This morning, the editorial board of the Mormon Women Project said goodbye to the trusty site that has gotten us through our organization’s first six and a half years. The first site was built with hundreds of volunteer hours; this new site is no different. There have been heroic efforts on the parts of several people to make this happen, in addition to the generous donors who contributed to our Kickstarter campaign, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the result. As we’ve gone through this redesign process, our pace of producing interviews has slackened. But we’re excited to have in the queue about a dozen new interviews which we will publishing in the coming months and which will launch the MWP into a new era of productivity. In the meantime, our Sunday School Supplements series (previously under its own MWP subbrand and now folded into the main site) is producing quality content every week as a companion to our study of the Book of Mormon this year in church. All of the content on this new site is intended to enhance how we view, quote, learn from and promote LDS women within our own community and beyond. Thank you for being a patron of this project. It has touched the lives of all who have worked on it, and we hope it does the same for you. It is you, our readers, who will give us the hope and momentum to keep at this important work for another six years.

Emotions run raw around gender matters in the church. Some feel all is well in Zion, and accuse those who urge change of being presumptuous at best, heretical at worst. At the other end of the spectrum, some speak disdainfully of Latter-day Saints who fail to ask “serious” questions, or who are blind to any faults in the fabric of our status quo. We encourage the conversation about gender in the Church. We know it is important. But we say to all, “Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Joseph Smith echoed Peter, “If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours–for charity covereth a multitude of sins” (History of the Church, 4:445). We urge compassion. We call for a cloak of charity over the bishop and stake Relief Society president who inevitably make mistakes as they volunteer endless hours to shepherd our congregations. Do you know their stories? A cloak of charity over the Church itself, with its vast and intricate audience, led by God but run by humans. Do you know its story? A cloak of charity over the woman or man whose faith in the Church is waning or gone — who may or may not have tried hard enough, who may or may not be full of pride or Job-like in their suffering, who may or may not have turned to sin or to the Savior. Do you know their stories? There is a way to hold this conversation without contention. We must all start by setting down our stones, and listening. We must start by extending compassion and the benefit of the doubt. Margaret Blair Young recently wrote that she has felt inspired “to prove my love before I prove my point.” Although the ultimate Zion is “of one heart and one mind,” let’s start with heart. How can you prove your love before you prove your point? Who has thrown a cloak of charity over you? Have you read some of our positive stories of gender cooperation and problem-solving in the church?

It can be easy for any of us to dismiss another person’s experiences. Perhaps our own experience has been vastly different from hers, or we feel her case to be an isolated one, far outside the norm. Maybe we think that she is taking things a little too hard, that she is interpreting our shared experiences too negatively, and that things really aren’t so bad. But we are taught that instead we must “mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9). Although we may not be able to relate to the pain of others, it is our calling to show compassion toward them, to listen to them, even to mourn with them. In her book, Women at Church , Neylan McBaine writes that we must not “dismiss our accountability for our sisters as Cain dismissed his accountability for his brother. When their potential is not explored, we are all responsible. When their impact is not magnified, we are all responsible. When they feel marginalized or underutilized or unappreciated, we are all responsible. When they are not brought to Christ, we are all responsible.” ( Women at Church , p. 19).   Why does it matter, to you, that women feel purposeful in the Church? Are we responsible as church members to explore the external causes of feelings of marginalization or purposelessness expressed by some women? How can you love and lift up your sister, regardless of whether or not you share her perspective? What needs to be done in your ward, family, stake or mission, to magnify the potential and the impact of women, young and old?

The Nephites, after being administered to by Jesus Christ, “taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another.” ( 3 Nephi 26:19 ) This scripture embodies what it means to cooperatively minister. As Christians we have taken upon ourselves the name of Christ that we might strive to be like him. Repeatedly, Christ instructs us, his disciples, to care for one another. As Mormons we’ve made covenants to do so. If we are to bring about a more egalitarian administration and more joyful experiences within Mormonism, we must emulate Christ and honor these covenants. We must be willing to open our ears to hear the stories of others, open our hearts to show love and compassion, and open our minds to the myriad of ways we can work together to empower all of us.   How would you define “ministering cooperatively”? What examples have you witnessed of people cooperatively ministering in their families, wards and stakes? What does it mean, to you, to deal justly with someone else? How do you interpret “they had all things common among them”?

