Whether you are a Latter-day Saint living in Santaquin, Utah; La Paz, Bolivia; or Manchester, England, you will find significance in a landmark observance coming up in two years.
July 1997 marks 150 years since the Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. A year-long, worldwide celebration is being planned now by a committee called by the Church for that purpose. The Church has published a two-page set of guidelines and suggestions for celebrating on a local level the Pioneer Sesquicentennial, which has as its theme "Faith in Every Footstep."On these pages are listed a few of the suggestions in the guidelines.
Individuals, families or Church units should not try to do every activity, but should be selective. The guidelines suggest members and Church units should focus on a few activities that will be most meaningful and enjoyable to them.
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Families can focus on pioneer heritage
Individuals and families are invited to commemorate international pioneers through family home evening and other family activities. Families should choose activities that match the interests and abilities of all family members, according to the sesquicentennial guidelines.
- Family home evening. Families may consider how their lives have been influenced by pioneers from their family, ward, stake or community, as well as by pioneers from Church history. They might also discuss ways they, as members of the Church today, can set examples of faith and dedication for future generations.
Lessons focusing on the "Faith in Every Footstep" theme could discuss various aspects of faith, such as faith in the Lord, the prophet, and the gospel; faith in one's family and oneself; faith in society and the need to make a contribution; and turning faith into action. Family members may also wish to become acquainted with the faithful examples of Church members in other areas and cultures.
- Family history. Family members might wish to focus on pioneers in their own families through personal history and family history activities. Family members could work together to interview relatives and collect information to write family histories. They may decide to recommit themselves as a family or as individuals to journal-keeping, writing personal histories and writing letters to faraway relatives.
- Service. Families can perpetuate the pioneer spirit through service. Programs may be organized that encourage family members to serve one another or others in their neighborhood. Families could consider local needs in organizing projects such as cleaning yards, visiting the elderly, collecting food for a homeless shelter, or volunteering at a community center. Performing temple work provides invaluable service to ancestors. Families might also serve missionaries throughout the world by writing letters to them.
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Activities may focus on pioneer theme
Local priesthood quorums and auxiliaries may want to include in their regular programs lessons or activities that focus on pioneers or the "Faith in Every Footstep" theme, the guidelines suggest.
- Adults. The Relief Society may want to discuss worldwide pioneers in fifth-Sunday lessons, monthly homemaking lessons or visiting teaching messages. Priesthood quorums may offer pioneer-oriented home teaching lessons. Ward, branch or stake conferences can focus on pioneer topics or the sesquicentennial theme.
- Youth. Young Women and Young Men can enjoy weekday activities, service projects or firesides with pioneer themes. A youth conference could focus on the "Faith in Every Footstep" theme or on teaching youth how they can become pioneers in the gospel. Youth may choose to organize visits to nearby historic sites, landmarks and trails.
- Children. Quarterly activities, sharing-time presentations, or class service projects could focus on the sesquicentennial theme. The children's sacrament meeting presentation for 1997 will allow wards and branches to include accounts of pioneers in the past and present.
- Activities committee. Local activities committees may plan any of a variety of events such as dance or music festivals; speech, poetry or writing contests; pioneer cooking classes or recipe exchanges; or a pioneer fair with pioneer food and activities. Activities committees can also coordinate Church or community service projects or supervise the creation of local unit histories.
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Dramatic, musical events build understanding, unity
Participation in a drama or musical event focusing on the values, faith and contributions of pioneers throughout the worldwide Church can build understanding and unity among Church members and help members appreciate their own heritage. Interested local units may use one of the following presentations. The first three allow for adaptation and the addition of local songs and stories.
Original production. A possibility is a production comparing the pioneers who came to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 with modern pioneers in members' own areas. For example, the Lynn First (Asian) Branch in Massachusetts held a pioneer celebration to honor the 19th Century LDS pioneers who started new lives in Utah and the 20th Century Cambodian pioneers in their branch who started new lives in Massachusetts (see "Asian LDS Celebrate Pioneer Day," Church News, Aug. 6, 1994, pp. 4-5.)
Sesquicentennial hymn-sing. Church members and friends sing together to provide the music for this program. The Church will make available an outline of selected hymns and inspirational stories that reflect the sesquicentennial theme. With the exception of the "Faith in Every Footstep" theme song, the hymns will be selected from the LDS hymnbook and will already be familiar to many members. Some hymns will have new arrangements or accompaniments. Interspersed among the hymns will be brief stories of courage and faith that reflect the pioneer spirit. Units may use the stories provided or insert stories of faithful pioneers in their own areas. Such a hymn-sing could be presented by even the smallest branches in the Church.
Sesquicentennial concert. Guidelines will be available for an hour-long concert of music and narration based on the theme "Faith in Every Footstep." This concert will be suitable for presentation in a chapel setting. The concert will feature songs and stories of past and present members in all areas of the world who exemplify the pioneer spirit. The concert could involve story tellers, small or large choirs, vocal soloists, and instrumentalists. Units can revise the concert program to include favorite songs and local pioneer stories.
Pioneer musical. In the summers of 1997 and 1998, Promised Valley Playhouse in Salt Lake City will present a musical production based on the theme "Faith in Every Footstep." The production will portray the pioneer experience from a timeless, international perspective. Scripts, scores and other supporting materials will be available for local productions of this musical.
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Pioneer spirit may enhance community
The pioneer spirit may be emulated by Church members actively working together to improve their neighborhoods and communities. Local Church units can develop their own activities or join activities organized by others. Possible projects include the following:
- Fix-up efforts, such as cleaning, repairing or painting for a neighbor.
- An educational program presented to the community on the pioneer heritage of the Church or community.
- Activities or commemorations to honor people who have been pioneers in establishing the Church in the area or who have provided community service.
- Gathering oral or written histories from influential or exceptional community members. These histories could be offered to the Church historical department for acquisition consideration.
Local units may want to consider a project of lasting significance that can be their legacy to the community. For example, members in Salt Lake City will help city officials develop a park at Ensign Peak, the site Brigham Young saw in a vision and recognized as the place near which early Saints should settle.
Certificates, plaques medallions will be available through Church distribution for recognizing individuals, families and groups for their pioneering spirit or their service to the community. The commemorative medallions may be used for marking the headstones of pioneers.