Latter-day Saint Young Women president talks about new class names, Sunday schedule changes and more

The push to find modern names for Young Women classes in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not a top-down edict, but rather came from the grassroots — the girls themselves. Shortly after the “old names” — Beehives, MIA Maids and Laurels — were retired in 2019, Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman said, teens began writing church headquarters asking for new ones. In short, Freeman remarked, they said in an exclusive interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, ‘“We miss that part of the program.’” And so, when the podcaster and popular Latter-day Saint writer took the helm of the church’s program in 2023, finding new names was at the top of her to-do list. She worked with her two counselors, the Young Women General Advisory Council and five women in their 20s — recent Young Women graduates — who represented the global church. They sat together for months, discussing and debating what various names would feel like to young women, what would best express their values and how they might see themselves in these choices. Eventually, the council came up with three: The group of girls turning 12 or 13 will now be called “Builders of Faith,” those turning 14 or 15 will be “Messengers of Hope,” and those 16 or older will be “Gatherers of Light.” Freeman pointed out that “they’re not flowers, they’re not constellations, and they’re not quiet names.” Reporting: Peggy Fletcher Stack Video: Francisco Kjolseth The Salt Lake Tribune