Joseph F. Smith Family Reunion – 2020 Program

Welcome to the 2020 Joseph F. Smith Family Reunion program. As the rules for meeting together in Salt Lake City have shifted over the past months, we, the trustees of the Joseph F. Smith Association, decided our best approach would be to provide an outline and presentation for you to use in your own Family Home Evening, to remember our dear prophet, Joseph F. Smith.

We love you, and hope that what we’ve prepared for you here helps you remember our grandfather Joseph F. Smith, and with his example, encourages you in your goals to do what’s right.

I am Paul Smith, and I am the chairman of our reunion this year. We would like to recognize the Trustees of the Joseph F. Smith association, who are: Paul Smith (Mary), Alice Watson (Alice), Shauna Sandberg (Sarah), Sarah Adams (Julina), and Craig Smith (Edna). We also recognize: Mary Donoho, our principal genealogy data steward and address coordinator; Jared Glade, our website and online database coordinator; Chris Rasmussen, our secretary, and Paul Smith, our treasurer. Keeping track of the family is a tough job, and we thank our data stewards: Mary Donoho (Julina), Chris Rasmussen (Sarah), Marilyn Wood (Alice), Jared Glade (Edna), and Becky Lowe – recently replaced by David Scott (Mary). As you have changes in your family, please let your family data steward or Mary Donoho know.

Please recognize those in your family who have been or will be baptized this year or who have turned 12. We plan to have them join us on the stand when we meet in person next year. We also encourage you to appreciate Joseph F. Smith’s living grandchildren, and those you have passed on.

For our primary-age children, we have a coloring book you can download here: Joseph F. Smith Booklet.pdf

Due to the format of our reunion this year, President Ballard has also recorded his message. We are grateful to have both he and President Oaks as part of our family.

Here is the outline we encourage you to follow, including links to music you can play and sing along with, hosted on the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Feel free to adapt it to the special needs of your family.

Opening Hymn: 19 We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet. After clicking on this link, you’ll see a ‘Play’ button that will let you play the music. When you’re done with the song, come back to this page.

Opening Prayer: Someone from your family

Paul Smith

Paul Smith – Joseph F. Smith

As a family, discuss how being related to the Lord’s prophet Joseph F. Smith, encourages each of you to do and be better. How do his example, and that of his wives, help you be kind to everyone, and to focus on the Gospel, your own family, and all of God’s children?

President M. Russell Ballard

President M. Russell Ballard – Joseph F. Smith

Closing Hymn: 21 Come, Listen to a Prophet’s Voice. After clicking on this link, you’ll see a ‘Play’ button that will let you play the music. When you’re done with the song, come back to this page.

Closing Prayer: Someone from your family

Refreshments of your choice 😉

Family Reunion Monday, Nov. 9, 2020

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year we’ll be holding our reunion right here, on this website. Come back to this site on the evening of Monday, November 9.

Because we can’t meet in person, we, the trustees of the Joseph F. Smith Family Association, decided that our best approach would be to provide a program outline and video presentations. We hope you will use these in your own Family Home Evening held on Monday, November 9, to remember our dear prophet and grandfather, Joseph F. Smith. We will include links to recorded hymns and music, so you can sing and pray together as a family. We will also include coloring materials you can download for younger children to help them remember him.

I am Paul Smith, and as it’s my turn to chair this event, I’ve prepared the outline and a video presentation. President Ballard has also recorded his thoughts and encouragement for our family.

We’ve been asked a few times – what time will we hold the reunion? We normally hold the reunion at 7 PM, but that may be too late for some families. Since we have pre-recorded the videos, we’ll put them and the program here early enough that you can get together any time on Monday evening or thereafter.

Road to Carthage Marathon

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I am helping to publicize and promote a marathon run that honors the memory of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It is being held on May 27th this year, which is Memorial day weekend. The run starts in Nauvoo, and ends … Continue reading