out individual responsibilities. And then says that we are respecting the Lord other sisters when you use Relief Society in the appropriate way. Then comes a great quote and some thoughts from President Uchtdorf about getting rid of "non-essential" things.

When our purpose is clear, it naturally follows that there is an appropriate way to carry out our responsibilities. One of the most precious commodities we all have is time. Most women have many responsibilities and never have sufficient time to do everything their hearts and minds want to do. We show respect for the Lord and the sisters when we use Relief Society time in an inspired way.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: “A wise man once distinguished between ‘the noble art of getting things done’ and ‘a nobler art of leaving things undone.’ True ‘wisdom in life,’ he taught, consists of ‘the elimination of non-essentials.’ ” President Uchtdorf then asked: “What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?”⁵ We can apply his questions to all Relief Society meetings and work. 

She talked about the different types of Relief Society meetings. This entire section should serve as a training manual for Relief Society Presidencies and Bishops. I started copying points down and found myself copying most of this long section! If you need to, review the actual talk and what it had to say about the role of the Sunday meeting and the weekday meetings.


Then Sister Beck talked about Visiting Teaching. She talks about how it is important and how it is set up. I like this quote about Visiting Teaching because it applies very nicely to Home Teaching:


Visiting teaching becomes the Lord’s work when our focus is on people rather than percentages. In reality, visiting teaching is never finished. It is more a way of life than a task.


Great talk for both the sisters AND the brothers!