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The First Presidency of the Church announced November 1 that beginning in 2014, a semiannual general women's meeting will replace the general Relief Society and general Young Women meetings held annually since 1993.
The general women's meeting will be held the Saturday before each general conference and will be conducted by the general presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary organizations. All women, young women, and girls age eight years old and older will be invited to attend.
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Discuss!
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
just heard this from my sister. glad you’re on it. this is a big step and something women have asked for. i think they are listening up there in the men’s restroom.
This is great, as it should be.
Love this. More integration of RS and YW.
Do think it’s kind of odd that the Primary general presidency will be conducting the General Women’s meeting. ???
So, this could be fun. I had no idea that women had been asking for this. Will we still get to hear from the whole RS presidency and YW presidency?
This makes so much more sense.
Cautiously optimistic. I think it’s very interesting they included girls over 8 and wonder if that signals that a change might happen at the priesthood meeting as well as far as who might attend. Will be interesting to see how it’s divided up as far as speakers and such. I assume that a member of the First Presidency will still speak each time but the other speakers will be from the general women’s presidencies? Personally what I would prefer to see is more women speaking in the general sessions of conference (i.e. women speaking not only to other women but also to men) but this is a step in the right direction as far as integrating YW and RS more, something I think has been needing for a long time. Would love to see them take it further by allowing YW to be visiting teachers.
I think this will be helpful for two reasons. Increased awareness of the general focus of church messages in each others’ lives for mothers and daughters is one. When I worked in YW there was very little awareness on the part of both on what the messages were in the other’s meetings. And the second is that I think that meeting together for a full meeting, sitting and listening with adult women instead of just with their peers (which they do, even when they attend YW general meeting broadcasts with their moms) may help, a little, to ease the transition to adult church work for young women who often find that transition difficult when they finish high school.
I suggested to my wife that I thought the church should do this a few months ago. I felt that young girls were missing out on the generational transcendence that boys got in Priesthood meeting — i.e; you attend a meeting full of future role models, showing you your divine destiny. Line upon line, many great and important things are happening. Love it!
jennycherie, I have heard this mentioned numerous times in discussions about how to make women’s/men’s programs more equitable.
I agree, this is a good move for transition. Don’t understand the primary age things. We’ll see what happens.
As you all know, I, too, would like to see more women in general meetings and, actually, would love to see a women address just the men. I’d also like to see the general women’s meeting be included as an actual conference session. I can’t understand why it’s never been so.