Relief Society is a wonderful organization that has many purposes. The most important purpose is to help the sisters to come to Christ. Another important purpose is to provide service and help to those that need it. Another reason is to help friendships to form between sisters and to provide opportunities to socialize with each other. When the sisters in Relief Society are friends with each other, needs are being met automatically. The sisters often feel more comfortable asking for help from a friend or letting friends know that they are struggling.
If your ward is having a difficult time helping your sisters feel this connection of friendship you may want to try new things for awhile. The first thing you may want to do is simply plan a social for one of the activities. Additionally you may want to set up enrichment groups that allow the women to interact socially. Service groups, playgroups and book clubs all provide the opportunity to socialize.
If you already have these in place, but your ward members are still struggling with befriending each other you may want to help the sisters get to know each other. If you highlight different members each week and share a little bit about each sister’s interest, this may help friendships to form. It is important that you also make an effort to reach out to others.
As you work to build friendships within your Relief Society, do not forget about the sisters who are serving in the Primary or Young Women’s. These callings can be isolating, especially when someone is new to the ward. It is important to reach out at activities. Additionally you may make special handouts for these sisters each week, so they can receive the announcements as well.
Additionally you may want to make an effort to reach out to the less active sisters. It is important to help them to feel wanted and included. In addition to contacting them about activities, you may want to make a genuine effort at becoming their friend. Each sister in Relief Society should be reaching out to others and helping others to feel included. If you feel isolated, you should try to reach out as well.
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