Family Home Evening based on FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE "Finish with Your Torch Still Lit"

I hope and pray that you can use these ideas as a guideline and adjust them to the needs of your own specific family.  Our prophet President Monson says, "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."  On Lds.org there are resources available in helping to make your Family Home Evenings successful, here is a link to that site on Family Home Evenings.

For tonight's Family Home Evening the topic in which I have chosen is:  

based on FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE  "Finish with Your Torch Still Lit"

Welcome everyone to Family Night

Sing:  "Shine On" Children's Songbook Pg 144 or "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" Children's Songbook Pg 177

Have a member of the family member say the prayer

Discuss any family business

Follow-up with last weeks FHE.

Scripture: Read and Mark:  D&C 14:7

Family Home Evening Instruction:

Begin, by showing your family a lit candle. Tell the following story by President Uchtdorf, 

"In ancient Greece, runners competed in a relay race called a lampadedromia. In the race, runners held a torch in their hand and passed it on to the next runner until the final member of the team crossed the finish line.

The prize wasn’t awarded to the team that ran fastest—it was awarded to the first team to reach the finish line with its torch still lit.

There is a profound lesson here, one taught by prophets ancient and modern: while it is important to start the race, it is even more important that we finish with our torch still lit." (First Presidency Message: Finish with Your Torch Still Lit)

Discussed this as a family. Discussion might include how the torch might be passed to the next person without extinguishing the flame. How to continue to do this until the end of the race. Discuss how this applies to their lives.

Continue reading the rest of President Uchtdorf's First Presidency Message: "Finish with Your Torch Still Lit". 

Free Download

Discuss with your family how making spiritual goals can help us keep our lights lit. Give each family member a goal paper. Invite them to write on it something they will do for the rest of the month. Such as read a scripture each day, pray every morning, listen to a church song, read a conference talk, etc.  Help little ones write theirs.  

Make little torches and paste your goal on them. Invite each family member to place them next to their beds for the month to help them remember to keep their flame ignited and accomplish their goal. 

Share your testimony.

Close with a Family Prayer.

Here's directions to making the mini torches: 

Supplies Needed to Make the Torches:

Empty paper Towel Roll, Sheet of Scrapbook paper, Box Cutter (always be careful when handling shop objects, mom and dad's only, not for the kiddos), Tape, Ruler or measuring tape, scissors or paper cutter, double sided tape or glue stick, pencil, orange and yellow crepe paper or tissue paper, Spiritual Goal label (see printables above).

 Begin by cutting the paper towel roll in half with the box cutter.

Next, measure the length of the cut paper towel roll, this is how long you will cut your paper. Measure around the paper towel roll (it will probably be about 5 3/4 inches overlapping a little bit), this will be the width you will cut the scrapbook paper.  Using a paper cutter, but the scrapbook paper to size. Tape on end onto the paper towel roll and wrap it around securing with tape at the other end. Paper towel roll should have the scrapbook paper the whole way around it.

Then, take and rip off 5 inches of crepe paper from each color, twice.  Stack them on top of each other as shown in the picture to the right. If you are using tissue paper you will just cut out probably around a 4 by 4 square piece of each color and stack them on top of each other.

 Pinch together in the middle as shown in the picture to the left.

Then, you will just stuff it inside of the top of the paper towel roll. Making the torch.  I didn't use any glue, you could if you would like to.


















Lastly, invite each family member to write their goal onto the Spiritual Goal label. Attach it onto the torch with either double sided tape or a glue stick.

Display next to your bed to help you Remember to endure and keep that flame burning.

If you would like more Family Home Evening Ideas like this Click HERE !

If you enjoyed this and would like to be informed when more ideas are shared, then please fill in you email address below and subscribe! When something new is shared on the blog you will receive it right in your email box :)  THANKS!!

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner