I usually write the theme songs for other people to sing, like “I Will Go and Do,” sung by David Archuleta, and “Peace in Christ,” sung by McKenna Hixson. But this year, I got to sing my own song! It was a really cool experience to be able to write and sing the theme song for the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Every time I write a theme song, I have so many different ideas before I come up with what is right for the scripture. The scripture that the 2021 theme is based off of is D&C 64:33-34: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.”
If you’re looking for the 2021 youth theme resources, you can click here.
As you can see, the scripture has a lot of different parts that we could have focused on. I started focusing on “the Lord requireth the heart” and tried to write a song called “He Wants Your Heart,” but it wasn’t feeling right. We could have focused on “Be not weary in well doing,” or “laying the foundation,” or “out of small things,” but we decided that the best message for this year was “a great work.”
We decided to focus on the great work we all have, collectively, as members of the Church and children of God, and also the great work each of us have to do individually. That’s why the logo is a thumb print – it’s symbolic that each of us is unique and important, and we have a great work to do on this earth.
Here are a few ideas I had before I came up with the final version of “A Great Work.”