Relief Society Birthday Celebration and Party Ideas

Here is a list of ideas and skits for the Relief Society Birthday or other activities. If you have a great program or skit, please share it. (I especially like skits with references or sources.)

Relief Society Birthday Celebration Ideas, Music, and Skits

Music Ideas

There are several music links in the list above, plus....

"The Spirit of God" was the opening song and "Come Let Us Rejoice," was sung at the close of the first Relief Society meeting. (MormonWiki.)

Including Transitioning Laurels at the Relief Society Birthday Party Celebration

Mary G shared this idea: "For part of our program, we're doing the reader's theater on the Relief Society Presidents. After we discuss Sister Parkin and highlight her focus on helping Young Women transition into Relief Society, we're doing a short spotlight on the 5 Laurels in our ward that will enter Relief Society this year. We're hoping this will help the sisters know who they are and make a special effort to help them feel welcomed."

You never know who you're influencing at the Birthday Party...

Barbara B. Smith, tenth General Relief Society President, first attended Relief Society on March 17, 1942, for the 100th anniversary Relief Society Birthday program. She was expecting a baby, and her mother didn't want to leave her alone at home. She observed, "That day at Relief Society the hundred years of Relief Society history were reviewed, a meaningful way for me to see what Relief Society was all about and how I could fit into it. I started to attend our ward Relief Society regularly soon after that." (" 'Joy in Every Minute': An Interview with Sister Barbara B. Smith," Ensign, June 1975, 61)

Jenny's history of Relief Society notes

Presidents of the Relief Society

1. Emma Hale Smith (1842 - 1844)
2. Eliza R. Snow (1868 - 1887)
3. Zina D. H. Young (1888 - 1901)
4. Bathsheba W. Smith (1901 - 1910)
5. Emmeline B. Wells (1910 - 1921)
6. Clarissa S. Williams (1921 - 1928)
7. Louise Y. Robison (1928 - 1939)
8. Amy Brown Lyman (1940 - 1945)
9. Belle S. Spafford (1945 - 1974)
10. Barbara B. Smith (1974 - 1984)
11. Barbara W. Winder (1984 - 1990)
12. Elaine L. Jack (1990 - 1997)
13. Mary Ellen W. Smoot (1997 - 2002)
14. Bonnie D. Parkin (2002 - 2007)
15. Julie Bangerter Beck (2007 - present)

Birthdays of the Relief Society General Presidents

I'm never quite sure why I get asked this so often, but here are the birth dates I have for the RS General Presidents:

• Emma Hale Smith - born July 10, 1804; died April 30, 1879
• Eliza R. Snow - born January 21, 1804; died December 5, 1887
• Zina D. H. Young - born January 31, 1821; died August 28, 1901
• Bathsheba W. Smith - born May 3, 1822; died September 20, 1910
• Emmeline B. Wells - February 29, 1828; died April 25, 1921
• Clarissa S. Williams - born 1860; died March 8, 1930
• Louise Y. Robison - born 1866; died March 30, 1946
• Amy Brown Lyman - born February 7, 1872; died December 5, 1959
• Belle S. Spafford - born October 8, 1895; died February 2, 1982
• Barbara B. Smith - born January 26, 1922; living
• Barbara W. Winder - born May 9, 1931; living
• Elaine L. Jack - born March 22, 1928; living
• Mary Ellen W. Smoot - born August 19, 1933; living
• Bonnie D. Parkin - born August 4, 1940; living
• Julie Bangerter Beck - born September 29, 1954; living

If you have more information on these birth and death dates, please send it to me.

History of the Relief Society Motto and Seal

I got an email with some questions about the Relief Society seal and motto. Here's the information I was able to find:

Why is the Relief Society Seal blue and gold? In short, we don't know. There is no known documentation for the color choice to be found, according to the BYU 100-hour board, and the subject is currently being researched by a BYU professor. The Young Women's organization chose green and gold as their colors in 1922 (History of YW), and my money says the decision to chose RS colors was made about the same time.

Why does the Relief Society Seal have wheat on it? "At the outbreak of World War I, Utah Relief Societies sold their wheat storage to help the war effort and used the money to give women and their infants adequate maternity care. Since that time, wheat has been a symbol of the Relief Society’s efforts to care for others." (150th Anniversary Celebration of Relief Society, Liahona March 1992)

When was the Relief Society motto established? The Relief society motto, "Charity Never Faileth", was selected in early 1913 by Emmeline B. Wells and her presidency. They also chose the sego lily as the emblem of Relief Society at the same time. The sego lily is a strong wildflower that has bulbs that fed starving Saints when they first settled in Utah. (Source: Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society by Derr, Cannon, and Beecher; p 194)

What about the torch? 100-hour board's best guess: The torch was added to the seal in 1942 for the RS centennial celebration (BYU 100-hour board) to emphasize the theme of that celebration: "Woman's Century of Light" under the direction of RS President Amy B. Lyman (Women of Covenant p 283).

Download a picture of the Relief Society Seal.

