What is the Relief Society Declaration? Learn a little about this inspired statement and share the inspiring words of the Relief Society Declaration with your sisters with these beautiful printable Scramble game cards. Simply download and print for your upcoming Relief Society activity!
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Along with it being St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th also marks the day when the Relief Society was organized way back in 1842. To honor the Relief Society’ birthday, I wanted to talk a little bit about the Relief Society Declaration and of course share with ya’ll a Relief Society inspired game that you could use at your upcoming activity.
But before I get too far ahead of myself, for those of you unfamiliar with this amazing group, let me backup a bit.
The Relief Society is a worldwide women’s organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It focuses on faith, family and service to all of God’s children. The source and drive to serve comes from the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. That’s it in a nutshell.
I have a special place in my heart for Relief Society. Through it, I have met some of my dearest friends. I have had the opportunity to help others and also be blessed by the service of so many countless others on my behalf and that of my family. It is a wonderful sisterhood!
You can learn all about the Relief Society by clicking on the link and feel free to leave any questions you may have in the comments below.
So what is the Relief Society Declaration?
The Declaration is the Relief Society’s value statement. It concisely explains the meaning, purpose, and direction for all women in this life. It lists positive affirmations to live by each and every day to strive to become a better version of one’s self.
Sometimes we as women fill our minds with negative thoughts, but if we were instead fill our minds with the empowering statements made in the Relief Society Declaration our outlook on life would be a lot brighter.
When was the Relief Society Declaration written?
Mary Ellen Smoot, the 13th Relief Society General President, pondered how to help lift the sisters and give them a greater vision of who they are, why they are here, and help them see the amazing potential of the Relief Society as a whole. As well as give a clear picture to those outside of the Church what the Relief Society organization is all about.
After much contemplation, she presented the Relief Society Declaration in the October 1999 General Relief Society Meeting. From her own words she said:
“We as a presidency rejoice in this declaration, approved and endorsed by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, which clearly sets forth principles of attitude and action that will lead each of us back into the presence of our Heavenly Father.” (Mary Ellen Smoot, Rejoice, Daughters of Zion)
She then proceeds to masterfully dive into each point of the declaration and explain why every statement is so important. You can read her entire inspired talk by clicking on the link above.
What are the words to the Relief Society Declaration?
We are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:
Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture study.
Seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages, families, and homes.
Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood.
Delight in service and good works.
Love life and learning.
Stand for truth and righteousness.
Sustain the priesthood as the authority of God on earth.
Rejoice in the blessings of the temple, understand our divine destiny, and strive for exaltation.
It beautifully captures all aspects of following our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! You can grab a print of the Relief Society Declaration from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ website here.
What is the Relief Society Purpose Statement?
In addition to the Relief Society Declaration, the Relief Society also has a Purpose Statement. It was introduced by President Julie Beck in 1999. She felt inspired to boil down the whole purpose and focus of the Relief Society into three words:
Faith, Family, Service
“The purposes of Relief Society, as determined by the Lord, are to help us increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those who are in need. That’s why we exist.” (Julie B. Beck, address given at Brigham Young University’s Women’s Conference, Apr. 29, 2011)
Then in 2017, President Linda K. Burton announced an expansion to these three words with a complete purpose statement:
Relief Society helps prepare women for the blessings of eternal life as they increase faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Atonement; strengthen individuals, families, and homes through ordinances and covenants; and work in unity to help those in need.
President Russell M. Nelson encouraged women to study both the Relief Society Purpose Statement and Declaration.
“I urge you to study the current Relief Society purpose statement. It is inspiring. It may guide you in developing your own purpose statement for your own life. I also entreat you to savor the truths in the Relief Society declaration published almost 20 years ago.” (Russell M. Nelson, Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a lovely bookmark that displays the Relief Society Purpose Statement along with beautiful artwork of the Savior that you print for free here.
Declaration Activity Cards
Now that you have a further understanding of this inspired statement, let’s get into the printable game cards! So this game uses the empowering words found in the inspired Relief Society Declaration and mixes them all up.
Yep, it’s a Relief Society Scramble!
Incorporating an activity is always a great way to learn no matter what your age! You could use this game at the birthday celebrations or even at one of your Sunday meetings if it goes along with the lesson. However you decide to use these Relief Society Declaration Scramble cards, it could help break things up and encourage sisters (that’s what we call each other, because we are!) to come to know the Relief Society Declaration a little bit better.
Want more FREE Games?
I’ve created more Relief Society games that you can use at your next activity. Just click on the link to grab them!
- Relief Society Bingo – great mix and mingle game!
- Relief Society Trivia – a fun way to teach a little Relief Society history
- Relief Society Find the Sister – another great get to know you game
- Relief Society Name the Elect Lady – learn about some of the amazing women in the scriptures
Be sure to also check out all the matching Floral Relief Society Activity Games in my shop!
Download the Scramble Game Printable
To download the Relief Society Declaration Scramble game, click on the link below to download and navigate to your downloads folder on your computer. The word scramble cards will be there in a zipped file. Double click on the file to unzip/open them.
Each card measures prints two per page on standard size 8.5 x 11 inch paper. You can take them to your local print shop or print them right from home. Feel free to print as many copies as you need! I recommend printing them on cardstock for a beautiful finish. Once printed, use a paper cutter or scissors to cut out the cards, and then they are ready to go!
< Click here to download the Relief Society Declaration Word Scramble >
All designs are for PERSONAL USE ONLY. You may not forward, share, sell or re-distribute the file. Ownership and copyright over all designs & graphics contained in the files are property of AspenJay.
If you would prefer the game cards to just print one per page, jump on over to my shop to grab it.
Hope you enjoyed learning a bit about the Relief Society Declaration and enjoy the Scramble cards! Let me know in the comments below what your favorite thing about Relief Society is!
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