Policies and Announcements

The following items appeared in the September 1982 Bulletin.

General Women’s Meeting. There will be no General Women’s Meeting in the fall of 1982 or the spring of 1983. The next General Women’s Meeting originating in the Salt Lake Tabernacle will be held Saturday, 24 September 1983. Calendar this event in all Church units and extend invitations to all women twelve and over. Details on the broadcast will be announced at a future date.

Relief Society Meetings. Relief Society meetings should be devoted to teaching approved lessons from Church headquarters or to miniclasses planned and approved by stake and ward Relief Society homemaking leaders. Commercial presentations and programs should not be presented in Relief Society. Commercial items should not be advertised or sold in Relief Society. (See Relief Society Handbook.)

Frequency, Type, and Location of Young Women Weekday Activities. The bishopric and the ward Young Women leaders are the ones who decide how often to hold Young Women activities. Young Women activities need not be held on the same day or in the same place as Young Men activities. Some months they may be held every week; other months, only once or twice; but they should be held at least monthly.

Young Women activities should support gospel principles taught in the Sunday Young Women meeting. They should also help the young women with their “My Personal Progress” goals. The following activities are also part of the Young Women program: New Beginnings (January), activation programs, standards events, sharing times, the Young Women anniversary (November), activities to strengthen the family, homemaking activities, and service projects. (Commercial activities should not be used as the program for Young Women activities.) Combined activities with the Young Men, which are planned by the bishopric youth committee, should be held at least once a month. Cultural events and physical and camp activities may also be planned.

Young Women activities may be held at the meetinghouse, in the home of the Young Women leader, in the home of a class member, or in other appropriate places as approved by the Young Women presidency and the bishopric adviser.

Young Women Opening Exercise. The opening exercise for the Sunday Young Women meeting is held separately from Relief Society or Aaronic Priesthood opening exercises. The Young Women opening exercise should set a spiritual tone for the lessons to follow. It may be held for all age-groups together, if facilities permit, or in each class. Young Women class officers take turns conducting. The opening exercise includes announcements, an opening song, prayer, a short talk on the Young Women scripture theme, recitation of the Young Women scripture theme, and a sharing time to welcome new class members. Give special attention to greeting new twelve-year-old girls.

The following letter was signed by the First Presidency and distributed to General Authorities, Regional Representatives, and stake presidents on 17 September 1982:

“The First Presidency and the Twelve have approved the following policy pertaining to wards for nonstudent single adult members of the Church:

“In other than student stakes, the president of a stake may request permission from the First Presidency to organize a ward for single adults, if (1) there are enough of these members to handle the established Church program for their age-group, and (2) the proposed ward can be accommodated in an existing building in the stake.

“Single adults, in consultation with their parents and home ward bishops, may decide whether to attend their home ward or affiliate with a singles ward.

“This policy is to become effective immediately.”