Open Houses Highlight Impact of Teaching

What is my daughter learning in her Mia Maid class? How can materials in the meetinghouse library help me teach my children more about the gospel at home? How can I help my non-LDS friends understand the Christian nature of my beliefs?

Latter-day Saints throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico found answers to these and many similar questions at open houses in their own meetinghouses during January.

In many areas, nonmembers also found the open houses provided answers for them about the Church and about ways it could help their families.

The open houses were held in response to a letter from President Ezra Taft Benson which went out to priesthood leaders last September when he was President of the Council of the Twelve. In it, he asked that the open houses be held in every ward and branch “as part of a renewed dedication to improve teaching in the Church.”

The programs in local meetinghouses included showing a videotape in which Elder Carlos E. Asay of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy underscored the importance of high-quality teaching in LDS homes as well as in Church programs.

He called for parents to form a partnership with their children’s teachers in helping the young people learn and grow in the gospel.

“The prophet Nephi compared gospel learning to a feast,” Elder Asay said. (See 2 Ne. 9:50–51.) A good spiritual diet is even more important than a good diet of tangible food.

The curricular materials of the Church are balanced to offer a good spiritual diet, Elder Asay emphasized. One of their major objectives is to help us learn and love the scriptures. But they “will be void of any spiritual power” unless people partake of them freely; in so doing, those who partake can avoid spiritual malnutrition as they eat and drink the bread and water of life.

Church units in different areas spotlighted teaching and the curriculum in a variety of effective ways during their open houses.

The open house in the Jacksonville Sixth and Jacksonville Beach wards, Jacksonville Florida East Stake, was well organized and attracted nearly 150 visitors. It was announced twice in local newspapers beforehand because of competition from recreational events.

The opening program featured, in addition to the videotape, a talk by an institute teacher and a touching special rendition of “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” (Sing With Me, B-45) by parents, Primary children, and a teacher. Afterward, those attending visited themed exhibits prepared by the Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthood, auxiliaries, and the bishopric (on family home evening). The Relief Society, for example, had separate tables in its room, one spotlighting Mother Education, another Spiritual Living, and so on. Missionaries manned a display with the theme “Sharing the Book of Mormon Message.” A number of Books of Mormon, family home evening manuals, books on teaching and genealogy, and Church magazine subscriptions were sold.

In the weeks since, many more teachers and members have been coming to the library to check out materials, said Eileen Clark, ward librarian in the Jacksonville Sixth Ward, who organized the event. “They’ve each seemed to gain something that has stayed with them.”

In the Kansas City First Ward, Kansas City Missouri Stake, seminary youth helped care for children, showing them Church-produced videotapes, while their parents saw the production featuring Elder Asay and took advantage of the opportunity to talk with their children’s teachers, who were staffing exhibits.

Seminary teacher Audrey Barker, who organized the open house, said the event “was really important for the teachers because it gave them a sense of accomplishment.” They learned ways to improve their teaching and sensed the appreciation of parents for the job they are doing.

Nonmembers who visited the open house for the Fifth, Sixth, and Florin wards of the Sacramento California South Stake were impressed by materials available for teaching their families. So, too, were members, particularly several families who are newly converted, said Joyce Stubbs, a member of the Fifth Ward.

The Jordan North Twelfth and Sixteenth wards, Salt Lake Jordan North Stake, scheduled their joint open house on Monday evening and invited families to enjoy it together. One girl who will soon turn twelve spent all of her time at the Young Women exhibit eagerly learning what she will be experiencing in a few months. Her brother talked with his Varsity Scout adviser about Eagle requirements while their parents chatted with teachers.

Perhaps most gratifying were the results that well-organized open houses achieved in motivating people. As Sister Clark observed in Jacksonville, an inactive sister, married to a nonmember, was pleasantly surprised by the materials available to help teach her teenaged daughter. She said she planned to begin bringing her daughter to Church the next Sunday—and she kept that resolve.

Open house visitors examined a wide variety of curriculum materials.