PRESIDENCY MESSAGE

PRESIDENCY MESSAGE

CENTRALIA STAKE RELIEF SOCIETY BLOG

January, 2015

It is a time for remembering; a time for re-evaluation; a time for recalling accomplishments (and failures); a time for renewal.  The moment we close one year, we open another.  Newness:  new day, new year, new plans, new goals, new attitude.  No matter how good (or bad) last year was, there is this newness to consider.  Each new day is a fresh start, a clean slate, a new chance to change, improve, or try again.

Within our scriptures, there are a multitude of references using to words “new”, “newness”, “new covenant”, “new commandment”, etc.  Here are a few for you to review and to ponder:

“…Behold, I make all things new. …”  (Revelations 21:5)

“…walk in newness…” (Romans 6:4)

“...new and everlasting covenant…” (D&C 131:2)

“old things are done away, and all things have become new.”  (3 Nephi 12:47)

“…newness of spirit and not in the oldest…” (Romans 7:6)

“…a new heart…new spirit”  (Ezekiel 36:26)

“…a new name written…the new name is the key word.” (D&C 130:11)

IDEA:  Make a Family Home Evening project with family members searching for other scriptures which refer to “new” or “newness”.  Maybe choose one to become your personal or family motto for the year.  This is also an opportunity to teach your children to use the Topical Guide to find these. 

I wish you a happy, successful, and healthy new year with a close relationship to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sister Val Walsh

Secretary, Centralia Stake Relief Society


Welcome to 2015! 
Our course of study for the year will be from "Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Ezra Taft Benson." Take the time to read the introduction of him and his wife Flora in the January Ensign “Flora and I: Equal Partners in the Work of the Lord”.
You can access this article  from the Ensign online as well as the manual for the year. Enjoy learning from this great prophet-leader!
If you have not received a copy of the lesson schedule for the year please check with your ward Relief Society Presidency as they were sent to them in November 2014.

Love,
Sister Chris Jackson

Presidency Message

Thank you Morton Ward Relief Society for posting this message. http://youtu.be/cOX5z5QJ_dY
I watched it and absolutely love it and want to share it for our December Stake Relief Society blog.

    I love tying it together with our December Visiting Teaching message which is "The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Prince of Peace." “The Savior is the source of true peace,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook . “Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace.” Understanding that Jesus Christ  is the Prince of Peace can help us find inner peace and increase our faith in Him.

    When we truly have Christ (The Prince of Peace) in our hearts, we truly have Peace in our Hearts.
    It is my prayer that we all have a joyous CHRISTmas season by making sure we have room for "The Prince of Peace" in our Hearts.

Wishing you all a blessed peaceful Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous 2015.
Love,
Sister Susan Best - Second Counselor Centralia Stake Relief Society

Presidency Message : I want each of you to know of the love we as a stake RS presidency have for each and everyone of you sisters. Each of you sisters are important and your individual life has a strong influence for good as you strengthen and provide for so many. Your hands are His hands ! Love, Sister Sallye Johnston, Centralia Stake Relief Society President

PRESIDENCY MESSAGE

CENTRALIA STAKE RELIEF SOCIETY BLOG

October, 2014

All of us need to be very careful about the paths we choose and the directions in which we set our lives.  What seem to be only small deviations in direction or small detours from the straight and narrow path can result in huge differences in position down the road of life.

We are taught as children by our parents and leaders, or by missionaries as adults.  We accept and believe the Word of God, and enter the waters of baptism.  We clutch the Iron Rod.  We may journey for miles and years with it in a firm hand-hold.

However, daily and worldly challenges and demands touch our lives and possibly cause us to unleash the white knuckle grip, yet still holding to the rod.  A variety of hurts, doubts, weaknesses, or temptations may cause a release of the grasping hand, but we still touch the rod with our fingertips and continue on our way.

We give way to other incidents or enticements and then eventually turn loose of the rod.  It is okay—we rationalize—I am still walking near enough to reach out and take hold again if I wish.

More worldly tugs and pulls may cause us to drift a bit further from the Iron Rod; but—again—we feel some security in that we still have it in sight.  We continue on a path that we see as running parallel to the rod.  I still see it over there.  I am moving in the same direction as it runs.

Without much realization, we keep moving small degrees away until we no longer have it in sight.  We are lost.  The Iron Rod has not been relocated!  WE strayed from it.

But, thankfully, through our Older Brother, Jesus Christ, we have repentance that allows us to halt, ask for forgiveness and guidance, reverse our direction, and return to where we can once again grab  hold of the rod—the original Global Positioning System which never breaks down, never needs replacement parts, and never gives us false direction.

Hold to the rod!

Sister Val Walsh

Centralia Stake Relief Society Secretary

Women's Dinner and General Broadcast

August Presidency Message

Sisters I am so excited to hear that L. Tom Perry is presiding at our Stake Conference on August 9th - 10th.

