Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

I always come away from one of Elder Renlund's talks feeling as if I have learned a great deal of things that should have been obvious for a long time.  Not in a bad way.  I never feel like I messed up or was slow.  Instead, I feel like I just now see something clearly and I can better explain my own spiritual experiences.  This talk was the same way.  As I read it, I found myself reflecting on the blessings I had received in my own life-- how my prayers had been answered and that was the genesis for this activity. The Activity: Make sure everyone has access to the talk. Ask the class members to think about a time that one of their prayers was answered (or that of someone close to them).  Give them a few moments and ask them to remember the experience in as detailed a way as possible.  What was the blessing they received?  How long did they have to pray for it?  What else did they do to qualify for the blessing?  Etc. After a few minutes, ask the class members to look throug

For me, this talk was a beautiful reminder of my attitude towards other people.  My need to have greater love, which translates into greater patience, understanding, and kindness for all of those around me.  Something that is easy to forget in the moment, but so important. The Activity: Prior to class, gather several pictures of people from various backgrounds and situtations.  These can be pictures from the internet or magazines.  Choose pictures that may evoke a somewhat negative reaction, e.g. someone begging for food/money, someone stealing some candy, etc. At an appropriate point in the lesson, show one of the pictures. Ask the class to share what the world would see when they see this person.  Discuss this for a moment, including why they would see the person in this way. Now, ask how someone filled with charity would see this same person.  Discuss this for a moment, including why they would see the person in this way. Repeate with another picture as you feel appropriate

I always love Elder Christofferson's talks (I feel like I say that about all of the general authorities), but this one was especially powerful for me.  I was most touched by the last part of the talk, where Elder Christofferson reminds us that ultimately this work is the Lord's work, and He does the heavy lifting while allowing us to share in the work.  Having said that this activity does not deal with that part of the talk, and it is a bit more artsy-craftsy than normal. The Activity: Beforehand, prepare strips of construction paper, one for each class member.  Bring them to class with you along with some markers and a stapler or two. After discussing the talk for some amount of time, pass out a strip of paper to each class member and ask them to think of something, small they could do in light of the talk and the promptings of the Spirit. Have the class members write their ideas on their strip of paper. Pass the stapler around the room and ask them to connect the two

This is such a great talk, although I am partial to Elder Bednar's talks.  There is a large portion of this talk that is directed towards (or feels like it is directed towards) parents.  Not everyone in the class will fit into that category.  So, as you use this activity or teach this talk, please be mindful of those for whom these topics can be painful. The Activity: Read par. 9 "If all you . . . love and trust" and par. 12 "Enabling the accomplishment . . . fulness of times." Discuss with the whole class how some of the changes in the Church enable a more "home-centered gospel learning." Ask the class members to share some of the changes they have made in their homes in response to this new focus of the Church.  You may wish to write some of these ideas on the board. After a few moments of discussion, ask the class members to silently consider the ideas on the boards as well as any others that they thought of during the discussion and to cons

This talk powerfully and tenderly testifies and teaches of Christ's roles as The One who reaches out to us and as the One who laid down all for us.  There are many aspects of this talk to focus on.  I chose one point that really struck me.  I think this emphasis (on Christ as our exemplar) was even more powerful for me given the course of study in Sunday School this year. The Activity: Read par. 17 "Third, as the  . . . minister in love" Divide the class members into small groups of 3-5 people each. Ask the group to think/discuss scriptural accounts of the Savior acting as a shepherd in Israel ministering in love.  Class members can use their own memories and/or the scriptures as they feel most comfortable.  Wjhat principles can they glean from these accounts? Allow the groups a few minutes to discuss various points. Come back together and ask the groups to share with the rest of the class some of their ideas. Give each class member a piece of paper and somethin

This talk felt like a perfect capstone for conference.  This activity will not take a lot of time.  The Activity: Read par. 26 "As we diligently . . . in His protection." Point out that in this talk, Elder Rasband gives five specific things we can do to build/strengthen our own spiritual fortresses. Divide the class into 5 groups.  Assign each group one of the five points Elder Rasband discusses along with the section of the talk associated with each. Obedience, par. 20-21 Trust, par. 22 Standing for Truth, par. 23 Making and Renewing Covenants, par. 24 Integrity, par. 25 Ask each group to discuss how each principle will strengthen our fortress and help us become more like Christ.  Tell them to go beyond the surface. After a few minutes, come back together as a class and have each group share what they discussed.   Using the Activity: This activity probably works best at the beginning of the class as a kind of overview to set the stage; however, it coul

There are many ways to approach this talk, and discussing the Proclamation would certainly be appropriate.  Based on the title of this talk, though, I see the Proclamation as more of a model for how we can approach gospel questions with an eye of faith.  The activity I describe here comes from that perspective. The Activity: Make sure everyone has access to the talk. Explain that for this activity you want to use Elder Anderson's discussion of the Proclamation as a pattern for how to handle any questions about the gospel. Break the class into small groups of about 3-4 people each. Ask the groups to scan the talk and find passages that highlight a principle of how to approach our gospel questions. After a few minutes, come back together as a class and ask people to share what they found (passage and principle). As they are mentioned, write ideas on the board and discuss them.   Using the Activity: This activity is valuable becuase it pushes the class members to read

I know this talk covered a few ideas but at its heart, for me this talk was about the sacrament.  It seems that over the past couple of decades (maybe longer?) we have been getting talks about this on a fairly regular basis.  Since these talks are not assigned, perhaps this is something that we should pay attention to, even though it can be difficult, especially if you have kids (not just young kids, teenagers too :) ).  The Activity: Review some of the specific counsel that Elder Holland gives to make our sacrament experience more holy.  For example: Par. 14  "Thus, we are . . . where we can." Par. 15  "Furthermore, there will . . . fill the mire." Par. 16  "In that same . . . shocked as well." Par. 19  "When the sacred . . . that surround us." Discuss how implementing those things could make the sacrament more sacred for us as well as others in the congregation. Discuss what else people could do to make partaking of the sacrament a

The Young Men's President in our ward was inspired to ask the young men in our ward to develop specific "priesthood plays" based on this talk.  The activity that I share here is similar in that it is based on application of the principles here.  I think that it is worth noting that this talk, I think, would pair nicely with Pres. Oaks' talk, "Where Will This Lead?" from this same session of General Conference.  I also realize as I plan and share this activity that many adult groups may not choose to teach this particular talk because it is aimed at the young men; however, that does not diminish the value of these principles for all of us. The Activity: Divide the white board down the middle and label one side "Offensive" and the other side "Defensive." As a class, review Elder Stevenson's definitions of both "Offensive Plays" (par. 42) and "Defensive Plays" (par. 43).  You may also want to review some of the

This was the perfect talk to kick off conference.  The focus on teaching and learning the gospel really set the stage for what was to come.  The Activity: Make sure that everyone has access to the talk. Ask everyone to partner up. Give each partnership a piece of paper and something to write with. Ask the class members to fold their paper in half length-wise and to label one side "Learning" and the other side "Teaching" Ask the class members to look over the talk and identify principles of gospel teaching and learning that Elder Soares shares.  As they find a principle, they should distill it into a single word and record it under the appropriate heading.  For example, par. 18 "Brothers and sisters . . . way we live" could be recorded as "Action" or "Behavior." Give the class a few minutes to find some principles.  You do not need to provide enough to for everyone to completely mine the talk.  It is okay if class members do no