Relief Society leaders sure of goal
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If they are not the best of friends, you would never know it.
To watch them interact is a silent sermon on sisterhood.
And tonight at 6 p.m., Bonnie Parkin, Kathleen Hughes and Anne Pingree will step up to the podium at the Conference Center to share that sermon. They'll also step into the churches and living rooms of millions of women worldwide, via television and satellite.
On a personal level, they'll likely step into their hearts as well.
As members of the new Relief Society General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they have become the female embodiment of authority that supports a male hierarchy of leadership. Yet their duties are anything but token. As overseers of more than 4 million members around the globe, theirs is believed to be the largest women's organization on Earth.
Their responsibilities are heavy, their travel schedules full, their role modeling serious and their enthusiasm contagious — all directed toward one goal: "To assist the priesthood in bringing women and their families to Jesus Christ."
Constituents would agree that's no small task. And they want to know how this trio plans to help accomplish it.
Yet in their first address to the women of the LDS Church, they'll offer no elaborate social programs, no funding formulas and no new religious doctrine. What they have to say will come from their hearts, their experience and their belief in the power of fasting, prayer and direct revelation from God to transform the lives of individuals.
As president since April, Sister Parkin said her presidency will focus on having "women feel the love of the Lord in their lives daily, to know he loves them and is there for them."
They'll also hone in on young adult women making the transition at age 18 from the church's program for Young Women into Relief Society.
Statistics show a sizable number of women become less active in the church at that age, often in tandem with their high school graduation and the move from home to college. LDS Institute programs offer religious instruction and fellowship for college students at many schools, but leaders say they are no substitute for the Sunday curriculum of Relief Society, which focuses on the spiritual and practical aspects of marriage, parenting and traditional family life.
Young adult women must "feel a real connection to Relief Society," said Sister Parkin, who formerly served as a member of the Young Women General Presidency and saw the transition challenges from the other side of the table.
Relief Society must provide a "safe place" for women of all ages in a world where selfishness and individuality often overshadow Christian virtues such as caring and nurturing for each other, they said. As women are assigned to visit monthly with other women in their congregations, the love of Christ is extended.
Since its organization by LDS Church founder Joseph Smith on March 17, 1842, what these women believe is "the Lord's organization for women" has spread worldwide, embracing members of every race, economic circumstance, educational level and marital status. Embracing that diversity while finding a common bond in Christ is the genius of the organization, Sister Hughes said.
Because the LDS Church is so family centered, women who are single, divorced or widowed can feel isolated from the church's mainstream. The three agreed that it need not happen, but are realistic enough to know that it often does.
A divorced friend once told Sister Hughes "The one thing you did for me was not treat me any differently (after the divorce) than you treated me before. . . .
"That's something we all need to think about. We just need to continue to love and treat each other as sisters."
Sister Pingree said she understands the concerns of single women in the church as she watches her 30-something daughter deal with yet-to-be realized dreams of marriage and family. "But I watch her nurture her sisters' children and those in the neighborhood," and such reaching out draws her into a larger circle of family, she said.
Sister Parkin said Relief Society has a familial place for all women, recalling her own experiences and the part it has played in her life. With tears welling in her eyes, she says the organization "has been like a mother to me. I've learned skills there, how to raise my children and how to be a better cook." The English sisters she shared time with while she served with her mission president husband in England taught her through sharing life stories of the English women.
Africa provided Sister Pingree with her "defining moment" in her understanding of Relief Society's power to change lives, she said. In the middle of the jungle at a small gathering of women, she watched one sister clutch the organization's study guide close to her heart, saying, "I love Relief Society. It teaches me what I need to do to come to Christ."
That camaraderie happens whenever women of faith are willing to reach out to each other rather than circling within their own sphere, they agreed.
Even so, they all understand that LDS women "are not immune to any of the issues and problems of any other women in this world," Sister Hughes said. "But I think our covenants do give us strength" from the unseen power of divine intervention.
Though LDS women are concerned over a continuing moral decline and ever-more-fragile economic and political times, "we have an eternal perspective that makes us look at things differently, through different eyes," Sister Pingree said.
"We invite women of all faiths to make a righteous difference in the world. Together we can fortify our families against the rising tide of evil and the crumbling values we see all around us."
Sister Parkin reflects for a moment when asked what sets LDS women apart in a time when many see women's roles at home and in society constantly in flux. "We have every possible opportunity to step forward and talk about life and how it's good and how we can help each other make it better."
No matter how others may view them, their faith provides a quiet confidence that they're on the right track.
"We are who we are," she smiles.
E-mail: carrie@desnews.com
