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SALT LAKE CITY — Women across the world will work together to lead auxiliary organization boards in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church announced Friday.
Leadership from the Young Women organization announced it will expand its local board of four members to include five members who live outside of Utah. The Relief Society and Primary organizations will soon join the Young Women in expanding their boards globally, the church said in a statement.
The new members of the Young Women board live in Africa, Brazil, Japan, Peru and New York City, offering a different cultural perspective from that of its Wasatch Front members and acting as “the eyes and ears for us in the different parts of the world,” said Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president.
“The technology is here now that we can communicate easily with sisters in other parts of the world,” Sister Oscarson said. “This is no longer a Wasatch Front church or even a church in the United States. It helps make the Church smaller. It helps us address the needs throughout the world, and I think the message that it sends to everyone is important.”
The callings were extended to the sisters through teleconference with Elders Jeffrey R. Holland and D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the church said.
“I think it’s important to know that before we made this move we were in counsel together and had their (the Primary and Relief Society organizations') input on it, knowing that it’s a possibility that it could happen for them down the road too,” Sister Oscarson said.
Training will be available online in multiple languages, rather than in just Salt Lake City, as in the past.
In November, the auxiliary leaders said they would combine the Young Women and Relief Society general meetings and include Primary girls into a semiannual meeting. This model is similar to that of the priesthood general meeting that LDS boys, teenage boys and men attend in conjunction with each general conference.
“It’s not all about what we get; it’s about what we can give, and these girls are capable of giving and also of receiving that revelation that will come through participating in this event,” said Primary General President Rosemary M. Wixom.
