'Angi & Jon Hansen hold family home evening each week for two reasons. The first is because they have been promised by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that it will make a difference in their family. The second, Sister Hansen said, is that it does make a difference in their family.
"We go to great lengths to block out the demands of the world to spend time with just our family," she said. "We have seen the blessings of that through our children. They love to be with each other. They love to be with us."
Each week the family has a lesson & a short activity. In recent months the Hansens' 4-yr old twins have insisted on playing a hand-clapping game during family night.
The family, Sister Hansen said, has had to be creative & flexible to make family home evening happen. "But," she added, "we are determined to make it happen."
For almost 100 years, Mormon Church leaders have instructed Latter-day Saints to make time each week for family home evening. This is a time for families to study the gospel & participate in activities that strengthen the family spiritually, create family memories & increase love.
The Churchwide effort began in 1915, when President Joseph F. Smith & his counselors in the 1st Presidency called on parents to gather their children together each week for home evening. Families were instructed to take time to pray & sing together, read the scriptures, teach the gospel to one another & participate in other activities that would build family unity.
Numerous Church presidents have spoken about the many advantages to holding family home evening. Following are quotes from the last five Church presidents:
President Thomas S. Monson: "I begin w/family home evening. We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest. As President Gordon B. Hinkley & his predecessors have stated, 'The home is the basis of a righteous life, & no other instrumentality can take its place nor fulfill its essential functions.'
"I like this thought: 'Your mind is a cupboard, & you stock the shelves.' Let us make certain that our cupboard shelves, & those of our family members, are stocked with the things which will provide safety to our souls & enable us to return to our Father in Heaven. Such shelves could well be stocked with gospel scholarship, faith, prayer, love, service, obedience, example, and kindness."
President Gordon B. Hinkley: "I am grateful that we as a Church have as a basic part of our program the practice of a weekly family home evening. It is a significant thing that in these busy days thousands of families across the world are making an earnest effort to consecrate one evening a week to sing together, to instruct one another in the ways of the Lord, to kneel together in prayer, there to thank the Lord for His mercies & to invoke His blessings upon our lives, our homes, our labors, our land.
"I think we little estimate the vast good that will come of this program. I commend it to our people, & I commend it to every parent in the land & say that we stand ready to assist you who may not be of our faith. We shall be happy to send you suggestions & materials on how to conduct a weekly family home evening, & I do not hesitate to promise you that both you & your children will become increasingly grateful for the observance of this practice. It was John who declared: 'I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth' This will be your blessing."
President Howard W. Hunter: "Take seriously your responsibility to teach the gospel to your family through regular family home evening, family prayer, devotional & scripture-reading time, & other teaching moments. Give special emphasis to preparation for missionary service & temple marriage. . . .Next to your own salvation, brethren, there is nothing so important to you as the salvation of your wife & children."
President Ezra Taft Benson: "Families must spend more time together in work & recreation. Family home evenings should be scheduled once a week as a time for recreation, work projects, skits, songs around the piano, games, special refreshments & family prayers. Like iron links in a chain, this practice will bind a family together, in love, pride, tradition, strength & loyalty."
President Spencer W. Kimball: "Family home evening provides important training. . . .I wonder what this world would be like if every father & mother gathered their children around them at least once a week, explained the gospel & bore fervent testimonies to them. How could immorality continue & infidelity break families & delinquency spawn? Divorce would reduce & such courts would close. Most ills of life are due to failure of parents to teach their children & the failure of posterity to obey.
"Of course, there are a few disobedient souls regardless of training & teaching, but the great majority of children would respond to such parental guidance."
How AWESOME & POWERFUL is this article!! I love it so much!! I can definitely ATTEST 2 the TRUTHFULNESS of the promised blessings that come 4rom making it a PRIORITY 2 set time aside weekly 4 FHE. :D
Over the past 3 weeks our girls have been off track & it's been GREAT!! :D This is definitely the 1st time that, before heading back 2 school 2day, they weren't anticipating going back. Lol. Believe me. . . .this never happens. Hahahaha!! They said that they've had so much FUN these past 3 weeks that they just didn't wanna go back 2 school cause they'd miss us. :( They're so cute, but I'm definitely glad that they were able 2 return 2 school this week so I can get more work done. Lol. :D None of this would've come 2 be if we hadn't heeded the counsel of Pres. Eyring when he addressed us this past General Conference in being CONSISTENT in what we do. That was one of the goals that we had set out 2 start & keep w/our FHE included on our long list of things in our lives that we have set out to maintain. :D It's been quite the JOURNEY, but the promise of it MAKING a DIFFERENCE in our family life is definitely TRUTH. :D I've seen firsthand this blessing in my own family. My kids enjoy each others company wayyyy more. My husband & I both enjoy their company a lot more as well. :D And they enjoy our company a lot more in return as well. :D It's been nothing, but a WIN/WIN outcome on all levels & with all of us involved. :D Another great article & another great read!! :D
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