My husband and I were visiting an inactive sister last week and as he shared the home teaching message about Family History her face lit up. She said that she loved Family History and excitedly told us that her cousin in Idaho had just been sharing stories with her and she especially loved hearing ones about her mother as she had only been 9 when her mother passed away. Scott informed her that there was a Family History Center at the Stake Center. I felt prompted at that time to mention that church meetings start at 1:00 pm each Sunday if she had been thinking about wanting to attend. She nodded that she had been thinking about it. Then worried that she might show up to an empty building on the second Sunday in August  I quickly told her that it would be at the Stake Center at 10:00 am that day as it was Stake Conference.  When I told her that one of the apostles would be attending her face lit up once again and she responded that she would call her ex mother-in-law to see if they could go together. We said that they were announcing the apostles name on Sunday and would be sure to let her know who it was. 
On my way home that night I realized how much that information meant to that sister and vowed then that I would go out visiting teaching early in August so that my sisters know they have the opportunity to be in the same room as an apostle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Tonight while looking up information about L. Tom Perry I feel inspired to print and share some of the following along with the Visiting Teaching Message in August.

https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/what-are-prophets/bio/l-tom-perry?lang=eng

May we be the best visiting teachers that we can be.
Love,
Sister Best 
Second Counselor Centralia Stake Relief Society.

Stake Relief Society Message July

As we celebrate our National Independence this month as well as the advent of Latter-day Saints into the Utah Valley, we might also consider what we personally have done with our freedom, abilities and opportunities. 

We read in the scriptures that the glory of God is intelligence, to seek learning and wisdom, to teach one another and to become all that we can.

On the LDS.org website it explains, “Although “education” often suggests formal schooling, Latter-day Saints recognize that it should involve far more than that. They are encouraged to regard education as an individual responsibility,[18] and they are taught that each person ought to pursue education independently in the context of their own lives, learning in the ways and to the extent that their circumstances allow.[19] While they view formal educational programs as indispensible, Mormons also value individual reading, study, thought and observation of many kinds. They affirm that a wealth of knowledge is available to all those who will engage it. Finally, to Latter-day Saints, education is a principle that spans eternity. Mormon scripture teaches that “whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life” will follow us in the hereafter (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18). Latter-day Saints also see in education a perpetual enterprise; they anticipate and hope for a long course of learning that extends indefinitely into the future.”

A new opportunity is being presented in our area to further our knowledge and learning. The BYUIdaho Pathway program is being introduce to our area this Fall. This low-cost educational program is designed to give students the confidence, skills, and hope they need to succeed in college by completing degrees and professional certificates. Students attend local gatherings and institute instruction at nearly 200 sites across the world. The classes in our area will be held on Thursday nights at the Overhulse building in Olympia. Two groups will meet weekly ages 18-32 and 33 and up. If you are looking to go back to College or start College - look into the BYU Pathway program Visit : http://www.byui.edu/about/defining-aspects/pathway You can apply now.

When I read the accounts of women in the early days of the church, I marvel at their intellect, ambition and Faith! We are equally capable.

“Women: We women need to do a better job of claiming the power and direct access that comes from being a child of God and realizing that power in the choices we make in our own lives. Ours is not a gospel of limitation; it is a gospel of empowerment to get the education we want, pursue our dreams, work in partnerships with spouses and friends to raise families, contribute to our communities as our talents dictate, and seek out answers to our deepest questions without intermediaries.”—“To Do the Business of the Church: A Cooperative Paradigm for Examining Gendered Participation Within Church Organizational Structure” by Neylan McBaine  Aug 2, 2012 Fair Mormon

It is my hope that we appreciate our independence and opportunities. That we will make choices and pursue knowledge that will help us realize our divine potential and go with us into eternity.

Love,

Sister Chris Jackson

First Counselor Centralia Stake Relief Society

What Do LDS Women Get? Presidency Message June 2014

Presidency Message May 2014

From his book, My Dear Sisters, President Gordon B. Hinckley stated: "Woman is God's supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal liffe had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good."  My Dear Sisters, President Gordon B. Hinckley, 42)

One of the single most significant responsibilities for a latter-day woman of God-regardless of her personal circumstances-is to help love and lead the younger generation. Where women choose to magnify their mother heart, either directly or vicariously, progress and happiness is the sure result.

The Lord especially loves righteous women-women who are not only faithful but filled with faith, women who are optimistic and cheerful because they know who they are and where they are going, women who are striving to live and serve as women of God.

There can be no question about how our Father feels about His daughters, who He has charged with the principal care of His children. And...there can be no question about why prophets-ancient and modern-have depended so heavily upon the influence of mothers, both in and outside the home, to help build the gospel kingdom.

Horrifying events throughout the earth have underscored the fact that we live in a world of uncertainty. Never has there been a greater need for righteous women who will bless the children with the sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future; women who teach the younger generation where to find peace and truth, and that power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. Every time faith is built or reinforced, every time a woman loves or leads anyone even one small step, she is being true to her calling as a mother, and in the process assisting to build the kingdom of God.

