Official text · Gospel Library (churchofjesuschrist.org)
This guide is for the official address “Charity Never Faileth” by Silvia H. Allred, given in the General Relief Society Meeting, 24 September 2011 of the October 2011 General Conference. Allred teaches that charity is the pure love of Christ and that it can be sought and developed.
She connects Paul’s description of charity with Joseph Smith’s teachings to the early Relief Society, then outlines the role of desire, prayer, and scripture study. Examples of visiting teachers serving women and families show charity in practice, and she invites women to seek the gift and use their resources to bring relief to others.
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Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (churchofjesuschrist.org)
Copyrighted Church material shared by its publisher. Scott Jarvie explicitly granted a special dispensation for General Conference, including the October 2011 collection, on 22 October 2026. This is owner authorization, not a publisher licence or established permission to republish. Credit the Church and each speaker, link to the official source, preserve the published text, and remove promptly on a rights-holder request. Other copyrighted material requires its own decision.
Open rights evidence · reviewed 2026-10-22
Allred defines charity as a state of the heart and a divine gift to seek, rather than a single act. She describes developing it through desire, prayer, and scripture study, with the Savior as the example.
Stories about visiting teachers helping a hospitalized mother, a woman learning to read, and a family facing illness show charity as practical care. Allred invites women to seek the gift and serve without waiting for recognition or repayment.
The prepared reader text contains 46 passage units: 42 numbered body paragraphs and 4 editorial passages. The body paragraphs follow the official page’s order and use the gc paragraph reference system.
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This is the official English Gospel Library text as captured for this edition. The text and recording are separate forms of the published item; the reader’s numbered paragraphs identify this prepared text.
Allred says people should desire to become more Christlike, pray to be filled with charity, and read the scriptures to turn their minds toward the Savior. She also describes visiting teaching and other unassigned acts of care as ways to practice that love.
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