A tale of two Relief Societies: The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo and the Relief Society of the Tithing Hill Ward

As sisters in Zion, we’ll all work together;

The blessings of God on our labors we’ll seek.

How vast is our purpose, how broad is our mission,

If we but fulfill it in spirit and deed.

Oh, naught but the Spirit’s divinest tuition

Can give us the wisdom to truly succeed.

Hymn no. 309.  Lyrics by Emily H. Woodmansee.

I was released from my calling in Relief Society.  I knew it was coming; I’d been teaching for about 2 ½ years, and so I’d been bracing myself.  Still, when the release came I felt really, really sad:  much sadder than I’d expected.    I love the sisters in my ward.  I love teaching them and learning from them.  I also loved learning through the Holy Ghost as I prepared and taught my lessons.  Teaching in Relief Society has been a tremendous blessing to me and I will miss it.

Organization of the Relief Society
Source:  www.lds.org

Blessing women like me was, of course, the purpose of Relief Society from its founding.  Lucy Mack Smith, in 1842, said the following to the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo:  “We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction, that we may all sit down in heaven together.”1

A bit of an aside before I continue:    In 1835 a Presbyterian minister from New England named Charles Finney published his Lectures on Revivals of Religion.  Finney’s departure from conventional Calvinism helped make his Lectures controversial, but the biggest criticism about his revivals was the role played by women.  Finney not only allowed women to participate behind the scenes, but women in his congregations could speak and pray in public. ²   In 1842, only a few years later, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized the Relief Society, granting women members of the Church an official role.  ³   Relief Society was revolutionary.

Before I was called to be a teacher in the Relief Society, I had spent several years teaching children in the Primary Organization.  I realized quickly that my lessons to adult sisters would be very different than my lessons to the children.  The sisters in my ward were smart.  They knew a lot about the gospel.  They didn’t need someone to teach, so much as lead a discussion.  We all taught each other, no matter who stood at the podium.

The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was founded here,
in Nauvoo's "red brick store"
Photo by John Hamer
Source:  wikimedia commons

During the first meeting of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, (17 March 1842) Joseph Smith read  D&C section 25.  He clarified verse 7:  “And thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit,” explaining,”[Emma] was ordain’d at the time, the Revelation was given, to expound the scriptures to all; and to teach the female part of community; and that not she alone, but others, may attain to the same blessings.”

In a later meeting (28 April 1842), President Joseph Smith discussed chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians.  Each sister in Relief Society has different spiritual gifts, he explained, and God needs all the sisters. ⁵   I remember learning the same thing as I taught Relief Society in the Tithing Hill ward.  I am a left-brain thinker.  When I teach, my lessons are very organized and logical.  Sometimes I struggle to connect emotionally with the sisters in the room.  The other sister who taught from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual, however, was really good at this.  Sometimes I would watch Sister Musselman teach, look at the emotional responses of the others in the room, and wonder, wow, how does she do this?    After a few months of watching her I realized that God had called both of us to teach for this very reason:  He had given each of us talents in teaching, and He needed both of us, with our different strengths.  I could talk about what I thought, and she could talk about what she felt, and together we could reach everyone in the room.

God depends on all His daughters to use their different abilities to build the kingdom.  In Nauvoo the sisters donated time, money, and work.  The sisters who cooked gave food.  The sisters who spun gave flax and wool.  The sisters who sewed donated clothing or embroidery.  Some sisters gave soap, or collected donations, or tended the sick.  Though they gave differently, they all gave something.  They gave to the poor and needy and, during the spring of 1843, they also donated to the temple.  Despite their differences, they all wanted to serve God, assist the poor, and receive their temple covenants.  In my ward, also, I found that we Relief Society sisters are alike in the most important ways.  As we discussed motherhood, I learned that every mother, married or single, working at home or in a career, worries about her children.  I learned that every woman in Relief Society loves the Lord, wants to serve Him, and feels inadequate.

I’ve learned a lot from Relief Society over the past 2 ½ years.  Much of what I’ve learned—probably the most important things I learned—did not come from the formal lessons.  I don’t have a new calling yet, but I can still say, joyfully and thankfully, I am a member of Relief Society!

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<sup>"1. Relief Society Minute Book, Nauvoo, Illinois, Mar. 24, 1842,18-19; also quoted in Daughters in my Kingdom,25" rback 

"2. Howe, Daniel Walker, What hath God wrought: The transformation of America, 1815-1848,(Oxford,2007), 172" back

"3. See daughters in my kingdom p.15." back

"4. Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, 8." back

"5. Relief Society Minute Book, Nauvoo, Illinois, Apr. 28, 1842,35" back</sup>