Family Home Evening

The home is the most important place for gospel learning.

No other organization can take the place of the family.

Latter-day prophets have repeatedly called on parents to nurture

their children with love and gospel teaching.

In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in

the First Presidency began a Churchwide effort to strengthen

the family. They called on parents in the Church to gather their

children once each week for a “Home Evening.” Families

were to take time to pray and sing together, read the scriptures,

teach the gospel to one another, and participate in

other activities that would build family unity.

In 1970 President Joseph Fielding Smith joined with his

counselors in the First Presidency to designate Monday night

as the time for family home evening. Since that announcement,

the Church has kept Monday evenings free from

Church activities so families can have this time together.

Latter-day prophets continue to urge Church members to

give highest priority to family home evening. They have

promised that our dedication to this program will help protect

our families against the evils of our time and will bring

us abundant joy now and throughout the eternities.

All members of the Church should make Monday

evening a sacred time, reserved for family home evening. If

you are married, have weekly family home evening with

your spouse. As you have children, include them in family

home evening. Adapt the program to their needs and interests,

and let them participate. After your children grow up

and move away, continue to hold family home evening with

your spouse.

If you are single, consider asking your bishop or branch

president to organize a home evening group for you and

other single members of your ward or branch. He may call a

home evening leader, who is responsible to organize the program

and see that home evenings are held regularly.

A suggested outline for family home evening follows:

• Opening song

• Opening prayer

• Scripture reading

• Lesson

• Activity

• Closing song

• Closing prayer

• Refreshments

As you prepare lessons for family home evening, remember

to base them on the scriptures, the teachings of latter-day

prophets, and personal experiences and testimony. This book

can help in selecting topics to teach. In addition, you may

want to refer to other Church publications, such as the Family

Home Evening Resource Book (item number 31106), Gospel

Principles (31110), the Family Guidebook (31180), and Church

magazines.

See also Family