LDS Church terms no longer in use
For example, today there is the Young Women organization. But it wasn't always so. The group started as the Young Ladies' Relief Society. It was also referred to as the Young Ladies' Retrenchment Association, the Young Ladies' National Mutual Improvement Association, the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association and the Aaronic Priesthood MIA Young Women — all before today's title.
Today's Primary groups — nursery, Sunbeams, CTRs and Valiants — used to have a variety of nicknames.
Here's a partial list of some of the names and abbreviations previously used in the church:
A.C.M.I. — The Arizona Co-operative Mercantile Institution, the title for a short-lived Arizona version of ZCMI.
Beacons — This was a short-lived title for 8-year-olds in the primary, starting in 1953.
Bluebirds — These were 10- and 11-year-old girls, starting in the 1926 Primary organization. Later, they were just the 10-year-olds.
Children's Friend — Original name of The Friend, a church magazine for young children, from 1902 to 1970.
Deseret Sunday School Union — Original name of the church's Sunday School program.
Firelights — In 1960, this was the 10-year-old Primary girls.
Gaynotes — The 9-year-old Primary girls in 1959 used this title, as part of the revised Liahonas (Little Homemakers) girls program.
Junior Sunday School — A standard church program for about 50 years, starting in 1933.
Juvenile Instructor
Improvement Era — The original name of today's Ensign magazine, from 1897 to 1970. There was also a Relief Society Magazine, from 1914 to 1970.
Larks — Primary girls, age 9, used this name in 1929.
Lihomas— This was an umbrella title for all older Primary girls in 1940.
M-Men and Gleaners — Young men and young women departments in the church's MIA program, for ages 17-23, that began in 1921.
Merrihands — Eleven-year-old girls in 1959 were called Merrihands.
Merry Misses — What 9-year-old Primary girls were once called.
Mi-kan—wees — Starting in 1929, this was the name for 12- and 13-year-old girls
Moonbeams —A past nickname for Sunbeams, the youngest Primary class.
Recent comments
The "Top-Pilot" class is missing also!
Anonymous | April 5, 2008 at 12:11 a.m.
Wait a minute, when I was a "Merrie Miss" I was in the 10/11 yr old…
Teresa Marie | March 1, 2008 at 11:30 p.m.
Don't forget Bluebirds. Primary girls between Larks and Seagulls…
Jean | Feb. 14, 2008 at 6:50 a.m.
