https://store.shpbeds.org/products/joseph-smith-family-reunion-tshirt
T-shirts from the reunion are still available for purchase from Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
Family Home Evening Resources
As mentioned by Karl Ricks Anderson at the Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion on Friday, August 3, 2018, these posts will contain resources for families to use for Family Home Evening lessons which include stories from the lives of our family that will lift, inspire, and provide practical solutions to challenges faced during our every day lives.
Please return often as new material will continually be added.
Reunion Activities
Coming Soon In Emma’s Footsteps
From the writer of Singing with Angels and the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, this new movie is coming to theaters June 1 in Utah. For other areas, please send us a request. See the trailer below!
After the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, Jr., his wife Emma Hale Smith was left with much to shoulder: salvaging Joseph’s estate, the safety of her family, her own grief, and growing isolation as danger and rumors increased. Through the eyes of one of her sons and Lucy Mack Smith, Emma’s struggles are shown with new light and understanding, revealing a courageous woman who stood as a pillar of strength for her family.
Send us your request for where you would like to see the movie, and see what areas we are already planning to show In Emma’s Footsteps!
LOCATIONS
Discovering the Atonement Behind the Razor Wire
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The following names and character descriptions are fictional aggregates:
The jagged razor wire caught my attention this time, as I once again entered its shrouded confines. It reminded me of our previous home in Africa, only the wire was there to keep “bad guys†out while this was to keep them in. I mused at the contrast. As the group of inmates assembled in the “institute room†of the prison chapel, I took notice of the tattoos, facial hair, and white “uniforms†while I shook hands, greeted and felt such a kinship as I had never expected in all the years of my teaching. I loved these men and yearned for the Spirit to hallow our experience together in the scriptures.
We had spent a couple of hours the week before within Alma 32 and the faith seed. I asked, “If our Father, who you love and are learning to trust, were to come in His glory and embrace you today, what would it be like for you? I suggested that we use DC 5:19 as a referenceâ€
…the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming.
Breaking the stunned silence, a tall burly fellow remarked, “Wow that would be a dangerous hug…crispy critter!!†Then guiding him to Alma 33, his clear FM voice resounded as he read verse eleven:
And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.
He paused to wipe a tear and I stopped him from reading further. I had never been moved by that verse in all my years teaching. As he paused, I heard myself ask, “Have any of you been judged before?†They looked at me incredulously. They were all there because they had been found guilty, by a judge. “Have any of you ever judged each other?†Now I could see the knowing looks pass between them. “Yet, our very creator, our Father, turns away judgment. He who knows us best withholds judgment for now! Why? Careful…it would be easy to say, ‘Well, because the Son will be the judge, so Father doesn’t judge us.’ Read carefully. He knows our imperfections and rebellions. He knows our crimes and private whoredoms. He looks on sin with NO allowance. So why withhold judgment?â€
The room was sacredly silent, eyes scanned the verses with hope. “Your Father in Heaven, who knows you intimately, loves you and does not pronounce judgment upon you! He does not look or listen to you through some lens of guarded judgment…He does not judge you.†I felt the truth of those words ripple up my spine and could see that they felt it too. I added, “Not only does He turn away judgement but notice what He calls it and how He feels about how we respond to it, in verse 16
For behold, he said: Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.
Then I asked, “What did the Son do through His atonement that He calls, “His mercies†that allows Father to turn away those deserved condemnations?â€
“Alma 42â€â€¦They raced to turn the pages. They knew instinctively that the Atonement of Christ would redeem them SOMEDAY but what was it that activated it even at the very time they were committing sin? As they paused, hoping for clarity, I said, “verse 4.†They read silently…
And thus, we see that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.
Now I had discussed probation with students many times but somehow it seemed strange to ask these inmates, “What can you tell me about probation?†One, with huge tattooed biceps explained, “Ya get a chance to be good without havin’ to come here.â€
I asked, “So is it a good thing or a bad thing to find out you are on probation?â€
One in a wheelchair quietly said, “Depends on where you are.†“What do you mean,†I asked. “If you are out there and find out, it could be either good news or bad news depending on if you know what being in here is like. If you know, then it is good news, ‘cause you don’t want to be in here!â€
“Ah, so what was our state when Christ created this world and made certain that it would be a probationary state? I asked a younger Latino man to read verse 5 and the first part of 10.