Conflicting numbers of attendees at the first Relief Society Meeting

Sometimes the question is asked why there are different numbers listed as attendees at the first RS meeting. There were 20 women actually present on March 17, 1842, namely:

1. Emma Smith
2. Sarah M. Cleveland
3. Phebe Ann Hawkes
4. Elizabeth Jones
5. Sophia Packard
6. Philindia Myrick
7. Martha Knight
8. Desdemona Fullmer
9. Elizabeth Ann Whitney
10. Leonora Taylor
11. Bathsheba W. Smith
12. Phebe M. Wheeler
13. Elivira A. Cowles
14. Margaret A. Cook
15. Athalia Robinson
16. Sarah M. Kimball
17. Eliza R. Snow
18. Sophia Robinson
19. Nancy Ridgon
20. Sophia R. Marks

Three of the women were teenagers, and the eldest (Sarah Cleveland) was a widow in her fifties. Eleven of the women were married, two were widows, six were married, and one is unknown. Their education, backgrounds, and financial situations varied greatly. Seven other women who could not attend that day but wanted to be part of the organization were also voted in as members according to the minutes of the meeting. Three men were in attendance: Joseph Smith, Jr.; John Taylor; and Willard Richards. The Prophet opened the meeting, and Willard Richards, his personal scribe, was record-keeper. At that first meeting, Emma Smith set the precedent for Relief Society's mission of providing meaningful service by noting that one of their group, Philindia Myrick -- a widow with three children, was in need and invited the other sisters to help her by hiring her to perform needlework (Women of Covenant p 26-30)

RS Birthdays: How they did it....

Women have been celebrating the founding of Relief Society almost since it's inception. Get ideas for your celebration from reading the ways women celebrated Relief Society in the past.

• Plant a Tree - During the 100th anniversary celebration of Relief Society, women were invited to plant trees. An English elm was planted at the Salt Lake Temple Square greenhouse with a round bronze marker reading "Relief Society Centennial Tree -- 1942". Local Relief Societies planted 874 trees at that time in the US and Canada. When the local Relief Society in New Zealand had to postpone their tree planting ceremony, one sister went out into the bush, dug up a small tree and planted it in her own garden so that the date would not go uncelebrated in that area. (Women of Covenant pps 284-285) Planting a tree might be a fun way to commemorate the birthday of Relief Society in your area.
• Listen to a Voice Recording - Also during the 1942 100th anniversary of Relief Society, leaders send a phonograph record with the voices of President Amy B. Lyman and a blessing from Prophet and President Heber J. Grant to each English-speaking society in The US, Canada, and Mexico. This was the first time Church members in outlying areas heard the voices of their prophet and the general president of Relief Society for replaying! In one unit in Gainesville, Florida, none of their 6 members had ever attended a Relief Society meeting before, and listening to this recording at a member's home was their first meeting. (Women of Covenant pps 285-286) You could record a message from our prophet, general RS President, stake or local leader, and play it back and talk about how advances in technology further the mission of Relief Society today.
• Assemble Humanitarian Kits - Sister Johan Mark of Canada started a nationwide effort in Canada called "Bundles for Britain" as part of the Canadian Mission's 100th RS Birthday Celebration. Twelve-pound bundles were assembled containing clothing for newborns and children were delivered regularly during the World War II. (Women of Covenant pps 285-286)
• Use technology to reach out to distant or homebound sisters - During the sesquicentennial celebration on March 14 1992, a satellite broadcast to all five continents literally connected sisters worldwide for the first time. This effort required the use of 9 satellites, pre-taped and live talks and music, and translation into 14 languages. Nothing like this had ever been tried before. President Elaine Jack and her counselors fasted on March 5 to seek the Lord's blessing on their efforts; and at 10:00 AM MST, Sisters in the Salt Lake Tabernacle were linked live with those assembled in Frankfurt, Germany; Taipei, Taiwan; Huddersfield, England; Paris, France; Seoul, South Korea; Johannesburg, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Manila, Philippines; Tokyo, Japan; and the US and Canada. Said Sister Jack: "Never before have so many women in the world sat down together to pray, sing, and speak to each other the feelings of our hearts, to share in the ways the Lord has blessed us as women and members in his Church." (Women of Covenant pps 415-417) You can use technology, such as telephones, tape recordings, video recordings, and the Internet to reach out to homebound or ill sisters or those who live far from a meeting house.
• Perform acts of service - The theme of the 150th anniversary of the Church was service. Members were asked by the RS general presidency to focus on service through out the year. (Women of Covenant pps 417-418)
• Record your Relief Society history - Also at the 150th sesquicentennial, sisters were asked to record their society's history along with documentation of their service projects. You can scrapbook or quilt or make a video or collect testimonies and much more to commemorate the anniversary of this great organization in your area. (Women of Covenant p 418)

Quotes

At the 100th anniversary of Relief Society Bishop LeGrand Richards, and his counselors, Marvin O. Ashton and Joseph L. Wirthlin, wrote: "A million tongues today call your names blessed... More than a thousand bishops thank God for your organization.... You are angels of mercy to more than that many wards throughout the church... May we join this day in congratulating you from the bottom of our hearts for what this hundred years has stood for: -- Kindness to the needy, Florence Nightingales to the sick, the essence of culture and champions of refinement in our Church. God bless you and all that you stand for."

Recommended Books on Relief Society History

I'd personally recommend these books on RS History:

• Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society by Derr, Cannon, and Beecher; Deseret Book Company; 1992. ISBN 0-87579-593-5
• Elect Ladies: Presidents of the Relief Society by Peterson and Gaunt (1990). Published Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87579-416-5.
• History of Relief Society 1842-1966 by The Relief Society General Board Association, 1966.

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If you have a great program or skit, please share it or email it to me at jennysmith.net@gmail.com.