Women ‘Can and Should Change the World,’ Says Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson

“We’ve received prophetic direction that as sisters we can and should change the world,” Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson told members of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered Sunday, March 16, 2025.

“We need to prepare the world for the second coming of the Savior Jesus Christ,” she said in her message to local congregations of women commemorating the anniversary of what has become one of the largest organizations of women today, with nearly 7 million members in more than 150 countries.

How will that happen? she asked. “Wherever we are, we create that covenant community focused on Jesus Christ,” she said. “And with those innate gifts that are given to us, we take care of each other.”

Watch the full broadcast now.

President Johnson spoke of the opportunity for women to be part of the Church’s global initiative for the well-being of women and children, which seeks to provide the Savior’s relief through maternal and newborn care, child nutrition efforts, immunizations and education.

Women can participate by doing simple things in their own homes, neighborhoods and communities. “And we do that one mother, one woman, one child at a time, just as the Savior would,” she said during the video broadcast recorded with her two counselors, Sister J. Anette Dennis, First Counselor, and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor. After viewing the video as a groups, women were encouraged to participate in a local testimony meeting.

Creating a Covenant Community

Speaking from the upper floor of the Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois, where the Relief Society was founded 183 years ago on March 17, 1842, the Relief Society General Presidency drew parallels between the women of Christ’s church then and now.  

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Just as women in Nauvoo created a covenant community, “we’ve created a covenant community all around the world now as sisters who participate in priesthood ordinances and make and keep covenants. We’ve created a global community to bless the lives of our brothers and sisters,” said President Johnson.

It is a blessing to be covenant women in the Church of Jesus Christ, she said. “Sisters, it is a glorious time. And we collectively bear testimony that we are engaged in the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We know He lives. We know He loves us. We know that He desires for us to have a covenant relationship with Him.”

She testified that Joseph Smith restored the ancient and divine order of women, and a living prophet leads the Church today.

“Our objective since 1842 is meant to bring all of our Heavenly Father’s children back home,” President Johnson said. “We know that that’s possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ, because of His Atonement. We can be made clean and whole and sanctified and return home.”

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Sister Yee testified that women are never alone. “Our Heavenly Father and Savior know you,” she said. “They’re aware of your needs, … what you’re concerned about, and desire to bless you.” She said the Relief Society sisters “next to you have those same desires to be loved, [for] the opportunity to contribute and to feel valued.”

Acknowledging that some women have trouble feeling God’s love, Sister Dennis said, “As we go out and genuinely put our arms around others and show them our love and have them feel our love, then they start to feel the Savior’s love as well.”

Cultivating God’s Power

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles concluded the broadcast by testifying that God loves, knows and values women.

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“I know that Jesus Christ is aware of your circumstances and desires to bless you,” Elder Renlund said, speaking from a meeting recorded in Hawaii. “He also needs your influence in His Church. Your efforts to serve God’s children through Relief Society are vital.”

He quoted Church President Russell M. Nelson, who taught, “The Kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God” (“A Plea to My Sisters,” October 2015 general conference).

“Covenant-keeping women not only recognize the need for God’s power in their lives but have special access to that power through the covenants that they make,” Elder Renlund said. “What a remarkable blessing it is to have access to godly power — power sufficient to deal with the burdens, obstacles and temptations of our day.”

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He explained that God’s power “is not an amorphous cosmic force that is independent of Him,” but it remains connected to Him and His righteous purposes. “God’s power cannot be used for selfish purposes or to exert control over anyone,” he said.

“To cultivate God’s power in our lives, then, we are obligated to try to be righteous, to try to do what is right and try to act according to His will,” Elder Renlund said. “Making and keeping multiple covenants with God draws you closer to Him, transforms you and grants you greater access to His power.”

He concluded by expressing gratitude for the women of the Church and testifying of Jesus as the Christ and His restoration of His church to the earth.

“Thank you for your faith, for your strength, for your capacity to lead, for your wisdom and your ability to make and keep sacred covenants with God,” he said. “You bring blessings to yourselves, your families, the Church, your communities and the world. You have God’s power in your lives to help you be good and do good. He is counting on you. His Church is counting on you. May God bless you in your continued discipleship.”

Watch the recording on demand on Broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and in Gospel Library, Gospel Media, the Gospel Stream app or the Church’s inspiration YouTube channel.