Worthy of Standing – Classic LDS Movie

The movie Worthy to Stand will be remembered by LDS church members, who saw it in the 1980s, as Mike Farrell’s movie from the hit television series MASH. Mike Farrell, despite popular rumors within the LDS faith, is not a member of the LDS church. Mike Farrell played an elders quorum president who is trying to help a well-meaning home teacher in his district see the value of his home teaching. This home teacher is a lawyer and has very little time for anything other than his job, he feels that his efforts to visit families are useless and so he decides to ask to be relieved as a home teacher.

The last time you visit one of the families, you are assigned to family counseling, the daughter of the family reveals to you that the family is breaking up. Still wanting to give up, he asks for a release until he realizes the error of his ways. You receive a letter from one of the family’s children who is serving a full-time mission telling him that he could have made a difference in the family’s life. With renewed energy, the home teacher decides to try again to help the family. He goes camping with his bishop and the elders quorum president. They decide that it is time to help the family in need. They save the marriage and the family is active again.

Although very old-fashioned, I used this movie at one of my own elders quorum meetings. The class seemed to like it very much. This movie was a change of pace from the normal LDS movies shown. This movie, while really hard to find, is only available in videotape format and can no longer be purchased directly from the LDS church. You can probably pick it up at a Deseret Industries or LDS church library. This movie can help inspire home teachers to do better in their vocation.

Most home teachers mean well, but home counseling can be challenging because you wonder if your efforts are really worth it. This movie shows the fruits of being a good home teacher and how to do it effectively. In recent years, another film was made about home counseling called The Home Teachers, which takes a comedic approach to fulfilling one’s duty in this special calling.

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