Sis. Beck has been very consistent as she urges us to strengthen our own faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and contribute to building His kingdom, through strengthening our families and serving our fellowmen.

She started her talk by telling us about her father who, as a Mission President in Brazil, set up the Church in that country. When they first got there, there was no elders quorum. Without a quorum, there was no organized ward or stake. There could be no home teachers, even. The first thing he did was to call a branch president, then an elders quorum president, then a Relief Society president.

I don’t think we as women realize how the Church functions. We kind of leave it up to the men. But we must understand in order to be a part of this magnificent work. She gives five reasons why we are organized into quorums and Relief Societies:

1. Our God is a God of order, and all that He does to build His kingdom is done through His priesthood patterns.   Because God is a God of order, he organizes his people. Men must be organized and women must be organized. Pretty simple mathematics. She quotes Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith as saying, “Quorum and Relief Society leaders have a measure of divine authority given to them regarding the government and instruction of those they are called to lead.” We have women leaders who preside with authority to direct, instruct, and serve women in a given ward or stake.
2. We are organized to focus Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters on the work of salvation and to engage them in it.  “The work of salvation includes missionary work and retaining in activity those who are converted…also focuses on temple and family history work. We carry the responsibility to teach the gospel and exemplify righteous living to one another.”  Relief Societies should be actively engaged with the work of salvation as they gather together as a sisterhood. We are needed to help the quorums in their assignments.
3. We are organized to help bishops wisely manage the Lord’s storehouse.  “Ours is the responsibility to teach, to inspire, to motivate, to bring to activity and to eventual exaltation the sons and daughters of God. When we give an account of our stewardship each month, we are to report the spiritual and temporal well-being of those we are assigned to care for.” There are many Bishops and Relief Society Presidents who don’t do their own Home and Visiting Teaching. They do not understand the principle, nor the power of watchcare in the Kingdom. It is necessary for these leaders to lead by example, carefully gathering information about the brothers and sisters in their ward, and wisely delegating the affairs of their stewardship.
4. We are organized to provide a defense and a refuge for Heavenly Father’s children and their families in the latter days.  “As our times become ever more difficult, the faithful brothers and sisters in quorums and Relief Societies are to protect the homes of Zion from the shrill voices of the world and the provocative influence of the adversary.” We are brothers and sisters in the gospel. It is our privilege to bless, help, and uphold one another in personal difficulty. It brings us together in triumph as we overcome the world–together.
5. We are organized to strengthen and support us in our family roles and responsibilities as sons and daughters of God.  “Everything we do in quorums and Relief Societies is to help the Lord with His mission of preparing His children for the blessings of the eternal life He envisions for us.” Quorums and Relief Societies are the means by which we can return back to Heavenly Father. We need one another as support, as teachers, as leaders to remind us, strengthen us, and encourage us.

Sis. Beck has changed our viewpoint in Relief Society. We aren’t here to entertain one another. We are here to work, lift, and provide help where needed as families raise children to the Lord. If we don’t understand how we can help, then we need to seek after, find out, and get involved in the work.

As I have researched the past 170-year history of our Relief Society, I have run across an incredible number of named sisters who worked for this great cause. We tend to focus on the few, but there were many who worked together. It takes an entire Relief Society body, and quorum, to accomplish great things.

We don’t know how much longer Sis. Beck will have this calling. She has accomplished much in her five years. But she has set a course for us, along with the past Relief Society presidents, who have led righteously in their own unique way. Sis. Beck says, “What the Lord envisioned regarding quorums and Relief Societies has not yet been fully utilized. Many quorums and Relief Societies are at present much like sleeping giants waiting for you to breathe new life into them.”

Assuming our armor is already in place, adjusted, and broken in, we must wake to the sounds of the final days. Our path has been plowed. Our seeds are planted. The harvest is ours for those who will put their shoulder to the wheel. May we push along, side by side, valiantly singing as we go.