Today, we honor the sacrifices made by the early Mormon pioneers. They had the faith, courage and perseverance to leave all that they knew to start anew in a desolate land that held the promise of community, unity and blessings. How can we honor this legacy and emulate our pioneer heritage? In her book, How To Be A Twenty First Century Pioneer , Neylan McBaine suggests that we do not have to move to the Alaskan tundra to be a pioneer, but that there is pioneering to be done within the landscape of our own lives.   Perhaps it is within our own wards and auxiliaries that the Mormon pioneering spirit is most needed. How we choose to participate in our Sunday services has a huge impact not only on our worship experience, but on that of our sisters and brothers. Are we willing to leave the familiarity and comfort of cultural traditions that no longer serve us? Are we willing to lean into the discomfort and ask that question or make that statement in our church services that could foster a more dynamic and edifying worship? What can we do to make our church experiences praiseworthy and of good report?

One thing I love about our ward is that (at least during the 8 years we’ve lived here) men & women (not married couples) are called as Gospel Doctrine teachers who teach on alternate weeks. As a young mother who has been teaching Gospel Doctrine for the past few years, my current counterpart is a lovely older gentleman (several decades older than I). We bring differing perspectives, life experiences, and teaching approaches to our callings, and I love the balance this creates! I have also been especially appreciative of this good brother’s sensitivity to female roles in the Church. One year at Christmas we were discussing how we would adjust the teaching schedule to accommodate travel absences. He said to me, “Well, I’d just offer to teach the whole time, but I don’t want to be chauvinistic! You tell me when you’d like to teach and I’ll fill in the other weeks.” I have also been especially grateful for wonderful brethren who discuss doctrinal points from my Gospel Doctrine lessons with me afterwards. I live in a ward that includes past and present members of the stake presidency, our current stake patriarch, and members of the mission and temple presidencies. These good brethren–an intimidating bunch to address on a weekly basis!–have been endlessly supportive in promoting not only good discussions during Sunday School classes, but have quietly bolstered my own confidence through their comments to me after class.

We each have the most power for good within our closest sphere of influence. The people whom we impact most profoundly are those who associate with us daily or weekly, at home, at the office, at church. Melissa Inouye has written, “Change in the LDS Church is not a process of lobbying higher-ups, but of each person seeing what needs to be done and then doing it within his or her own sphere of influence” ( source ). That is where we are most effective! And importantly, that is where our personal contribution is most relevant. You can see what needs to happen in your ward in Omaha, but it may be very different from what needs to happen in Spokane or New York, Tokyo or Johannesburg. Our responsibility to nurture this global church begins at home. It begins with you. As we lend our best efforts to our local wards and stakes, we strengthen the roots of the whole church, and make it a safe haven for all. What are your strongest spheres of influence? What are the challenges that come with sharing our ideas for change with our closest associates? How do we overcome them? What can you do in your ward to improve the experiences of fellow members? What can you do in your ward to improve your own experiences there?

The desire to provide a place for people to share their stories of gender dynamics in the church and what steps they are taking to improve their experience led to the creation of this website. There’s great individual empowerment from owning your experience and telling your story. Furthermore, when we read other people’s stories it enlarges our capacity for understanding and empathy. We tell stories because it connects us to one another and helps us to make sense of our experiences. We discover commonalities and ways to work together. This is our hope and intention with our Read Other’s Stories page. What prevents you from telling your story? How have you benefited from hearing other people’s stories? Are you finding the stories featured on our Read Other’s Stories page helpful? How so