Elder M Russell Ballard declared: "We need women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity as the Relief Society declaration proclaims. We need women who can hear and who will respond to the voice of the Lord, women who at all costs will defend and protect the family. We need women who rejoice in their womanhood and have a spiritual confirmation of their identity, their value, and their eternal destiny. Above all, we need women who will stand up for truth and righteousness and decry evil at every turn..."  (Women of Righteousness, M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, April 2002)

Our Father and His Only Begotten Son have given each woman a sacred stewardship. May you rejoice in it; and may you be worthy of Their trust.

Sister Val Walsh
Centralia Stake Relief Society Secretary

April Presiency Message

April 2014  Centralia Stake Relief Society Presidency Message 

 

I love this month. Our Spirits have just been edified with Women's Conference and we are about to partake of another Spiritual Banquet.... General Conference. Then on April 20th  we will celebrate Christ's resurrection. Do you not just love this time of the year sisters? We are emerging from a cold dreary winter. Sunshine, blossoms and flowers are all around for us to absorb and enjoy.

Even though we had a wet, cold, snowy winter there were  opportunities everywhere every day for us to scatter sunshine all around. I love this article in the February New Era.

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/spread-sunshine-all-month-long?lang=eng

What a great family evening lesson this is. There are ideas for everyone and I know we can all personalize it so that we can create a whole month of sunshine no matter what the weather outside. Jesus created sunshine for us physically and spiritually so wouldn't it be great if we would all pay it forward.

Love,

Sister Susan Best 

Second Counselor  Centralia Stake Relief Society

Stake Relief Society Presidency Message

"ENJOY SPIRIT OF WORLDWIDE SISTERHOOD"

“In an effort to increase the feeling of sisterhood among Latter-day Saint women of all ages across the world, the general presidents of the women’s organizations have announced changes that will impact Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary…

“These changes were announced weeks before, girls ages eight and older, young women, and women in the Church will gather for the Church’s semiannual general women’s meeting—which will replace the general Relief Society and Young Women meetings that have been held annually for decades.”

“Their hope is to bring the women of the Church together with international boards, integrated global training, and the general women’s meeting to celebrate womanhood and covenant keeping.

“The ‘emphasis is the covenant path that we are all on together,’ said Sister Oscarson.

 “We know that revelation is scattered and we receive a piece here and a piece there and they all form a beautiful picture as we take each piece as it comes. It is something to celebrate.”

Excepts from http://www.lds.org/church/news/auxiliary-changes-designed-to-unify-sisters-worldwide?lang=eng

In keeping with these changes, the Centralia Stake Relief Society, Primary and Young Women’s auxiliaries have planned a new gathering on Saturday, March 29^th prior to the broadcast. The General Women’s meeting is for all women 8 years and older!

Our Stake event begins at 2:00 pm at the Stake Center. Classes/demos will be offered on the following:  Jane Austen style thank you notes, applying for scholarships, scripture bookmarks, microwave potato bags, finger pin cushions and heat rice bags demo, LDS.org 101, gratitude journals, LDS Bingo, Pinterest 101, A more peaceful, simple life, Line dancing, scarf tying, framed temple silhouette, quilting how to, hair braiding/styling 

4:00 pm to 4:45 pm Appetizers and Refreshments and socializing

Womens’ General Broadcast begins at 5:00 pm in the chapel.

We are excited about new opportunities for the women of the church to grow together. We hope you will save the date and make plans to join in the fun and spirit!

Love,

Sister Jackson

1st Counselor Centralia Stake Relief Society

PRESIDENCY MESSAGE

CENTRALIA STAKE RELIEF SOCIETY

JANUARY 2014

Just as a fresh blanket of snow changes the landscape into "unmarked territory", calling out to little explorers with their sleds and snow boots, blank pages of a new calendar can give us a sense of opportunity, possibility, and even resolve. Something about starting a new year generates energy and commitment.

Many people declare "New Year Resolutions" for themselves. If you are making "resolutions" as this new year begins, may I suggest that you resolve to have more faith: faith in yourself, faith in mankind, and most of all, faith in our Heavenly Father.

Life is tricky. It can bring us challenges, difficult decisions, disappointments, or even moments of terror. We need to know not only that God is aware of us, but that He will help us- if we believe in and seek after Him. It is our faith in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ that will fill us with peace and hope (even in the midst of uncertainty). Faith precedes hope. It is God who helps us do what we have come here to do. When we believe that, we can become more productive and hopeful.

Whether having lived two, five, seven or more decades, we can begin again to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). New beginnings are all around us. Life gives us abundant opportunities for a fresh start-to improve our lives, complete schooling, master a career, or pursue a dream. The help we need to accomplish those pursuits is available from Our Heavenly Father.

Make a "resolution" to proceed with desire and trust to increase in Our Heavenly Father, and with His assistance, make this a wonderful new year.

Sister Val Walsh
Secretary, Centralia Stake Relief Society