“Primary Celebrates 125 Years,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 78
Primary Celebrates 125 Years
The first Primary meeting was held on 25 August 1878 in Farmington, Utah, with 224 boys and girls. Today—125 years later—there are nearly one million Primary children throughout the world, and the Church has marked the anniversary with events throughout the year.
The Primary commemoration began in February, when more than 20,000 children, parents, and Primary leaders gathered at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and tens of thousands more gathered in meetinghouses around the world to participate in the first-ever broadcast for Primary children.
“I think there never was before a meeting such as this of boys and girls,” President Gordon B. Hinckley told the congregation. “And your coming together in these many different places is a sign of the wonderful growth which this Church has experienced since it was first established.”
Children and their parents heard messages from President Hinckley; Sister Coleen K. Menlove, Primary general president; Sister Sydney S. Reynolds, first counselor in the Primary general presidency; and Sister Gayle M. Clegg, second counselor in the Primary general presidency. The full text of each of their talks was printed in the May issue of the Ensign.
“We hope children will remember this all of their lives,” Sister Reynolds said of the broadcast.
Individual branches, wards, and stakes have been encouraged to hold their own local anniversary celebrations in August. The Primary general presidency encouraged local Primaries to participate in service projects or explore the history of Primary, tying activities to the theme “I’ll Follow Him in Faith,” says Sister Reynolds.
The Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City is commemorating the 125th anniversary with an exhibit of Primary memorabilia and nostalgia. Visitors will see bandalos, Merrie Miss Articles of Faith banners, Targeteer flags, and issues of the Children’s Friend dating back to the early 1900s. Visitors to the exhibit can also vote for their favorite Primary songs. Submissions are tallied each week during the exhibit, and as of 29 May, the top five all-time favorites were: (1) “I Am a Child of God,” (2) “I Love to See the Temple,” (3) “A Child’s Prayer,” (4) “We’ll Bring the World His Truth,” and (5) “Book of Mormon Stories.”
“If you are under 100 years old and you ever went to Primary, you’ll find something [in this exhibit] that will remind you of your Primary experience,” says Marjorie Conder, the exhibit’s curator, “and more especially, the feelings of your Primary experience.”
The exhibit is on display through November.
Items such as a Targeteer flag and a CTR airplane are some of the memorabilia on display at the Museum of Church History and Art, commemorating 125 years of Primary. (Photograph courtesy of Museum of Church History and Art.)