Last general conference I decided, as my personal scripture study, to read all of the conference talks given by women since 1971. I chose 1971 out of convenience as that’s the start of their availability on the Church’s website. I read one talk almost every day in chronological order. I’m currently reading the 2000 October session. This has been an edifying and educational experience. I was motivated to start this course of study by the desire to better know our former women leaders and to increase my awareness of the history of female voices at the highest levels. As embarrassing as it is to admit, prior to starting, I was not familiar with many of the women who served our community in the past 29 year such as Barbara B. Smith, Aileen H. Clyde or Ruth H. Funk. I knew the names Ardeth G. Kapp and Chieko N. Okazaki, but not their messages. Through the messages and word choices of these talks I got a sense of the events and American politics of the time, such as the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). I’ve had a few conversations with my mom about her experience as a young adult during the ERA era. Admittedly, I first read Barbara B. Smith’s addresses defensively and would feel a pang when I encountered language that was in opposition to the amendment. And yet, as I continued to read, I grew to respect and then admire President Smith. Can you imagine the difficulties and challenges of being the steward of the Relief Society from 1974 to 1984? She advocated for the welfare program and passionately affirmed that the Relief Society is a sisterhood of service. We are to do the errands of angels, be God’s hands and relieve the suffering of others. And the best way to do that was to get to work. President Smith’s words energized me to stay the course. This experience has also given me insight into what I believe to be a contributing factor to the “A woman is speaking: time to get a sandwich from the kitchen” mentality. I’ve noticed that when speaking to the general assembly the vast majority of female speakers addressed women exclusively. Is it possible that we’ve trained some men to tune out women speakers because they assume that the message isn’t for them? I also believe at play is the issue that men are not trained to look to women for inspiration and modeling. About this, Neylan McBaine says in  Women at Church , “…women are constantly engaged in a process of likening male role models unto themselves, while men rarely have to go through the same process of disassociating their own gender to find inspiration in female [role models].” Thankfully, contemporary women leaders tend to address the entire congregation. Nonetheless, this awareness motivates me in my work to create an environment wherein women and men can cooperatively minister. Perhaps, though, my biggest take-aways have been in these women’s profound testimonies of a loving Heavenly Father, an advocating Christ, the healing powers of the atonement, the good news of the restoration of the gospel, the gift of revelation and the awesome sisterhood that emboldens the Relief Society. Here are a few of my favorites: Reach for Joy , Elaine Cannon (1982) My dear sisters, the daily work of the Lord involves changing hopeless to hopeful—for all of us. And it is for us to find at last that in the midst of winter we have within us an invincible summer. In a world filled with adversity we can reach for joy. God’s plan is a plan of ultimate joy for each of us. His principles suffice in any situation. But each one of us, young and old, must rise to her challenges in her own way. Each one of us must reach for her own joy. Strength in the Savior , Chieko N. Okazaki (1993) I want to talk about building stronger families by building a stronger you—strong in your faith of the Savior. That’s where strong families come from—from strong individuals. There’s not just one right way to be a Mormon woman, either, as long as we are firmly grounded in faith in the Savior, make and keep covenants, live the commandments, and work together in charity. A Call to Action , Barbara B. Smith (1977) May we work together as companions with the priesthood,remembering the principle of partnership; may we teach effectively the fundamentals of welfare services,and implement them by enlarging our vision of this work, particularly as it applies to the art of compassionate services.  I pray that every Relief Society worker and leader will recognize our great opportunity, our obligation to render assistance to those in need, sympathetically,appropriately, and lovingly—even in the spirit of Jesus Christ when he said: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” ( John 13:35 .) Singeleness: How Relief Society Can Help , Addie Fuhriman (1980) It is overwhelming to me to know that I have a stewardship of replenishing the earth and seeing that all things reach their fruition and know I may have to do it without a companion. But on the strength of hope, you can personally replenish and touch another by responding to the other’s emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual needs rather than assuming that you can only replenish and assist in fruition by giving physical birth. In this hope, you will find much support and knowledge within welfare, compassionate service, and visiting teaching concepts. It is incapacitating to wonder if I can ever contribute to a whole, a unit, or help build parts that make the whole better than it is, when I don’t see myself as originating a family or similar unit. But if stake and ward Relief Society presidents will call and include us, and if we have vision and risk ourselves and extend charity, we will find within the boundaries of our present lives a sisterhood, ward, and community that needs, welcomes, and comes to rely upon us for their completeness. Motherhood and the Family , Mary F. Foulger (1980) We stand in awe at Mary’s assignment to be the mother of the Lord, but we, too, have been called to mother gods. Latter-day Saint women understand that the very purpose of creation depends upon our participation as earthly mothers to the spirit children of God. To mothers raising children alone, remember that you and the Lord constitute a majority.

