As the Savior's disciples began establishing His Church throughout the land, a question arose that, to some, might seem like a minor point—what should be the name of the Church? (see 3 Nephi 27:1–3). What do you learn about the importance of this name from the Savior's answer in 3 Nephi 27:4–12? In 1838 the Lord revealed the name of His Church today (see Doctrine and Covenants 115:4). Ponder each word in that name. How do these words help us know who we are, what we believe, and how we should act?
As the Savior visited the Americas, He said: "Ye shall call the church in my name ...
"And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses' name then it be Moses' church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church ..." (3 Nephi 27:7-8)
President Russell M. Nelson spoke of the importance of calling the Church by the correct name and promised that "if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord's Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord." (President Russell M. Nelson, October 2018 General Conference.)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is named after our Savior Jesus Christ, because it represents Him. How does your name represent you? A name is an important part of your identity and individuality, and an important part of connection. Your name gives you belonging with your earthly family and your ancestors. See how one woman describes the influence her pioneer ancestor has been in her life.
L. Tom Perry said: "Your good name connects you with your past family history. Your righteous living, your example, your teachings, and your worthwhile service will bless numerous people with your vision. It is almost impossible to comprehend the number. May the Lord bless you with a greater understanding of his great plan of happiness and your special role in it. I add my witness that families are important. Your name is special. It is recorded in the histories of our Father in Heaven, and how you value that, how you treat it, will literally affect generations to come." (L. Tom Perry, The Value of a Good Name, New Era, February 2002)
You are part of all the ancestors who came before you. Your descendants will be part of you. Family names often have family or cultural connections. Names can be derived in a number of ways, such as an occupation, a nearby location, a geographic feature, a characteristic, matronymic or patronymic patterns (mother's or father's names), or some religious significance. To learn more about why names are important, read Given Names and Naming Patterns. If you are having difficulties with names in your genealogical research, you may find some tips in Names: What's In A Name?, an article from the University of Delaware.
Family Origins
What are your family origins? As a family, see if you can find some interesting facts in some of these FamilySearch blogs:
Find the meaning and origin of your surname (last name) at Surname Search — FamilySearch.org. Before looking, have fun letting family members guess what the meaning of your surname might be. After looking, discuss as a family what you discovered.
Activity Index for Come, Follow Me Companion
If you haven't had a chance to do all the activities from previous lessons or had some favorites but are not sure what lesson they were in, check out the Activity Index for Come, Follow Me Companion. Below are just a few previous activities that relate to names and your ancestors.
To help family members understand the joy the Savior described in these verses, you could play a game in which family members hide and another family member tries to find them. This could lead to a conversation about why it's important to find every family member so that "none of them are lost."
From the beginning of their marriage, Ezra Taft and Flora Benson made their home and family their top priority. When their children were young, they began emphasizing that they wanted their family to have no "empty chairs" in the eternities. President Benson emphasized this same message during his service as a Church leader. He said: "God intended the family to be eternal. With all my soul, I testify to the truth of that declaration. May He bless us to strengthen our homes and the lives of each family member so that in due time we can report to our Heavenly Father in His celestial home that we are all there—father, mother, sister, brother, all who hold each other dear. Each chair is filled. We are all back home." (Marriage and Family—Ordained of God) You may enjoy listening to the song "No Empty Chairs" by Janice Kapp Perry.
Hide and Seek
Play a game of hide and seek with your family. (As a variation, you may want to end the game before everyone is found and see what comments are made by family members.) Discuss as a family why you needed to keep searching until everyone was found? Why was that important? Compare that with your eternal family. Discuss the importance of finding everyone on our family tree so that you can be an eternal family.
"Empty" Fan Chart Boxes
The fan chart is a great tool to give you an overview of your family tree on one screen. As a family, see what "empty" boxes you can find in your chart. Change to different ancestors and see if any empty boxes appear, making notes of them. As a family, discuss what you might do or with whom you may seek help to see if you can find these ancestors. Pray for guidance. Make an action plan to succeed. (The fan chart defaults to the fan chart of the individual who logged on to FamilySearch. To start the fan chart with someone else, simply find that person on your fan chart and click that person's name, and then click the Tree link that appears in the box.)
Ordinances Ready
As individual family members, use "Ordinances Ready" to find family names for the ordinances you choose to perform so "none are lost." (3 Nephi 27:30) Print out these names so you are ready the next time you are able to attend the temple. If you haven't used Ordinances Ready yet, learn how to Request Temple Ordinances for Family Names. If you need additional help, check out Ordinances Ready on the FamilySearch App.
Your Personal History
Write one brief story about your life as you study each Come, Follow Me lesson. By the end of the year, you will have compiled 50 stories to add to your personal history. Save as a story (also consider audio-recording it) and add it to your FamilySearch memories to preserve it. Use your own questions, those from (or inspired by) Come,Follow Me, or the #52 Stories Project. See below for ideas:
How do the words The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints help you know who you are and what you believe?
Write down some things about your family origins.
How are you helping find every family member so that "none of them are lost?" (3 Nephi 27:30)
