Lara
This may not be the kind of question you had in mind, but I’ve been really wondering how you set up the FHE lesson group in your ward. Did you have it as an exchange group? Or was it more like a class? I’m wondering how to set one up in our ward in a way that will reach the most people and be interactive. I’ve even been digitizing my favorite lessons in anticipation, now I just need to figure out how to set it up.
At the beginning of 2007 Mr. FR and I were discussing what we wanted to improve upon for our family during the coming year. Holding consistent family home evening was at the top of our list. Funny how the Lord works. The very next day I got a call from the Enrichment counselor in Relief Society asking if I would be in charge of a Family Home Evening enrichment group!
I thought about doing an FHE exchange where everyone participating made like 12 of the same lesson so we’d exchange and all have 12 different lessons – like a cookie exchange. But I realized that would exclude many sisters who either didn’t have the funds to put together that many lessons or the time and resources that would be needed. So I went a completely different route.
I first passed around a sign up sheet for anyone who might be remotely interested and had room for them to leave suggestions for lessons. There was a lot of interest! And from both wards that met in the building. Using those suggestions I created a plan for the year scheduling about three FHE lessons per month.
Each month I’d send around a sign up sheet that let people sign up for whatever lessons they wanted. I tried to keep the cost for each lesson between $3-$5. When we met each month I had all the copies made and supplies ready. We’d sit around chatting while everyone cut out game pieces, quote cards, etc. We had laminating machines set up so all pieces, including the lesson outline, could be laminated. Each meeting usually took about an hour and a half. It took some work on my part but it was so worth it because SO MANY families benefited from it! The size of the group fluctuated from month to month but the number of lessons signed up for continued to increase. Women were ordering lessons for their friends in other states or making extras to give as gifts. I headed the group for one year. After that I was burnt out! And it was time to move onto other projects.
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You are awesome! I may try to do something like this in our ward! Thanks for sharing such a terrific idea! Hope you are having a super Spring Break!
OH, while I’m thinking about it, did you get the downloads via email from Me and Marie?
Thank you for answering my question! What a wonderful way to help people have better family home evenings.
Love the idea! Family home evening can be pretty difficult to keep interesting and what works for one family does not always work for another. I wish we had something like this. I am clueless when it comes to creative lessons!