My personal scripture study over the past year has consisted of reading all of the conference talks given by women since 1971. It felt radical. I was hesitant to tell people that I wasn’t reading the standard works. Even though we are taught that conference talks are modern day scripture, I’m embarrassed to admit that I wondered if that applied to women. I suspect that some of this came from there being so few women readily apparent in the scriptures and rarely having a woman the primary subject of study in our Sunday School classes. Efforts are being made to make women more visible today in our worship and instruction, but what about our scriptural foremothers? Last year, Bethany Brady Spalding and McArthur Krishna   published their children’s book, Girls Who Choose God: Stories of Courageous Women from the Bible  showcasing many ancient righteous woman. Thankfully, they are back at it again. This time with the Book of Mormon. In the introduction to their newest book,  Girls Who Choose God:Stories of Strong Women from the Book of Mormon , Spalding and Krishna state that, “We personally feel it is vital for Latter-Day Saints to learn about and celebrate the women in the Book of Mormon.” And go on to explain, “Women’s choices impact the entire human family…We wrote this book with the intent of helping families develop the skill of seeing and emulating strong women.” Spalding and Krishna combed through the 531 pages of the Book of Mormon and identified over 150 passages specific to women. In this book they focus on 10 different women or groups of women. Some of these women are named and familiar to us, such as Sariah, the matriarch, and Abish, the daring missionary. Others are women who are only spoken of in a fleeting verse, like the women who clapped for joy at the waters of Mormon. Each woman is introduced with a brief narrative which leads to a choice she has to make. The choices are clearly presented. With a turn of the page, the reader discovers the woman’s decision and the outcome. I found in answering these questions I got to connect emotionally and intellectually to these women. In reflecting on when I’ve chosen faith I identified with a Lamanite Queen, or at times when I’ve chosen to come to Christ I too am a Girl blessed by Jesus. This book is beautifully and colorfully illustrated by Kathleen Peterson. The textured brush strokes and vibrant color palette create a uniformed world while simultaneously making each woman, even those in groups, distinct. The red cheeks and noses are charming. Oh, how I want a copy of this picture with Jesus and the children to hang in my home. Reading this book increased my female literacy, since I couldn’t help but think about who isn’t mentioned in these stories. As I was reading about the Mothers of the stripling warriors, I thought about the sisters to these brave young men. Were they any less righteous and courageous than their brothers? Wouldn’t their mothers have also taught them to love God? Suddenly, a book that at times seems devoid of women became richly populated. Though categorized as a children’s book, it really is an everyone book. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Christmas presents!

Last week the Churc h announced that the General Women’s Meeting will now be called an official “session” of Conference. We had earlier discussed the significance this change would have if it took place. But there is significance also embedded in the timing of the change. Surely the leaders of the Church were aware of the hearty online discussions surrounding the October Conference controversy, and the voices calling for the “meeting” to become a “session.” Had they any interest in projecting the message that they do not make decisions based on common demand — that they do not listen to church members’ opinions as they consider possible changes — they could have waited a long time before announcing that the Women’s Meeting would indeed be called the Women’s Session. Instead, it seems they don’t mind sending the message that they are listening. As Neylan McBaine wrote , “It would have been easy for decision-makers to dig in their heels, to insist they not bow to external pressure. Instead, I feel the move only confirms the feeling that our leadership is aware of conversations, they are aware of the small, fixable and grating things that can make a woman unintentionally feel slighted, and they are willing to fix those things.” We recognize that in our personal lives, revelation comes by many means. Sometimes it comes direct from God to our hearts. Sometimes we have messengers, or hard experience, to teach us. Why do we expect the process of revelation to be different for those who lead the Church? It does not diminish their divine callings that they listen to those in their stewardship. This is, and has always been, a church of councils. How can you be open about your concerns, hopes, and ideas, while also honoring the divinely-appointed authority of church leaders? How do you make decisions and receive revelation in your calling? What is your response to the new inclusion of the women’s meeting as part of General Conference?

Gospel Doctrine lesson #40: Enlarge the Place of They Tent encourages Church members to find ways to strengthen their wards and stakes in preparation for the second coming of Christ and the millennium. Part of the reading is  Isaiah 65:17-19  wherein the millennium is described as a time when the heavens and Earth will be made a new and the inhabitants will be joyful. “…be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Not only will there be joy and rejoicing, there will be no more weeping. In Moses 7: 31-33 , we learn that God and the heavens also weep because of the way in which we treat each other. “ Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood” We can strengthen our wards and stakes by bridging the gap between weeping and joy. It is up to each of us to put into practice the Godly attributes of love, affection and compassion that we may usher in the millennium. What is it that makes you weep? How do you show affection, love and compassion to those you come into contact with? What can you do in your sphere of influence to usher in the millennium?