Converted unto the Lord
Prayerfully study
this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your
sisters to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to
www.reliefsociety.lds.org
Faith, Family, Relief
New sisters of the Church –
including Young Women entering Relief Society, sisters returning to activity,
and new converts – need the support and friendship of visiting teachers. “Member involvement is vital to convert
retention and in bringing less-active members back into full activity,” said
elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Capture the vision the Relief Society... can
become [one of] the most powerful friendshipping resource[s] we have in the
Church. Reach out early to those being
taught and reactivated, and love them into the Church through your
organization.”
As members of Relief Society,
we can help new members learn basic Church practices, such as:
..Giving a talk
..Bearing Testimony
..Living the law of the
fast.
..Paying tithing and other
offerings
..Participating in family
history work.
..Performing baptisms and
confirmations for their
deceased ancestors.
“It takes attentive friends
to make new members feel comfortable and welcomed at church.” said Elder Ballard. ² All of us, but especially visiting teachers,
have important
responsibilities to establish friendships with new members as a way of helping them
become firmly “converted unto the Lord”
(Alma
23:6)
From the Scriptures
2 Nephi 31:19 – 20; Moroni 6:4
From Our History
“With the ever-increasing number
of converts,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910 – 2008), “we must make an
increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things; a
friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moroni 6:4).”³
President Joseph Fielding
Smith (1876-1972) said Relief Society is a vital part of the kingdom of God
on earth and… helps its faithful members to gain eternal life in our Father’s
kingdom.
What Can I Do?
1.
Do I pray for my companion and ask that the Spirit will guide us as we
minister to our sisters?
2.
In what ways do we serve each sister we watch over so that she knows we
truly care about her?
Notes
1.
M. Russell Ballard, “Members are the Key,” Ensign, Sept. 2000,13.
2.
M. Russell Ballard, “Members are the Key,” 14.
3.
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Converts and Young Men,” Ensign, May 1997,47
4.
Joseph Fielding Smith, in Daughters
in My Kingdom: The History and Work of
Relief Society (2011), 97.
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