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The Relief Society turns 178 today. Here’s a look back at some of its history

As the largest and one of the oldest women’s organizations in the world, Relief Society is continually growing as its membership and influence around the world increase

President Jean B. Bingham hugs a member of the Relief Society following a meeting with local Relief Society leadership in Manila, Philippines on Feb. 2, 2020. Noel Maglaque, Philippines Area
Sisters Belle S. Spafford, Marianne C. Sharp and Velma Simonsen were the Relief Society general presidency while funds were raised and the building was constructed and dedicated. Sister Sharp, daughter of President J. Reuben Clark, played an especially im Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
FOR CHURCH NEWS COVER--A Dennis Smith sculpture of a mother and child in front of the Relief Society Building in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mar. 13, 2006. Photo by Tom Smart Credit: Deseret News archives
Fourteenth Ward Relief Society Hall. The earliest Relief Society halls in Utah were patterned after the store in Nauvoo in which the society was founded in 1842. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Photograph of the excavation for the Relief Society Building. The buildings of the Latter-Day Saints’ University surround the excavation site. From left to right, the Utah Genealogical Society, the LDS Business College, Barratt Hall, and the Brigham Young Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Members of the Relief Society Presidency inspect the building project with the architect and contractor. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Relief Society seal, march 2010. TO BE USED BY CHURCH NEWS ONLY. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
A cover of The Relief Society Magazine from January 1930. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
President Jean B. Bingham hugs a Relief Society sister following a training with members in Cebu, Philippines on Feb. 6, 2020. Credit: Noel Maglaque, Philippines Area
The first 17 Relief Society general presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Credit: Graphic by Heidi Perry, Deseret News
Church News graphic of the contributions made by Relief Society members for their own building. Credit: Graphic by Heidi Perry, Deseret News
Sister Jean Barrus Bingham general president of the Relief Society, center, with her councilors Sister Sharon Eubank first counselor in the general presidency of the Relief Society, left, and Sister Reyna I. Aburto second counselor in the general presidency of the Relief Society, right, in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 3, 2017. Credit: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

President Jean B. Bingham, the 17th Relief Society general president, called in 2017, described the Relief Society as a “divinely established sisterhood,” while speaking at BYU Women’s Conference in 2019. 

Sisters Belle S. Spafford, Marianne C. Sharp and Velma Simonsen were the Relief Society general presidency while funds were raised and the building was constructed and dedicated. Sister Sharp, daughter of President J. Reuben Clark, played an especially important role in coordinating the fundraising and building efforts.
Sisters Belle S. Spafford, Marianne C. Sharp and Velma Simonsen were the Relief Society general presidency while funds were raised and the building was constructed and dedicated. Sister Sharp, daughter of President J. Reuben Clark, played an especially important role in coordinating the fundraising and building efforts. | Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

“You may not realize it yet, but Relief Society can help you accomplish extraordinary things,” she said. “It is a place of learning. It is an organization whose basic charter is caring for others. It is a safe place for sisters to bring their questions, and for those who are searching for identity and purpose. It is a place that will help us blossom individually and improve collectively.” 

This year marks the 178th anniversary of the Relief Society, long-touted as the largest and one of the oldest women’s organizations in the world. 

What began as small gathering in the “red brick store” in Nauvoo, Illinois, on March 17, 1842, has become a worldwide organization for good. 

Emma Smith’s declaration from the organization’s earliest days that the Relief Society would “do something extraordinary” is continually coming to fruition as its membership and influence around the world increase with the spreading of the gospel. 

From 20 women in Illinois to more than 7.5 million women around the world, the Relief Society has grown an incredible amount in the last 178 years and has accomplished many amazing things. 

Here’s a brief look at some of the history of the organization from the late 1800s to the 21st century: 

Fourteenth Ward Relief Society Hall. The earliest Relief Society halls in Utah were patterned after the store in Nauvoo in which the society was founded in 1842.
Fourteenth Ward Relief Society Hall. The earliest Relief Society halls in Utah were patterned after the store in Nauvoo in which the society was founded in 1842. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

1842 – 1877

  • In organizing the Relief Society in 1842, Joseph Smith said, “The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized.” At that initial gathering, 20 women were present and another eight were admitted without being present.
  • As the Saints were forced out of Nauvoo following the Prophet Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, the Relief Society organization ceased operation as the Saints moved west. The final meeting of the organization in Nauvoo was held on March 16, 1944.
  • Eliza R. Snow, the society’s first secretary under Emma Smith, carried the organization’s “Book of Records” with her across the plains.
  • Although the Relief Society was not officially reestablished among the Saints settled in the Salt Lake Valley until 1867, Emmeline B. Wells made record of several smaller relief organizations formed among local women in an effort to continue the work of the Relief Society in the valley as early as 1851.
  • Originally called the “Female Relief Society,” the term “female” was dropped in 1973.
  • The Weber Stake Relief Society in Ogden, Utah, was the first stake Relief Society, established in 1877.
Church News graphic of the contributions made by Relief Society members for their own building.
Church News graphic of the contributions made by Relief Society members for their own building. | Credit: Graphic by Heidi Perry, Deseret News

1889 – 1956

  • The first general conference of the Relief Society was held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 6, 1889.
  • Although plans for a “women’s building” to house the Relief Society central headquarters were introduces as early as 1896, the building itself was not completed until 1956. Major efforts to erect the building were not undertaken until after WWII.
  • Sister Belle Spafford broke ground for the Relief Society Building on Oct. 1, 1953, and it was dedicated by President David O. McKay on Oct. 3, 1956.
A cover of The Relief Society Magazine from January 1930.
A cover of The Relief Society Magazine from January 1930. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

1966 – 1971

  • The Woman’s Exponent had served as the organization’s record through its publication in the years in Salt Lake City. However, in 1914 the organization established its own separate publication, the Relief Society Magazine, which took over as the primary record of the organization at the time.
  • In 1966, the magazine was published in Spanish, the first foreign language edition of the magazine — “Revista de la Sociedad de Socorro.”
  • The book “History of Relief Society 1842-1966” was published by members of the Relief Society general board to bring the history of the organization up to date following the centennial in 1942. In the book, board members noted their excitement for having reached nearly one-third million members in the organization worldwide.
Relief Society seal with its motto ‘Charity Never Faileth’
Relief Society seal with its motto ‘Charity Never Faileth’ | Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

2004 – 2014

  • The first worldwide leadership training for the Relief Society and other women’s organizations of the Church began in 2004.
  • In 2006, membership in the Relief Society reached 6 million.
  • In 2011, the Church published a book about the history of the Relief Society detailing the faith of the women throughout the years. The book “Daughters in My Kingdom” is not a comprehensive history, but rather describes the history and the work of the Relief Society through scriptural, anecdotal and biographical accounts.
  • In 2014 the the General Women’s Meeting for general conference was changed to include all women ages 8-years old and up.

The Relief Society motto “Charity Never Faileth” reflects Joseph Smith’s declaration that the society would act upon the key words: “Said Jesus, ‘Ye shall do the work, which ye see me do.’”

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