For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.
Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature…
An older, kindly gentleman asked, “So God knew we would sin?â€
“Indeed, but since this is probation, what does that mean?â€
This wizened grandfather smiled and said, “It means that though we are accountable, we aren’t judged yet!â€
“Please notice the end of verse 10, why are we on the earth then?â€
…this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state.
Another portly gentleman, quipped, “It means we get a do over!†Then he got serious, “It means that I tried some things that didn’t feel right but I tried them anyway and got caught and put in here. It means that I can learn from it and still become all I have been pleading for, but, really thought I had just gone too far for any hope! But, this is a time to prepare, to discover, to repent and change before being judged!! We can become better before judgement!!!†His smile mixed with tears didn’t go unnoticed as the grandfather laid a hand upon his arm.
Moses 6:55 came into my mind…we turned and read:
And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.
“As children born to appetite-driven, natural-man parents, it is only logical that the children would be the same, since those tendencies come from the natural appetites of the body. So naturally, those appetites lead to temptation which leads to sin. But what does sin then naturally cause and why?â€
An exuberant balding middle-aged man suddenly let out an “Ahhhhhh!†“The natural result is the taste of bitterness. Sin never is happiness!!! There certainly isn’t much happiness in here! Our Father gives us time to learn to choose the good, after tasting the alternative or watching someone else suffer from it!â€
I challenged his thinking, “Look closely, it doesn’t say “That they may CHOOSE the good.†Why does He use the word “PRIZE?â€
He was so excited he almost stumbled over his words, “So if we are awake, this preparatory state is a protective covering, it is what the Savior’s Atonement did for us. Not only can we repent and change, we receive no permanent judgements until the day of judgement. Secondly, He is on our side, cheering for us and helping us rather than just waiting to catch us sinning. The natural consequence of sin is like a bitter taste, our desire for the sin changes, so once we have tasted the sweetness of the fruit, we prize it for all eternity!†He paused, thought deeply then exclaimed, â€We need to help everyone taste that sweet fruit, so they know that there is another choice besides bitterness!â€
I added, “Would you be interested to know that the ancient Hebrew for “atonement†is kapharwhich literally means, “to cover.â€
It seemed right to take them to DC 88:5, 6, 13, 34
Jesus Christ, his Son …ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.
…that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.
So, our merciful Father’s directed the Son to create a sort of protective probationary covering whereby judgment and the destructive forces of consequence are temporarily “turned aside†so that, with time and understanding, we can repent and change sufficiently to live in the glorious presence of the Father that would otherwise consume us (DC 5:19). Then, His work, glory, and light, if we choose, can perfect us, “in Christ.†(see DC 88:34; Moses 1:39, Moroni 10:32)
As we closed, and I walked out past the razor wire, I knew they would be safe, enveloped in His wise, loving mercy, until delivered to His perfecting law.
How the Community of Christ and LDS Church draw upon shared heritage, work together as ‘friends’
BYU assistant professor Casey Griffiths laughed as he recalled walking away from talking with former Community of Christ apostle Andrew Bolton at an interfaith dialogue in Nauvoo last September, wondering if they were still friends.
“That was never in question,†Bolton chimed in with a smile, sitting across the table from Griffiths in a religious faculty library at Brigham Young University on March 21.
 “It’s wonderful to know you can have disagreements on theological questions and have a wonderful and beautiful friendship,†said Griffiths, who teaches in the Church History Department. “I love the time that we spend together and I always learn a ton by listening to our friends of the Community of Christ.â€
Bolton, his wife, Jewell, and current apostle Lachlan Mackay were among officials from the Community of Christ hosted by BYU last week for an interfaith dialogue. This is the fourth meeting of its kind, Bolton said, with this dialogue focusing on sacraments and ordinances.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ share almost 15 years of common heritage, from 1830 when the church was organized to the death of Joseph Smith Jr. in 1844. Interfaith dialogue is important to both faiths, which continue to work together and learn from their shared history.
Bolton, who served as an apostle for the Community of Christ from 2007 to 2016, said enrichment and new insights to his faith are two of the things he hopes to gain at interfaith dialogues with BYU. He said there are “treasures to discover,†like a deeper understanding of commons beliefs.
“Bob Millet (former dean of religious education at BYU) introduced me to the concept of ‘Infinite Atonement’ from the Book of Mormon,” Bolton said. “I never understood that before so that’s been a huge blessing.”
The Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that changed its name in 2001, has 250,000 members worldwide. Bolton, who was baptized in Wales over 40 years ago, said India and Haiti currently have the highest concentrations of Community of Christ members around the world and “more people speak French than English in church on a Sunday morning.â€
In the U.S., nearly one-third of members reside in the Kansas City area near the church’s headquarters in Independence, Missouri, according to Mackay. As part of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the Community of Christ, Mackay oversees the Northeast USA Mission Field and serves as the historic sites director and church history lead.
About 10 percent of Community of Christ members will be called to priesthood office during their lifetime, Mackay said. The leadership organization is similar to that of the LDS Church: a pastor serves over a congregation, mission centers are similar to stakes, and apostles have responsibility over a specific geographical area of mission centers. A world conference, similar to a general conference, is held every three years.
Bolton said he admires the LDS returned missionaries who come home with international experience, as well as the resources and size of the church. Community of Christ leads mission trips too, but for shorter amounts of time.
“My dad often quoted, ‘Walk together, talk together, all ye peoples of the earth. And then, and only then, will ye have peace,’ and that’s exactly what’s happening,†Jewell Bolton said of the Community of Christ’s missionary efforts.
While there are many common threads, Bolton also talked about two distinct differences between the Community of Christ and LDS faith — ordination of women beginning in 1984 and same-sex marriage in the U.S. in 2013 — that reflect their belief in “the worth of persons†and “the soul as non-gender,†he said.
“I think Community of Christ is more nimble, smaller, so we can make change much faster,†Bolton said. “But there are mistakes to avoid. And there are things we’ve done well that (the LDS Church) can do better.â€
Bolton talked about the idea of “theocratic democracy,†in which God leads and the people choose, and that God’s word is “conceptual” rather than “plenary” or absolute. He described the Community of Christ as “a people with a prophet but we’re also called to be a prophetic people. We have a responsibility to discern what God may be saying.â€
Though it may be difficult to discern God’s will in the world we live in today, Mackay said he often thinks back to the culture of Joseph Smith’s time.
“Then, it was the industrial revolution that was causing all this upheaval. Today it’s the technology revolution,†he said. “It feels like it’s spinning out of control (but) my faith keeps me sane. The idea that I may be able to work with others to make life just a little better is deeply meaningful to me.â€
Griffiths said those who believe in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Restoration, like both the Community of Christ and LDS faiths, are able to “see the world through a lens where everyone is a son or daughter of God (with) intrinsic value.”
“It’s nice to meet wonderful people like these and realize there is so much good in the world in our faith tradition and in other faith traditions,” Griffiths said. “The good people of the world should ban together and help each other and do everything they can to lift everyone around them.â€
Bolton and Mackay were among guests from the Community of Christ who met with Elder J. Devn Cornish, a General Authority Seventy from the LDS Church, on Temple Square on March 23 as part of their visit to BYU. In September, BYU professors plan to go to Independence for a dialogue with the Community of Christ about Zion.
Picturing history: Burial site of William Smith, brother of the Prophet
Lucy Mack Smith bore 11 children, eight sons and three daughters. Two sons died in infancy, six of her sons lived to adulthood, but only one, William, lived to old age.
William was born at Royalton, Vermont, on March 13, 1811, making him more than five years younger than Joseph Smith. Interestingly, his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, also bore sons on March 13, 1808, and March 13, 1810, one year before William.
After the Smiths left Manchester, New York, William lived at Kingdom, New York, near Waterloo, New York. He then, for the most part, moved from place to place with the body of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served missions, participated in the School of the Prophets and served as an apostle and patriarch to the Church.
He was excommunicated from the church in 1845. Because of his volatile temper, excommunication and association with the Strangite movement, many have come to view William in a mostly negative light. In a summary of his biography on William Smith, Kyle Walker points out that Saints who went west tended to brand “him an apostate, and any mention of his name in LDS Church history decried his rebelliousness and insubordination. For that reason, most of his contributions to the building up the early Church have been lost to the reader†(see Walker’s “Joseph Smith’s Challenging Brother,” Meridian Magazine, Oct. 14, 2015). For the first time, Walker’s biography provides a more complete view of the life of this complex individual.
