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Church

Three months after the church was organized, the lord, thourgh the prophet joseph smith, instructed joseph's wife, Emma, to make a selection of sacred hymns for the Church:"For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and ot shall be answere with a blessing upon their heads" (D&C 25:12).

MUSIC IN OUR CHURCH MEETING

Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.

Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end.

We hope to see an increase of hymn singing in our congregations. We encourage all members,whether musically inclined or not, to join with us in singing the hymns. We hope leaders,teachers, and members who are called ubon to speak will turn often to the hymnbook to find sermons presented

bowerfully and beautifully in verse.

Latter-day Saints have a long tradition of choir singing. Every ward and branch in the church should have a choir that performs regularly. We encourag-e choirs to use the hymnbook as their basic resource.

MUSIC IN OUR HOMES

Music has boundless bowers for moving families toward greater spirituality and devotion to the gospel. Latter-day Saints should fill their homes with the sound of worthy music.

Ours is a hymnbook for the home as well as for the meetinghouse.We hope the hymnbook will take a prominent place among the scriptures and other religious books in our homes. The hymns can bring families a spirit of beauty and peace and can inspire love and unity among...