The Gospel Is the Common Thread That Binds Us Together:

A Conversation with the Relief Society General Presidency

Relief Society general president Sister Barbara W. Winder and her counselors live in Salt Lake City. But their view is clearly on sisters in the Church throughout the world. In almost three years of service in the general presidency, Sister Winder, Sister Joy F. Evans, and Sister Joanne B. Doxey have met with sisters from many countries. We would like to share their perspectives on how Relief Society unites the women of the Church in an international sisterhood.

What do you see as the major challenges facing Latter-day Saint women around the world today?

Sister Winder: Economic challenges are critical around the world, and so are political problems. But I think that moral issues in today’s world are even more important for our women. We know that the moral standards in the world are very different from what we teach in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sister Evans: I think it’s interesting how similar the problems are that women face, in spite of the fact that their cultures may be very different from each other.

Sister Winder: This is because our basic needs are the same.

Sister Doxey: The common denominator among sister Saints is a spiritual one. We are all in the Church for the same reason—we love the Lord and are seeking his direction. We have a common thread that binds us together. That thread is the gospel.

How can Relief Society help women meet the challenge to maintain gospel standards?

Sister Winder: Our curriculum this year has doubled the number of Spiritual Living lessons. These lessons are designed to help fortify our sisters against the kinds of problems we see in the world today. We feel that by teaching the gospel principles we can help them develop the strength they need to overcome the problems they face.

Sister Evans: We want to help the women understand how vital it is that they keep their covenants with the Lord, regardless of what the world may say is all right. Even though cultures differ, gospel principles do not.

Many, many sisters have husbands who are not members of the Church. How do they meet this challenge?

Sister Evans: It depends a lot on the attitude of the husband—whether he allows his wife to participate in the Church, whether he allows their children to be baptized. If they are not allowed to participate, the sisters feel a greater burden.

Sister Winder: I was in Europe when it was announced that women with nonmember husbands would be able to go to the temple to receive their own endowments. There were many whose eyes were moist.

What spirit do you find among Latter-day Saint women throughout the world?

Sister Winder: They have the spirit of hope that the gospel brings. When women hear the message of hope and joy, it is something added to their lives.

The Relief Society organization has recently been modified, both on the ward and stake level. How will these changes help sisters around the world?

Sister Winder: Now the stake Relief Society organization will consist of only a president, her counselors, and a secretary-treasurer. The ward Relief Society organization can be adjusted to the circumstances of each local unit. In a very small unit, it may function with only a president. Counselors, a secretary-treasurer, teachers, and board members may be added as qualified sisters become available.

Sister Doxey: We have tried to make the programs of Relief Society as simple, adaptable, and flexible as possible. This is reflected in the new board structure on both the stake and ward levels.

How are Relief Society leaders adapting a program such as visiting teaching, for example, so that it fits their sisters’ circumstances?

Sister Doxey: We know of a ward where members are spread over a large city where transportation is expensive and difficult. They do their visiting teaching at the ward. All the sisters meet together each week after regular church meetings. Each sister has certain sisters in her area she is to keep track of. They report on how an ill sister is doing or how another sister’s baby is. They have a network of concern. And they keep in touch not just once a month, but every week.

That’s a very creative solution.

Sister Winder: Yes. The sisters in different areas of the world know what their limitations are. And they find ingenious ways to overcome these limitations so they can keep in touch with one another. In spite of their circumstances, they are developing an awareness of one another. They know the importance our Heavenly Father has put on learning to love and care for one another.

Sister Evans: There are other barriers, too. In some cultures, sisters would not ordinarily visit in each other’s homes. Only family members visit. When we can teach and stress that we are all members of the Church “family,” the sisters feel more comfortable being in each other’s homes.

What about communication barriers? Not every Relief Society leader is able to pick up the telephone to find out how a sister is doing.

Sister Doxey: We know of one Relief Society president in Indonesia who has no telephone. Every morning she asks Heavenly Father to help her to know who needs her that day. Then she goes where she feels directed. Often she finds that the people she visits have needed her.

Sister Evans: A Relief Society president from Ireland who has no telephone and no car takes her two children on her bicycle when she goes visiting her sisters.

What other programs can Relief Society leaders tailor to their sisters’ needs?

Sister Evans: We are stressing midweek activities, in areas where it is possible to have them, with priesthood approval. These can be lessons on subjects of interest and concern to the sisters in a particular area. They could be lessons on sanitation, nutrition, first-aid, or cultural topics. Also, the Home and Family lesson could be repeated for mothers who have not been able to hear those lessons on Sunday.

How do you stay in touch with sisters throughout the world? How do you learn about their needs?

Sister Winder: The wives of the area presidents have been serving as members of the Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women general boards. They travel with their husbands to stake conferences. Usually they meet with the women leaders of the stake at the same time as the priesthood session is held. They introduce Relief Society policies and talk to local leaders about planning programs to meet the needs of people—making the programs flexible. At general conference, they come to Church headquarters to report to us what they have learned from the different areas of the world. And we keep them informed on what is happening in Salt Lake City.

What message would you like to give to the sisters of the world?

Sister Winder: If there is any message I would like to leave with the sisters, it is that they are homemakers—whether they are living alone, or with their parents, or with a husband. It is vitally important that each woman be strengthened so that she has the resources within herself to be able to do what she needs to do in whatever culture she lives in. Each woman needs to make her home a refuge for herself and her family.

The Mission of Relief Society

The mission of Relief Society is to help women—

1. Have faith in God and build individual testimonies of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Instruction is given to help women develop a personal knowledge of their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, encouraging them to live and to share the restored gospel.

2. Strengthen the families of the Church. Sisters are taught the eternal nature of the family. They are encouraged to participate in temple and genealogy work. Training in home-making and nurturing skills is offered to strengthen the individual and the family. Opportunities are given to achieve, learn, and serve within a loving sisterhood.

3. Render compassionate service. Through giving compassionate service to those in need, Relief Society sisters offer a support system to individuals and families. An increased self-worth and love for all can be the result of this selfless service.

4. Sustain the priesthood. Sisters are taught to understand the purposes and blessings of the priesthood and to look to priesthood leaders for guidance in individual and Relief Society matters.

[Taken from Relief Society pamphlet PXRS4567.]

Members of the Relief Society General Presidency gather in President Barbara W. Winder’s office: (seated) Sister Winder; (standing from left) Joy F. Evans, first counselor; and Joanne B. Doxey, second counselor. (Photography by Eldon Linschoten.)