Osterdock, in Clayton County, Iowa, is a small village in the northeastern quadrant of the state. Except for one reason, its history would be of no particular interest to students of Latter-day Saint history: It is the burial site of William Smith, brother of the Prophet.
America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland
Kirtland Docudrama: ‘America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland,’ set to premiere Sept. 24
By Chad Felton, The News-Herald
An hour long docudrama is set to debut about the area where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was headquartered from 1831 to 1838, after being formally organized in western New York.
The film, “America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland,†produced by BYUtv, will premiere at 6 p.m., Sept. 24, at the Kirtland LDS Stake Center at 7866 Kirtland-Chardon Road in Willoughby. The event is free and open to the public.
The film, which will also stream live from the BYUtv website, will also include the story of the events surrounding the construction and dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
The docudrama’s director, Russ Holt, believes not many towns have a history compared to Kirtland’s, and he knows there was no better location to air the film.
“It’s very appropriate, as people from all over the United States and Canada uprooted to Kirtland because they wanted to be taught by who they believed to be a man of God,†Holt said, referring to Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism and the Latter-Day Saint movement. “We thought it important to tell this story of the early 1800s. It’s one of the most important stories ever told. That’s why we decided to make this film.â€
Holt, who also wrote the film, first came to Kirtland as a college student.
“It was a privilege to come here and film where these great events took place, and I’ve considered it a privilege to visit every time over the years,†he said. “The (Kirtland) Temple itself is a massive building. Filming inside was a unique opportunity. It’s a marvel that it’s still there. The people then were quite poor, and they sacrificed a lot to build it.â€
“America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland†was financed by BYUtv and several donors who felt strongly about the project, according to Holt.
“We worked on it for over a year,†he said. “It’s been an exhilarating and inspiring project to conduct the research on the site. We felt it essential to be accurate and tell the story correctly. We are grateful to the Community of Christ, and the many residents who helped us as extras and in other capacities, to make this film a reality.â€
Holt and Kirtland historian/consultant Karl Anderson will both speak at the premiere.
The film will then be shown worldwide, on BYUtv, Oct. 1, between general conference sessions from 2 to 4 p.m.
This story has been corrected to show that the docudrama will premiere Saturday Sept. 24, not Sept. 17.
10 Interesting Facts About Emma Smith
by Aleah Ingram
Emma Smith is one of the most fascinating characters of the Restoration. She is remembered for her unrelenting strength and ability to overcome hardships. On the anniversary of her birth, which took place on July 10, 1804, in Harmony, Pennsylvania, here are ten interesting facts you may not have known about Emma Smith.
ONE. Emma wasn’t planning on eloping. In 1827, Emma was visiting a Mr. Stowell and his family in New York. She saw Joseph there, who she had been courting for seventeen months. She would write : “I had no intention of marrying when I left home; but, during my visit at Mr. Stowell’s [Joseph]…urged me to marry him, and preferring to marry him to any other man I knew, I consented.â€
TWO. The angel Moroni told Joseph he would receive the gold plates and other hidden items in September if he brought with him the right person. After looking into the seer stone, Joseph discovered the right person was “Emma Hale.†Nine months after their marriage, Emma drove the wagon to the Hill Cumorah and waited while Joseph gathered the plates.
THREE. Emma toiled thousands of extra hours so that Joseph had the time to accomplish of the work of the Lord.
FOUR. Emma was considered an herb doctor and often went among the sick to administer medicine.
FIVE. Joseph and Emma were distant cousins. Both had ancestors on the Mayflower.
SIX. Emma opposed using the word “benevolent†in the name of the newly founded women’s society, as suggested by Joseph Smith and Elder John Taylor. Benevolent was a popular word for women’s societies of the day and Emma did not want the church’s women’s society to be associated with the world. After discussion, it was decided that the society would be called the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.
SEVEN. The current hymnbook of the Church has twenty-six of the hymns that appeared in Emma’s 1835 hymnal, which she compiled after revelation from the Lord.
EIGHT. Emma had a beautiful soprano voice. Records state she often sang obbligato parts in choral groups and filled the Smith home with sweet music.
NINE. Brigham Young sent money to Emma through a Church attorney to pay off the debts of Joseph Smith and the Church in Nauvoo. The attorney, Almon Babbit, kept all the money for himself and neither Brigham nor Emma ever knew.
TENTH. Emma saw Jesus Christ and Joseph in a dream before her death.