Womens group devoted to charity in [San Francisco] Valley
Leave it up to a Relief Society President to write an excellent article on what the organization is all about! Joleen Mills, President of the Relief Society of the Livermore, Calif., Stake of the Church, wrote an article in a San Francisco newspaper titled “Womens group devoted to charity in Valley”.
The article mentions a few highlights on the Relief Society organization that its readers are probably unaware of:
One of the worlds oldest and largest organizations for women is the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The association, whose members now exceed five million women worldwide, was organized March 17, 1842, at a meeting held over a store in Nauvoo, Ill., with only 18 women in attendance.
Focusing on the aid provided by the organization on a regular basis, Mills discusses charity:
The needs of the unfortunate are evident in the media and all sources of news. But what is charity? It is defined as the good will toward or love of humanity; the giving of aid to the poor.
We think of charity when we are giving and sharing with others. Charity is the true love of Christ, and it is in our love for him and our following in his footsteps that we attain this love.
In his example, we have no feeling of obligation in our charitable acts, only the motivation of wishing to help someone in need.
…
As members of the Relief Society, women of all nationalities and economic conditions have many opportunities to serve.
Sister Mills concludes the article with her testimony:
As a member of this society, I have come to know that we have a loving father in heaven who knows each of us personally, and cares about our spiritual and physical welfare.
Each one of us can be an instrument in his hands as we reach out to serve and love one another. I am grateful for the opportunities we are given to bless each others lives in the name of his son, Jesus Christ.
One wonders what the media would be like if those who knew what they were talking about, as Sister Mills does here, would be given the opportunity to share their knowledge. Instead, sometimes misinformed reporters, quick to meet their deadlines, often end up with something other than truth and facts.