The Family Is of God

Song: The Family Is of God (Friend or Liahona, Oct. 2008)
January 2009 Gospel Principle #4: The family is ordained of God and is central to His plan.
40 minutes

Chorus
Presidency Member: (2 minutes) Bring a box containing a family picture (the children’s family pictures would be more meaningful but might be too much work) wrapped like a present.

• “Inside this present is a picture of a gift from Heavenly Father.”
• “Raise your hand if you like to give gifts? Put your hand down and think of someone you have given a gift to. Why did you give that gift to that person? Was it because you love them?”
• “Our Heavenly Father gave us this gift (refer to the wrapped present) because he loves us. Listen to this song for a clue about what Heavenly Fathers gift is and then I’ll let you guess what it is.”

Music Leader: (less than one minute) Sing the chorus to the song.

Presidency Member: (1 minute) Let the children guess what the gift from Heavenly Father is and then unwrap the present. Hand the picture to the music leader when you are done.

Music Leader: (3 minutes) Hold up the picture

• “Listen to the song again for why God gave us families.”
• Take answers and have the children sing with you.
• Hand the picture back to the Presidency Member.

Presidency Member: (1 minute) Set the picture to the side.

• “Close your eyes and think of what makes up an eternal family.”
• “Open your eyes and raise your hand if you can tell me one part of an eternal family.”
• Only take one answer at a time and teach the verse that goes with that answer

“Dad” or “Father”—Verse Two

Presidency Member: (2 minutes) Invite a boy up to wear a tie representing a father.

• “What is a father’s place in the family?” Take answers.
• “Our prophets explained to the world what a father’s place is in a family.” Read the fifth sentence of the seventh paragraph of The Family: A Proclamation to the World (Proclamation). Summarize and look at the music leader when done.

Music Leader: (4 minutes) Sing the second verse without accompaniment.

• “While I sing this verse again (piano only plays melody) count how many things a father does.” Take answers.
• “Can you also tell me what those things are that a father does?” If not “Listen while I sing it again.” Emphasize the words as you sing them (hold a finger up as you sing a key word, enunciate clearer, or sing that word louder). Take answers.
• “Sing about fathers with me” (piano plays accompaniment). Go on to sing the chorus if you want.
• Compliment the children and look at the presidency member when done.

Presidency Member: (1 minute)Ask for the tie back and invite the boy to sit back with his class. Ask for another part of an eternal family or go on to the first verse.

“Mom” or “Mother”—Verse Three

Presidency Member: (2 minutes) Invite a girl up to wear an apron representing a mother.

• “What is a mother’s purpose in the family?” Take answers.
• “Our prophets told the world what a mother’s purpose is in a family too.” Read the sixth sentence of the seventh paragraph of Proclamation.
• “What does nurture mean? Nurture means to care, prepare, and strengthen so a mother’s purpose is to care, prepare, and strengthen her children.” Look at the music leader.

Music Leader: (4 minutes) Sing the third verse acappella

• “Besides caring, preparing, nurturing, and strengthening her children this song also tells us a mother teaches her children. Did you hear what she teaches?” If not “Listen while I sing it again.” (piano plays melody) Emphasize key words in the second half of the verse. Take answers.
• “Sing about a mother’s purpose with me.” (piano plays accompaniment). Go on to sing the chorus if you want.
• Compliment the children and look at the presidency member when done.

Presidency Member: (1 minute) Ask for the apron back and invite the girl to sit back with her class. Ask for another part of an eternal family or go on to the first verse.

“Kids” or “Children”—Verse Four

Presidency Member: (2 minutes) Invite a boy to come hold a baseball glove and a girl to hold a doll to represent children.

• “What should children do in a family?” Take answers.
• “The apostle Paul in the New Testament wrote just a little bit about what children should do in a letter he wrote to church members that lived in a city called Ephesus.” Read Ephesians 6:1. Summarize and look at the music leader.

Music Leader: (4 minutes) Sing just the first half of the fourth verse acappella

• “Did you catch the three things I’ll do as a child in my family?” If not “Listen while I sing it again.” (piano plays melody) Emphasize key words and ask again. Sing just that first half with the children. (piano plays accompaniment)
• “Great job, now, who wants to be a mom or dad when they grow up raise your hand? Hooray, put your hand down and listen for what you will do when you are a mom or dad.”
• Sing second half of the fourth verse and chorus (piano plays accompaniment). Encourage the children to sing the chorus with you.
• “What does the song say you will do when you are a mom or dad?”
• Sing the whole fourth verse and chorus with the children, compliment them, and look at the presidency member.

Presidency Member: (1 minute) Ask for the glove and doll back and invite the children to sit back with their classes. Ask for another part of an eternal family or go on to the first verse.

Verse One

Presidency Member: (3 minutes) Display the plan of salvation (the January 2008 Friend had good visual aids for the plan of salvation).

• “This is a map of Heavenly Father’s plan for us called the Plan of Salvation. Where are we now in the plan of salvation?” Put the picture of the family from the present near earth
• “Where did we live before we came to earth?” Show picture (e.g. Picture 2-4) and put it near premortal life.
• “We started as one HUGE family even before we came to earth. Who is the dad/father of our huge family? Who are the children? All of us? How ‘bout you? (point to someone) How ‘bout you? How ‘bout me? Me too? You’re right. That was one big family!” Look at the music leader.

Music Leader: (8 minutes) Sing the first verse acappella. Point to yourself, the children, and the pictures at the appropriate times.

• Review the words with the children briefly (using your own style) and ask the children to sing it with you.
• Invite six more children up to be visual aids (one holds Picture 2-4, one holds your picture of a family, one wears the tie, one wears the apron, one hold the baseball glove, and one holds the doll) Sing the song from the beginning with the children including the chorus