Women Followers of Jesus Archive
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly referred to as the ”Mormon Church” by friends of other faiths) has a special organization for women called Relief Society. The purpose of the organization is to “increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and hep those in need.” This organization of women is the largest of its kind in the world. It was organized in 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois, by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Relief Society is for all women ages 18 and above. The organization provides opportunities for friendship and service, but more importantly it gives its members the structure to be more effective disciples of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Countless lives have been blessed by the organization of and the sisters in Relief Society. Though the society includes Mormon women, it is open to women of all faiths who want to participate and serve. Mormons serve side-by-side with Catholics,... Read the rest of this entry »
Melissa is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon” woman).
Relief Society Organized for Mormon Women
Organized in 1842, and consisting of more than 6 million members, the Mormon Relief Society is the oldest and largest women’s organization in the world (Kimball, P. 2011. Examiner). Membership consists of female Latter-day Saints ages 18 and above. It is an organization within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the “Mormon Church” by the media) dedicated to faith, charity, good works, and the uplifting of women through their divine roles of womanhood and motherhood.
When Joseph Smith, prophet and leader of the early church, organized the Relief Society—the Mormon global organization designed divinely to help serve the needs of the poor and to lift women spiritually—he stated that its purpose was to see to “the relief of the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan, and for the exercise of all... Read the rest of this entry »
Emily Spencer is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon woman”), freelance writer, concert artist, sacred choral music arranger, and mother of four.
I was once asked in an interview if I had a role model for the ideal “Mormon woman” (female member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). “What exactly is meant by ‘ideal Mormon woman’?” I asked. “Does such a prototype really even exist?” The discussion that followed was an intriguing one, because it hadn’t been too long before that, that I’d pined for female role models in my own life – ones that were iconic, prophetic, visionary – and mused not only about this elusive “ideal Mormon woman,” but more broadly about “ideal women” in general. What exactly was considered “ideal,” according to whose standards, and why?
Around this same time, I sat in a Gospel Doctrine class (one of the Sunday school classes offered to adult members of The... Read the rest of this entry »
Yes! Jesus Christ had a high respect for women, often including them as positive role models of faith and dedication in his teaching and parables (see, for example, the widow of Zarephath who fed Elijah, Luke 4:25-26; and the woman who gave her two mites into the treasury, Mark 12:42-44). Although the New Testament accounts of the women who followed Jesus are limited in their number and scope, it is still clear that they played a role in Jesus Christ‘s ministry.
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