Re-cap "Relief Society: A Sacred Work"

Sister Julie B. Beck is our current General Relief Society President. She is a wonderful orator and has spoken to women of the Church on several occasions. In her latest General Relief Society Meeting address, she has addressed a few changes to the Relief Society program. These are inspired changes and have been made in coaction with the First Presidency of the Church. As a ward presidency, we would like to take the opportunity to ask the sisters to join us in observing these outlines and become familiar with the changes. Sister Beck's talk is entitled, "Relief Society: A Sacred Work," and can be found in the November 2009 Ensign issue or on www.lds.org. We advise you as a Presidency to review these changes and look for ways that they promote the mission of the Church and of the Relief Society program. Below are the objectives of Relief Society as a worldwide organization, but it really comes down to what we do as individual sisters and then bring that to unify our wards, stakes, areas, etc. As you read and re-familiarize with these objectives, we encourage you to make individual assessments and changes where you feel necessary in your lives.

Both individually and collectively sisters of Relief Society make a difference in these six ways:

• Build faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and teach the doctrines of the kingdom (see 2 Nephi 31:20-21; Omni 1:26).
• Emphasize the divine worth of each sister (see D&C 25:2-3, 15-16; Moses 6:9).
• Exercise charity and nurture those in need (See Mosiah 4:26; Moroni 7:46-48).
• Strengthen and protect families (see Mosiah 4:14-15; D&C 130:2).
• Serve and support each sister (see 1 Corinthians 12:13-27).
• Help sisters become full participants in the blessings of the priesthood (see D&C 66:2; 84:35-39; Moses 5:1).

What areas are you doing well in? It is okay to recognize your strengths. What things can you improve on? There is always room for improvement, but these can be approached one step at a time. One way to approach this is to make a list of areas for improvement and log your assessments daily or weekly in a journal. Make goals recognizable enough so that you can write down your improvements.

As women, we need each other's support and love. We need all of your gifts and talents to make this year a successful one in the ward. We are grateful and privileged to have association with such a wonderful group of women.

With our love,

The 10th Ward RS Presidency