member of bishopric in RS?

[ticklethepear]

Recently in my ward I noticed that a member of the bishopric, usually one of the counselors, sits in on RS. Is this normal? I've never seen this before. It kind of bothers me because I've always thought of RS as a haven for sisterhood.

Comments

[treeling]

When I was in a single's/student ward this was fairly common. It was to make sure that he could comment when needed. I haven't seen it in my now family ward. (Could be because I'm in the primary....) It was explained to me that since the sisters in the student ward were still young it was to make sure that no false doctrine was taught and also to see if there were any of the sisters that needed help, ect. Generally though, they sit in the back and don't bother the sisters, support the RS presidency and give announcements if needed.

[kaygreyhelm]

Yeah, I noticed the same thing in a couple singles' wards, and in my family ward when I was growing up, we usually had the second councillor sitting in on Young Women's. Don't worry too much about it.

[sturmkit]

ditto what has been said. relief society still reports to the bishopric, so although it may be a safe haven for sisters, it still answers to the priesthood.
i wouldn't worry about it. it's nice to kow that there is an interest and that if anything is going or has gone awry it is being monitored and attended to.
whatever it is, don't worry about it.

[dustydistaff]

There's always one counselor assigned to work with the RS, and sometimes they attend and sometimes they don't. Usually when they show, it's just to show support for the presidency and get a feel for how the sisters are doing. Every ward is different, but I've been in a lot of wards where counselors or the bishop sit in, and they hardly ever say anything.

[shirtgirl_2000]

I'll second all of the above. The branch president occasionally makes an appearance in RS in my ysa branch, and normally he's very quiet and sits with his wife. It can be a little unnerving, I'll admit, especially if it's my week to conduct or teach, but generally I just try to look at it as a show of support for the RS, and a good way for the branch president to make sure everything is still good. :)