Women At Church stories are submitted by church members and shared anonymously.
Within a few Sundays of receiving his call, the new Elders’ Quorum president in our ward asked if he could speak to the sisters during the regular Relief Society time on Sunday. He wanted the entire lesson time. We, as attending sisters, had no idea what was on his agenda. I’m assuming the Relief Society president knew what was planned. He, along with his counselors, joined us after their Priesthood opening exercises. The Elders’ Quorum president thanked us for allowing him there and then asked us to advise him on how the Elders’ Quorum could better serve the sisters in the ward. He wanted to know what our concerns were, and what they could do better to serve and support us as women, as sisters in the gospel, as mothers and as wives. He had his counselors write everything down so as to be shared and reviewed regularly (and anonymously). As soon as trust was established in that meeting, I remember the sisters shared their thoughts freely and openly. Surprisingly, it didn’t turn into a gripe session with the airing of petty grievances, but it stayed within the spirit the Elders’ Quorum president established. I think if there are gender issues prevalent in a ward, perhaps based on traditions and practices of the past, this is an admirable way to bridge the gap and form a new level of cooperation and understanding. Fortunately, the Elders’ Quorum president was nothing but sincere in his efforts to do just that.