Why..
Bimilies? A Family Home Evening program suggested by THE CHURCH OF J E S U S CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
Let's GetOi^anized! Remember, Family Home Evening is meant to be fun—for everybody! So arrange this suggested program so that everyone in your family enjoys it! Family Home Evening is most fun when everyone is prepared to participate. As the head of the home, the father should preside. Let's organize now by deciding who will be responsible for what.
Conducting Song Leader Song Prayer Family Participation
Activities
Discussion Leader Closing Prayer — Refreshments
Lefs Begin With A Song Singing is a good way to start everyone off in fiarmony and to build a feeling of family cooperation. Tfiis song is simple, yet fias a beautiful message. There Is Beauty All Around
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Fervently
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1 . There is beau-ty all a-round When there's love at home; 2. In the cot-tagc there is joy When there's love at home; 3. Kind-ly heav-cn smiles a-hove When there's love at home;
ev - ery sound When there's love at home. ne'er an - noy When there's love at home. filled with love When there's love at home.
There is joy in Hate a n d e n - v y All thew^jfldis
Peace and plen - ty here a-bide, Ros - es bloom be - neath our feet; Swcet-er sings the brook-let by;
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-r
Smil - ing sweet on ev - ery side. Time doth soft - ly, sweet - ly glide All the earth's a gar - den sweet, Mak - ing life a bliss com - pleto Bright-er beams the az - ure sky; Oh, there's One who smiles on high
J Wben there's love When there's love When there's love
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at home. at home. at home.
Love Love Love
at at at
home; home; home;
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love love love
at at at
...
home; home; home;
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Time doth soft - ly, sweet - ly glide Mak - ing life a bliss com - plete Oh, there's One who smiles on high
When there's love When there's love When there's love
at at at
home. home. home.
opening Rrayer As you hold Family Home Evening, you'll find a special feeling of closeness with members of your family—and with our Father in Heaven. Particularly if you take time to pray at the beginning of each Home Evening. A simple, sincere prayer from the heart will please the Lord most, and will invite His spirit to attend your activities. (Head of the family should call on someone to offer opening prayer.)
Family Participation Let's have some songs, poems, stories or musical numbers by family members or groups. Remember, we're all the family — they needn't be fancy!
Discussion: WhyFkmilics? During this Family Home Evening let's talk about the purpose of families. Perhaps you parents could tell how your family got together. Tell how you met, fell in love and married. Perhaps illustrating the story with
pictures and mementoes—snapshots, announcements, clippings. Then you can recall the joy and circumstances attending the birth of each child, telling each how happy you were to have a new family member and how much you still love him. Y e s , a family w a s organized as w e ' v e seen above—with a mother and father in every case, and more often than not with one or more brothers and sisters. But why? Why families, anyway? Ask each one present why he thinks families exist. Jot down their answers very briefly below:
etc.
Three Good Reasons fbrlhmilies Now let's quickly discuss three reasons why families were created: 1. To help each other grow and live happily The family unit provides many necessities for the individual. We are all helpless at birth. Families provide the things that babies need to survive: food, shelter, protection. The family unit provides training in language (so they may communicate), in responsibility (so they may live with others), in love (so they will feel needed, wanted), in obedience (so they may be good citizens). (Discuss each point.) Ask younger children how they can help their brothers and sisters to grow and live happily. Ask tor specific examples.
2. To be loved and wanted We learn to love those with whom we associate and serve. A tamily provides this kind ot association and sen/Ice. Explain that each child was wanted—that he is loved and wanted in the tamily. How can we increase our love and service to one another in our tamily and build greater family unity?
3. To have fun and enjoyment together Family vacations, picnics, birthday parties, Christmastime, family home evenings and other kinds ot activities are usually enjoyable in a much deeper and more satisfying way than non-family activities. Why? (Because family sharing is special sharing; family happiness is special happiness.) Ask a family member to relate his favorite memory ot a tun family activity, and why he remembers that particular time.
Let's do a tun thing right now! (Explain that you are going to have a little contest. From a standing position and with both teet together, jump. Measure the distance by the length ot the toot ot the one jumping. The younger children, with smaller teet, can jump as many "teet" as Father. Give everyone an opportunity to jump.) Try another: Give each family member paper and pencil. (Help smaller children to write their answers.) Choose a family member to be the first "subject," making sure he cannot see what the rest ot the family is writing. Then, ask some simple questions about the "subject" such as. What is mother's favorite color? What pleases mother the most? What is mother's favorite breakfast? Etc. Everyone, including the "subject," should write down an answer. After the questions are asked, have the family read their answers to each question before the "subject" reveals the real answers. Then choose another subject and try it again. Suggested questions: What is your favorite book . . .sport. . .time of day. . .season. . .game? What makes (family memt}er) happiest? What does Dad like best about (name one child)?
Let's Plan Next Week's Fkmi Home Evening Plan a time next week (preferably Monday night) when the entire family can get together tor another Family Home Evening. Better yet, set a regular time each week from now on. (Organize next week's lesson now.)
Closing Song Now that we have a broader understanding ot the importance ot families, let's sing "Love at Home" again and notice the special meaning it carries.
Closing
Prayer
You can see the worth of Family Home Evening in unifying the home and family. But the best part ot the Home Evening is still to come. A favorite time ot day tor many people is when their families kneel together in prayer. Let's kneel right now and have a family prayer together. We suggest that the head ot the family otter the prayer using these tour basic steps: (We bow our head and close our eyes in reverence.) First, address the Lord in a prayerful attitude...
"Our Heavenly Father..." Next, thank Him tor blessings your family enjoys...
"We thank Thee..." Ask Him tor blessings you need...
"We ask Thee..." Conclude your prayer as the scriptures direct...
"In the name of Jesns Christ, Amen."
Refreshment Why not some refreshments now? We suggest something especially tun like popcorn, cookies and punch—or even a candy pull! (g 1975 Corporation of the President T h e C h u r c h of J e s u s Christ of Latter-day S a i n t s All rights r e s e r v e d P T M I 0 0 8 A 10/75 2 5 0 M Printed in U S A .