Faith, Hope, and Charity

Did you know this about the Relief Society?

• The longest-serving Relief Society general president, Belle S. Spafford, served for nearly 30 years (1945-1974). The shortest-serving and youngest president, Emma Hale Smith age 37), served for 2 years (1842-1844).
• Emmeline B. Wells, the fifth general president, was called at the age of 82 and served until she was 93 years old (1910-1921).
• The Necessity Committee, formed by the Relief Society in Nauvoo, was the forerunner of visiting teaching.
• The Relief Society Magazine, enjoyed by sisters for decades, was first published in 1914 and then discontinued in 1971, when all Church magazines were realigned.
• A campanile tower for the Nauvoo Bell was donated by the Relief Society in celebration of its centennial (1842-1942) and placed on Temple Square.
• For the Sesquicentennial in 1992, Relief Societies all over the world provided service projects for their local communities. On March 17, the Relief Society general presidency—Elaine L. Jack, Chieko N. Okazaki, and Eileen Hales Clyde—and President Thomas S. Monson, of the First Presidency, addressed Relief Society sisters on five continents by satellite uplink.
• Twenty women were present at the organization of the Relief Society on March 17, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois; now more than 5½ million women in 170 countries are members of Relief Society.
• The women’s organization was first named the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo (1842); the name was simplified in 1873 to Relief Society. Then from 1892-1945 it was called the National Women’s Relief Society, after which it has been known again as Relief Society.
• Fifteen women have served as general Relief Society presidents.
• The first Relief Society general conference was held in 1889; the first General Women’s meeting was held in 1978.
• In 1876, the Relief Society was given charge of sericulture (raising silkworms and producing silk) and grain storage.
• The Relief Society Building, located across from Temple Square and dedicated in 1956, was funded by women donating $1.00 or others donating in their names, totaling $500,000.
• Until 1970, local Relief Societies raised their own funds by collecting dues and holding bazaars.
• The Relief Society adopted its motto, “Charity Never Faileth,” in 1892.
• Mormon Handicraft was established during the Great Depression as an outlet store for women’s handicrafts.
• The mid-week activity for Relief Society sisters was first known as “Work Day,” then “Homemaking Meeting,” and now, “Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment.”