By Jared Capson
Around 124 b.c., King Benjamin called his people together and admonished them to care for and teach their children. “And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil,” King Benjamin declared. “But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:1415).
Perhaps now more than in the time of King Benjamin, a need exists for parents to teach their children and for faithful people to stand strong against societal tides seeking to destroy the family. A 1998 Family Expo April 6 and 7–sponsored by the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Religious Education; the BYU Alumni Association; and the Division of Continuing Education–will address such concerns. The conferencewill focus on improving relationships between parents and children by teaching them how to love and serve one another.
Keynote speakers for the conference will be BYU President Merrill J. Bateman and his wife, Marilyn S. Bateman. Other speakers will include Susan Easton Black, Douglas E. Brinley, Brent L. Top, Mary Ellen Edmunds, Joseph F. and Brenda K. McConkie, and S. Michael Wilcox.
“The experts we have pulled together for this conference really have something to offer that will strengthen, support, and help families,” says Robert L. Hales, programadministrator for Conferences and Workshops at BYU.
Conference sessions will cover topics that include “Joseph Smith’s Family: An Example of Love and Service,” “Teaching Children the Three Degrees of Service,” “Creating a Gospel-Centered Home,” “Helping Youth Put on the Armor of God: The Protective Power of Spirituality,” and “Enlisting the Lord’s Help in Raising His Children.”
“We have the expo the two days following LDS general conference so that people who are attending conference here can stop for an extra two days and then carry this information to their home wards and stakes,” Hales says.
Each registered conference attendee will receive a syllabus of information from the various conference sessions. Registration is $50 per person ($135 for one college credit) or $95 per couple and is limited to 500 people. Those interested in attending should call (801) 378-4853.
