For our Relief Society Birthday Celebration I was asked to share how the Relief Society started LDS Family Services. I was hit hard by the thought of how much influence one sister can have. Here is my presentation:
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The Relief Society has done some amazing things. I love seeing how one sister can influence SO many lives. In this case it started with one sister, who had charity, the pure love of Christ, so she cared, she wanted to do something more. ONE sister influenced other sisters to work together to make life better for people all around the world. From the heart of one sister shared through the hearts of other sisters of the Relief Society came an amazing organization: The LDS Family Services.
The story of this organization begins as WWI comes to a close. The Salt Lake City community grew in size and struggles there was an increase need to help families and individuals in all walks of life: financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The bishops and other church leaders tried to meet the growing needs of the members. It took many hours of lay work and spiritual guidance for these needs to be met. However, some of these needs required time and resources that were not readily available. What was to be done?!
Across the country, way over in Chicago there was a Relief Society sister, Amy B. Lyman who decided to take some social work classes. These classes introduced her to the famous Hull House. There she learned how to help meet the needs of others. She was determined to return to Utah and help those in need.
Sometime later she was call to the Relief Society General Board and also had special training at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections in 1917. These two things helped facilitate Amy Lyman and some other sisters to be able to go with the Red Cross and establish social services organizations in several Utah cities.
Amy Lyman later met with President Joseph F. Smith who suggested that she head up a social services department within the Relief Society. In Jan. 1919 shortly after President Smith passed away, and with the support of President Heber J. Grant, the Relief Society Social Service Department was created. Its primary purpose was to provide practical training for families, but it also helped needy women and girls find employment and placed children for adoption.
Amy Lyman, who later became the 8th Relief Society General President, lead the department for 16 years, during which time she created a training program in which stake delegates attended classes in family welfare work. After their 6 week class they would return to their stakes and teach the lessons to members of the church. The next year the Relief Society also started social service institutes to train local Relief Society sisters. Over four thousand sisters received training to become “stake social service aids."
During the great depression, the Relief Society Social Service Department worked with US government agencies to provide relief. Needs continued to grow rapidly, one worker saw her caseload grow from 78 families in 1929 to more than 700 in 1934.
By 1934 additional help, for welfare needs, was provided by professional social workers at Relief Society Social Service Department branch offices.
In 1954, the Indian Student Placement Program was formally initiated. Through this program, American Indian youth from small communities accepted invitations to live for a time with LDS families where formal education was readily available and where the church was well established. This program encouraged these youth to have more experiences and promoted understanding between cultures. That year, so many Indian children were placed in Latter-day Saint foster homes that it caught the attention of the director of the Utah Department of Public Welfare. My grandmother, hosted one of these youth for four school years, my mother grew up looking forward to seeing her Indian brother, Jerry, at the end of each summer.
In 1956, the Relief Society Social Services Department added a Youth Guidance Program which was instigated to help troubled teens and children.
Due to the Church correlation movement, in 1969, a decision was made to bring the social services efforts under priesthood direction. The three main facets of Church social services: Adoption, Youth Guidance, and Indian Placement, merged into one organization. Skilled professionals helped priesthood leaders by assisting with issues beyond the scope and time constraints of most lay leaders.
In 1973 this organization, now named LDS Social Services, became a corporation entity separate from the church. It continued with this name until 1996 when the named was changed to LDS Family Services. Managing director Harold Brown said, “The name LDS Family Services is more descriptive of the services we deliver and the philosophy we embrace as we work with ecclesiastical leaders and members. More important, it furthers our focus on helping clients adhere to gospel principles and covenants that pertain to the eternal nature of the family.”
ONE sister, filled with charity, through the amazing Relief Society organization has now touch millions of lives. It came line upon line, here a little and there a little, but it has grown and grown. It changes lives! We are each ONE sister. We are ALL part of this amazing Relief Society and WE have that chance. The chance to change lives! I hope that we can understand the potential that each of us has and that we fill our Relief Society with charity, the pure love of Christ!
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