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GENERAL HANDBOOK OF INSTRUCTIONS, 1909 (#10).
1909: 1 Jan.: All homes to be visited by bishop annually.
“We heartily commend the most excellent services rendered by the bishops and the brethren who so loyally supported them in the recent house-to-house visiting of the Saints. No one can estimate the amount of good this splendid movement has already accomplished. It opens to our view the vast field there is for the activities of our teachers among whom should always be found the most capable men among us.
Cottage meetings should be held in every home at least once a year, at which prayer, song, instruction and earnest exhortation should be conducted; and a blessing should be left with every family.
. . . .
The bishopric will make a personal visit to every family in the ward during the months of November and December, and as far as practicable meetings should be held with each family. The bishopric should sing and pray with the family, teach them their duties, and try to get those who are dilatory to be more diligent and faithful; and not only take up a labor with the heads of families, but with the young people as well.
Members of the Stake Presidency, High Council and other prominent brethren may be asked to assist in making these personal visits when the size of the ward is such that the bishopric cannot attend to it in person. It is surprising how much good the bishopric of the ward can do when they come into personal contact with the members of the Church in their own homes.” (First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric, Annual Instructions, 1909, Circular No. 10, to Presidents of Stakes and Counselors, Presidents of Missions, Bishops and Counselors, Stake Mission and Ward Clerks, and All Church Authorities, 1 Jan., 1909, pp. 1-2, 4-5)
1 Jan.: Record of GA Instructions to be kept in stakes.
“Hereafter a record should be kept in every stake and mission to contain an epitome of all instructions of a permanent character that may be received from the First Presidency, Presiding Bishopric, or other general Church authorities, each entry to be dated and to have a suitable heading. If the instructions are received by letter, its date should be noted, if they are given orally, the name of the person imparting the same should be recorded. The object of this record is to enable the stake and mission presidents to refer to instructions of the general authorities and to enable their successors in office to become familiar with previous instructions. Further details may be obtained by communicating with the Presiding Bishopric.” (First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric, Annual Instructions, 1909, Circular No. 10, to Presidents of Stakes and Counselors, Presidents of Missions, Bishops and Counselors, Stake Mission and Ward Clerks, and All Church Authorities, 1 Jan., 1909, pp. 26-27)
1 Jan.: Weekly priesthood meetings encouraged.
“Special attention is called to the weekly meetings of the priesthood quorums in all the wards. We believe this movement will not only increase the proficiency of the priesthood by reason of its educative features, but by bringing all the brethren together once a week they will acquire the habit of regular activity as servants of the Lord. It has the additional advantage of putting the bishop in communication with every home once a week. We like the idea of these weekly reunions of the fathers of the ward with their sons and associates.
. . . .
Pursuant to a resolution adopted at the special priesthood meeting held in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, October 7, 1908, we recommend the following outline for ward priesthood meeting.
A weekly priesthood meeting should be held in every ward on Monday night, the attendance to consist of the Bishopric of the ward, ward clerks, presidents and members of quorums of the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood.
A special effort should be made by presidents of stakes and bishops to get every worthy male member ordained to the priesthood and enrolled in the quorum of which he can be of most efficient service in the Church; and we also desire all the presiding officers of the stake and ward to make every reasonable effort to organize the quorums of the Aaronic priesthood, so that the Monday night priesthood meetings will be composed of all active and worthy male members of the ward.
The bishop will preside at the ward priesthood meeting, but when any of the stake authorities are present the bishop will, of course, consult their desires in regard to conducting the exercises.
The time to commence the meeting is optional, each ward choosing that hour which is most convenient to the majority of the priesthood of the ward, the meetings to be held not more than one hour and forty-five minutes.
All the priesthood will meet in general assembly for opening exercises and one of its features should be a singing practice not to exceed fifteen minutes. To conduct this successfully, the meeting should be divided into four parts, namely, first bass, second bass, first tenor and second tenor, and the chorister of the ward, or someone else capable of giving musical instruction, should have charge. This exercise should be followed by brief and timely instructions by the presiding authorities, after which the quorums should adjourn to their respective places or rooms and take up their quorum lessons for that evening. After adjournment for quorum work, the presidents of quorums will take charge of and conduct all business of the quorum meeting, including the opening and closing exercises.
We recommend that for the Aaronic priesthood quorums able brethren be selected as instructors to conduct the lesson exercises. We cannot urge too strongly the necessity of choosing men for these positions who are adapted for the work of instructing the young. The success of class work depends almost entirely upon the choice of good instructors.
A course of study consisting of a series of outlines or lessons and suggestions dealing with official and personal duties of the members of the various quorums is being prepared. No quorum should be dismissed without having a definite assignemnt of work for its members, as suggested in part two of the lesson, to be performed during the week. Much of the present indifference among members of quorums is due to the failure of presidents of quorums to make definite assignments for the next meeting.
. . . .
Young men should be advanced in the Aaronic priesthood whenever in the opinion of the bishopric of the ward they are worthy of such advancement, and unless there are special reasons to the contrary they should be advanced in the priesthood from deacon to teacher and from teacher to priest. There can be no set age when persons should be ordained to the various offices of the Aaronic priesthood, but we suggest that as near as circumstances will permit boys be ordained as follows: Deacons at twelve, teachers at fifteen and priests at eighteen years of age.
We trust that this movement among the priesthood will receive the hearty support of presidents of stakes, bishops, and quorum officers jointly, so that ‘every man may learn his duty and act in the office in which he is appointed in all diligence.'” (First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric, Annual Instructions, 1909, Circular No. 10, to Presidents of Stakes and Counselors, Presidents of Missions, Bishops and Counselors, Stake Mission and Ward Clerks, and All Church Authorities, 1 Jan., 1909, pp. 2, 36-37)9