FHE

“What is the great strength of [this] Church? … It is the emphasis which we place on families. … Keep your families close together and love and honor your children” -President Gordon B. Hinckley

One Evening a Week—Monday Night

“We have a family home evening program once a week [Monday night] across the Church in which parents sit down with their children. They study the scriptures. They talk about family problems. They plan family activities and things of that kind. I don’t hesitate to say if every family in the world practiced that one thing, you’d see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world” (interview, Boston Globe, 14 Aug. 2000).

“[The Lord] expects us to have family home evening—one night a week to gather our children together and teach them the gospel. Isaiah said, ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’ That is the commandment: ‘All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’ And the blessing: ‘And great,’ he said, ‘shall be the peace of thy children’ [Isa. 54:13]”

"You have to establish in your life some sense of prioritizing things, of giving emphasis to the important things and of laying aside the unimportant things that will lead to nothing. Establish a sense of justice, a sense of what is good and what is not good, what is important and is not important; and that can become a marvelous and wonderful blessing in your lives”

A LETTER FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENCY

October 4, 1999

To: Members of the Church throughout the World

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Monday nights are reserved throughout the Church for family home evenings. We encourage members to set aside this time to strengthen family ties and teach the gospel in their homes.

Earlier this year we called on parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the Church. We also counseled parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities.

We urge members, where possible, to avoid holding receptions or other similar activities on Monday evenings. Where practical, members may also want to encourage community and school leaders to avoid scheduling activities on Monday evenings that require children or parents to be away from their homes.

Church buildings and facilities should be closed on Monday evenings. No ward or stake activities should be planned, and other interruptions to family home evenings should be avoided.

Sincerely yours, Gordon B. Hinckley Thomas S. Monson James E. Faust

Now with all these wonderful words from the beloved prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley, Evan and I have always tried to read something or we each just get multiple parts of FHE or just go on with our busy life and think, "oh ya, we need to do that, next Monday we will get on that.." Well it was so up and down that Ev and I decided to invite a few friends over to fulfill our need and their need to follow the prophet and have FHE. Rebecca and Tyler Waldron & Dana and Chris Bradshaw and us have set a record. We have had FHE every Monday for an entire month. It has been so great! We always switch off whos house we have it at and move around the lesson, scripture, prayer,treat and activity. I really enjoy having friends over, but more than their company is just the increase of the Spirit that I am able to obtain from 1. being obedient and 2. allowing myself to be touched or become better by the lessons. We played a super fun game called Raving Rabbids on the Wii for activity recently and had a blast!