For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the family is ordained of God and is central to His plan. The concept of a united family that lives and perpetuates beyond the grave is at the core of Latter-day Saint doctrine.
As part of its commitment to strengthening families, the Church will join the country in celebrating the 29th National Family Week from September 19-25, 2021. This week-long celebration will be done in partnership with the National Committee on the Filipino Family (NCFF) and all partnering government agencies and civil society groups.
In addition, the Church encourages all its stakes (dioceses), districts (small dioceses), and missions to join in the nationwide celebration.
This year's theme set by the NCFF is: “Tungo sa Maginhawa, Matatag, at Panatag na Pamilyang Pilipino” [To a Homely, Strong, and Peaceful Filipino Family]. NCFF also added a subtheme for 2021 to highlight how Filipino families have used technology to overcome the challenges of the pandemic. The subtheme reads: "Pamilya at Teknolohiya: Magkabalikat Mapagtagumpayan ang Hamon ng Pandemya" [Family and Technology: Partners in Overcoming the Challenges of the Pandemic].
Integrating the NCFF's theme, the Church will continue with its previous year's campaign "#BFF: Building Forever Families" to reinforce the Latter-day Saint sentiments on the eternal nature of families. This year, the Church will focus on building relationships among families members by encouraging the members to use the hashtag #MyFamilyMyBFF when posting on social media.
The Church will be broadcasting a series of live shows on its Facebook page and YouTube channel every night at 7 PM, starting September 19 to September 27. These shows will feature local Latter-day Saint families and their talents as well as highlight lessons and topics that can help strengthen the Filipino family. Exclusive content for the youth and young single adults will be shared through the Church's Instagram account. The Church invites all members and friends of other faiths to watch and join in the celebration.
This year's National Family Week activities and dates are as follows:
- Sunday, 19 September: Boosting the Family's Faith Area Presidency Devotional
Watch the Area Presidency Devotional Facebook live event that will feature messages that center around the importance of families and ways we can have better relationships within our homes.
- Monday, 20 September: Better Families through Family Home Evening
The Church's Family Home Evening program encourages members to dedicate time during Monday evenings for their families.
Join a Filipino family as they invite a member of the Area Presidency and friends of other faiths to have a Family Home Evening with them. This activity will be broadcasted live on Facebook and Youtube.
- Tuesday, 21 September: Bridging Families through Family History
FamilySearch is an international, nonprofit organization sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated to helping all people discover their family history. Its commitment to helping people connect with their ancestors is rooted in the belief that family relationships can last beyond the grave.
Throughout the day, FamilySearch Tree App how-to videos featuring Area Authorities will be shared over Facebook and YouTube. These fun videos will be a step-by-step tutorial on how to add memories, videos, and photos to the app. During the evening, join a member of the Area Presidency and his family as they host a fun family game night centered on the importance of family history.
- Wednesday, 22 September: Becoming a More Faith-filled Family in '#HearHim through Music'
Good, uplifting music helps strengthen family relationships. Watch the family special episode of "#HearHim through Music", a musical program that features Latter-day Saint artists from different parts of the Philippines.
- Thursday, 23 September: Bringing Faith to the Family through an Interfaith Family Forum
Watch the broadcast of the 4th Interfaith Family Forum with your family as you hear keynote speakers from different faiths teach and share ways on how we can build better families and better communities.
- Friday, 24 September: Boldly Forging Ahead in Faith #MissionaryTakeover
Every last Friday of the month, two assigned missions in the Philippines will be taking over all the official social media pages of the Church. This month, join the Philippines Quezon City and Cagayan de Oro Missions as they flood your feed with inspiring messages on how the gospel of Jesus Christ can bless individuals and families amid the ongoing pandemic.
At 7PM, join the Philippines Quezon City Mission for a Facebook live event that focuses on missionaries and families sharing their talents, stories, and testimonies of the
- Saturday, 25 September: Look Back on this Week's Family Festivities with our hosts Ralph and Zennia Aquino
To culminate the festivities of the week, watch the Saturday recap video of the 2021 National Family Week celebration highlights.
- Sunday, 26 September: Banwag sa Kahayag Family Special with the Philippines Cagayan de Oro Mission
In addition to the National Family Week activities, the Church will be airing "Banwag Sa Kahayag", a family special Facebook live event by the missionaries from the Philippines Cagayan de Oro Mission. Aside from highlighting the local talents of Filipino families, missionaries will be answering questions and sharing principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ about the doctrine of eternal families.
- Monday, 27 September: #KainTayoTogether: Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Day
This is a nationwide celebration that occurs every 4th Monday of September in accordance with Proclamation 326. The Church encourages its members and friends of other faiths to join in the celebration by posting on their social media feed a photo of their family sharing a meal together with the hashtag #KainTayoTogether.
About National Family Week
The National Family Week has been observed annually since 1992 after the signing of Proclamation 60 by President Fidel V. Ramos, which declares every last week of September as "Family Week". This declaration is in accordance with the Philippines Constitution, which affirms that “the state recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation.” The Church remains at the forefront since 1992 in supporting this proclamation.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joins communities and echo the invitation found in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” which states, “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”