Latter-day Saint women have never had more opportunity to be an influence for good in the world, leaders of the church's Relief Society organization told members gathered for their annual conference Saturday night.

Relief Society general presidency, from left, Virginia Jensen, first counselor; Mary Ellen Smoot, president; Sheri L. Dew, second counselor, listen at Saturday's meeting.

      But to be effective in influencing the world for good, they must first leave worldly pursuits and concentrate on spiritual goals, speakers said.

      Several thousand women were in the Tabernacle on Temple Square to hear the conference while millions more throughout the United States and Canada were reached via television. Others will hear the addresses through other technologies and church publications.

      President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presided at the meeting with his two counselors, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust.

      A new philosophical statement and course of directions, along with a major change in monthly homemaking meetings, were presented and elaborated on by members of the Relief Society presidency. (See accompanying story.)

      Frequently returning to the conference theme of "Rejoice, O daughter of Zion," the speakers challenged women to recognize their great blessings in the fold of the church and to expand their efforts to share those blessings with others.

      Sister Mary Ellen Smoot, general president of the Relief Society, asked the women to have "a greater vision of who you are, why you are here and the unique gifts you have to bring to the Relief Society organization." There is much cause for rejoicing, she said, listing among those blessings the knowledge of the gospel, new temples being built throughout the Earth, scientific breakthroughs that make it possible to share the gospel more effectively and to complete genealogical research, and great opportunities for service.

      "And we know that women throughout the world will be drawn to the church as we perfect our lives and live essential truths to light the way for others to follow," said Sister Smoot. She urged that LDS women to "stop the flowing tide of filth and corruption that is a plague in our society," by monitoring the influences that come into their homes via television, movies and immodest dress.

      Virginia U. Jensen, first counselor in the presidency, drawing on the experience of birds who instinctively build nests to preserve their young, said women also are entitled to the instincts that lead to effective nurturing.

      "No matter the circumstances of our individual lives, creating a safe and nurturing environment for those we love is of the utmost importance." Within the context of the gospel are the answers the world needs to solve pervasive problems, she said. Those of the world who are lost and wandering can be influenced by women who hold to the strengths of their spiritual conviction, she said.

      Life is more than a sightseeing or shopping trip through mortality, said Sheri L. Dew, second counselor in the organization. Those who stand fast against Satan's attempts to distract or to involve people in trivial things will ensure themselves a place with their Heavenly Father in the hereafter, she said.

      Sister Dew said that those who earnestly seek God will find him. "We seek him, not only through studying and searching, pleading and praying, but by giving up worldly indulgences that straddle the line between God and mammon.

      "We are not women of the world. We are women of God," she said. The rewards of faithful commitment to the gospel include true joy, peace and salvation, she said.

      President Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, represented that group in speaking to the women. He elaborated on the value of women as daughters of God and the value of the Relief Society in helping them reach their full potential. The organization, he said, represents a divinely established sisterhood, a place of learning, an outlet for charitable acts and a place where sisters with common sensitivities and objectives can socialize.

      Women seldom realize, he said, what divine potential they have, how their natural spiritual attributes give them the resilience to cope with sorrow, trouble and uncertainty. "Since the beginning of this dispensation, the many contributions of the sisters to this holy cause have been truly magnificent . . . Never in the history of the world has there been a greater need for your righteousness, your example and your good works to move forward this holy work than now."