Firesides Firesides by Ronald Patrick Firesides are informal gatherings of Church members and friends, often in homes or other congenial surroundings, as if around a fire. Typically, firesides feature a single speaker reporting new developments, insights, or interesting experiences.
Religious firesides exhibit ties to the ancient fascination of the warmth and protection of a fire.
In LDS life, firesides may be traceable to the exodus across the plains. After an arduous day of travel, the pioneers in the evening would arrange their wagons in a circle, and gather around the campfire to pray, sing, share their spiritual experiences, and rejoice in the progress and blessings of the day. Holding firesides has become a common Sunday evening practice for socializing, fellowshipping, and learning. Wards, stakes, or regions commonly sponsor firesides. They are frequently a forum for returned missionaries presenting cultural insights from their mission experiences, often with the use of slides, tapes, photos, and so forth.