President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “More than a century ago, President Brigham Young offered a prayer in which he pleaded for a blessing ‘upon the priesthood, [and] all in authority in thy Church and kingdom, that they might enjoy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to qualify them in the discharge of every duty.’”
President Hinckley continued, “I make a plea that we constantly seek the inspiration of the Lord and the companionship of His Holy Spirit to bless us in keeping our efforts on a high spiritual plane. Those prayers will not go unanswered, for the promise has been given through revelation that ‘God shall give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost.’. (D&C 121:26.)” 1
Each of the 39 women who have served as presidents of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary over the history of the auxiliaries have strived to lead by the Spirit, to “magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility … to teach the word of God with all diligence” (Jacob 1:19). Represented here is one president from each organization.
Shortly after Barbara W. Winder became Relief Society president in 1984, she traveled to Argentina , Brazil , and Peru and visited sisters in their homes as well as in ward and stake meetings. As she attended Relief Society and saw the sisters struggling with English poetry in cultural refinement lessons, the Spirit told her, “This is not what they need.” 2
The Relief Society presidency announced a new format for Relief Society for the 1987 lesson year. The manual was smaller in size and given a new name — Personal Study Guide. A second spiritual living lesson each month took the place of the cultural refinement lesson; mother education lessons were replaced by home and family education lessons; and the social relations and compassionate service lessons were combined.
One of Barbara’s concerns was her desire for the women of the Church to become more familiar with the scriptures and to see that answers to everyday problems and challenges can be found in them. Beginning with the 1988 Personal Study Guide, which began production in 1985, all of the Sunday lessons for Relief Society became scripturally based and correlated with the gospel doctrine course of study.
Louie Bouton Felt , the first Primary general president, and her counselor May Anderson were walking down a street in Salt Lake City one afternoon and saw a crippled boy having difficulty maneuvering on his crutches. Watching him struggle brought to their minds many other children were suffering or in need of medical care. Both women felt that the Primary should do something to help.
As they continued their walk, they discussed the plight of sick children, especially those whose parents could not afford adequate medical care. They were inspired with an idea of endowing a room for children at the LDS Hospital . Later, in 1911, they presented their plan for establishing a children’s unit at the Groves LDS Hospital to Church President Joseph F. Smith and the Primary general board — one room for boys and one for girls.
Thus began the program that would bless many children and would eventually lead to the founding of the Primary Children’s Hospital. From its founding until 1974, when the Church divested all hospitals, the general Primary presidents administered the children’s hospital. (Later, LaVern W. Parmley was to say that the hospital “was a tremendous responsibility. I often say that whenever I meet Sister Felt and Sister Anderson — they were the ones that had the idea of that hospital for children and they called it a dream they had — I’m going to say, ‘It was easier to have the dream than it was to run the hospital.’”) 3
President Gordon B. Hinckley extended a call to Ardeth Greene Kapp to serve as Young Women general president on April 6, 1984, the day before general conference. “He told me,” said Ardeth, “that this was a very significant time, for this was a time when we were seeing great things happen in the lives of young women and that they would rise up and be a mighty force for righteousness.” 4
Her counselors and general board were not called until several months later. During that period, Ardeth obtained a new set of scriptures and read the scriptures with young women in mind.
“That was a very crucial and valuable time for me,” she remembered. “It was a time when I, in a sense, went to the mountain. I remember keeping a separate journal, which I called the small plates, of any insight or inspiration that I thought was relevant to the calling.
“When you have an assignment like that, there are a thousand things that you would like to ask for. You would like to ask for wisdom, people skills, righteousness. You want to be all of the things that you are not. Sometimes I thought, ‘Oh, I wish I could remember this; I wish I could remember that.’ Then a thought came to me one time as I was pondering: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives.’ I thought, if I can know that and know that I can receive his direction, then I can look to other people for the other things I don’t know.
“I felt that if I could have one gift during the time I would serve, the one I would most desire would be vision. If I could have a vision of what we were to accomplish and how to do it, then others with skills and ability could make it happen. But a president needs to have the vision.” 5
After her counselors, Patricia Holland and Maurine Turley, and general board were organized, they addressed the questions of identity, direction, and purpose. “We went through a rather lengthy and soul-searching process, seeking to know what would be best for young women today,” Ardeth recalled. “From that process, the Young Women Values — faith, divine, nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, and integrity — were developed. The vision we had was that every young woman should be prepared to make and keep sacred covenants and to receive the ordinances of the temple.” 6
Information for this article has been drawn from personal interviews and books co-authored by Janet Peterson and LaRene Gaunt: Faith, Hope, and Charity: Inspiration from the Lives of General Relief Society Presidents. Keepers of the Flame: Presidents of Young Women. The quotation of President Gordon B. Hinckley is used courtesy of the Church Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
1 Gordon B. Hinckley , “First Presidency Message: Feed the Spirit, Nourish the Soul,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, p. 2.
2 Personal interview with Barbara W. Winder, May 31, 1989.
3 LaVern W. Parmley Oral History, Church Archives, p. 33.
4 Personal interview with Ardeth G. Kapp, August 6, 1990.
