Barbara Thompson (Mormon)
Encyclopedia
Barbara Thompson has been a member of the general presidency of the Relief Society
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since March 2007.
, California
, to W. Peter and Fern Rymer Thompson. The family later moved to Granger, Utah
. Thompson received a bachelors degree in social work
from Brigham Young University
and later, she received a masters degree in social work from the University of Utah
.
for the LDS Church in the Germany
Hamburg
Mission
of the church. Thompson has served as a ward activities committee chair, gospel doctrine teacher, Young Women
camp director, Laurel and Beehive advisor, ward Young Women president, ward Relief Society counselor, and Relief Society general board member, Sister Thompson believes that “when sisters have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, they are moved to action.” On March 31, 2007 at a church general conference, Thompson was accepted
by the church as the second counselor to Julie B. Beck
in the general presidency of the Relief Society
.
Thompson is the second unmarried woman to serve as a member of the Relief Society general presidency, the first being Sheri L. Dew
, who was second counselor to Mary Ellen W. Smoot
from 1997 to 2002.
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since March 2007.
Early life
Born in San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to W. Peter and Fern Rymer Thompson. The family later moved to Granger, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Thompson received a bachelors degree in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and later, she received a masters degree in social work from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
.
Secular work
Thompson worked for the Utah Department of Human Services for 30 years. After retiring, she served as the executive director of The Christmas Box International, an international organization that serves abused and/or neglected children.Religious work
Thompson served as a missionaryMissionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the LDS Church in the Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the church. Thompson has served as a ward activities committee chair, gospel doctrine teacher, Young Women
Young Women (organization)
The Young Women is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
camp director, Laurel and Beehive advisor, ward Young Women president, ward Relief Society counselor, and Relief Society general board member, Sister Thompson believes that “when sisters have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, they are moved to action.” On March 31, 2007 at a church general conference, Thompson was accepted
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...
by the church as the second counselor to Julie B. Beck
Julie B. Beck
Julie Bangerter Beck has been the general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 31 March 2007...
in the general presidency of the Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
.
Thompson is the second unmarried woman to serve as a member of the Relief Society general presidency, the first being Sheri L. Dew
Sheri L. Dew
Sheri L. Dew is an American author and publisher, currently acting as president and chief executive officer of Deseret Book, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dew has also been a religious leader within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , an inspirational speaker, writer, and acted as a...
, who was second counselor to Mary Ellen W. Smoot
Mary Ellen W. Smoot
Mary Ellen Wood Smoot was the thirteenth general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1997 to 2002....
from 1997 to 2002.