A few weeks ago, Miriam wrote a great blog aimed at those who serve in Primary and feel socially isolated. Although I more than fully agree that your social life is primarily your responsibility (no pun intended), I found myself thinking of things that those of us without Primary callings can do to serve those who teach and care for our children on Sunday. Here are a few suggestions that cross various boundaries.
- Spread the news. If you are in the Relief Society presidency, you can make sure that sisters in Primary (as well as those in Young Women) receive copies of all handouts, announcements, and signup sheets. Members of the Enrichment Committee can take special care to be sure that sisters outside of Relief Society know about upcoming Enrichment events.
- Talk it up. If you visit teach someone who serves in one of these callings, you can also make sure they know about all upcoming events. Make sure they are made aware of any sisters who are struggling (when such things were announced in Relief Society). For instance, we recently had two sisters request prayers in our Relief Society meeting; one for her husband and one for herself. Both struggled with medical problems. Sisters serving outside of Relief Society might be willing to pray for or serve these women, if only they had known about the problems. A special note: I am not advocating passing on gossip here, so let me stress again that we are repeating personal-type announcements made.
- Get technical. One of the sisters in my last (larger) ward took it upon herself to create a ward email list. When the signup sheets went around the Relief Society for regular announcements, she also included one for emails for those who wished to take part. Relief Society activities weren’t the only things announced. Anyone who had news to share – from the birth of a baby to the selling of a home to a family in need – emailed it to this sister, who sent it out to the ward (she even did it in such a way that everyone didn’t see your email address). When I left, they had just added summaries of that week’s Relief Society lessons and announcements to the list. What a great idea! The downside, of course, is that older, poorer, or less technical sisters will be less likely to have or check email, so make sure no one assumes they have that information.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways to serve those who serve outside the Relief Society. I’m sure you can come up with other ways. The important thing is to seek opportunities to serve and to keep these sisters into the fold. In the meantime, consider how fortunate you are to be able to enjoy your Relief Society meetings; sometimes we can take that blessing for granted.
Related Articles:
Primary Time: Dealing with the Isolation of Teaching Primary
Getting to Know People in Your New Ward