Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

In terms of complete transparency, I need to say that I am currently over the missionary work in my ward, and I love it.  So, it should come as no surprise to anyone that this talk is a highlight for me.  Elder Uchtdorf gives us some wonderful, practical counsel about doing missionary work in this talk.  He also makes some pretty impressive promises and that is what this activity focuses on.  The Activity: Point out that in this talk Elder Uchtdorf makes promises that are worth considering for a moment. With the class read the promises and ask the class members to listen for the one that to them stands out the most.  The promises are found in the following passages: Par. 9  "In other words . . . and socialize with." Par. 24 "The closer you  . . . ask about it." Par. 31 "The important thing . . . it will happen." Par. 45 "Follow this path . . . His precious children." Give the class a moment to consider the promises silently. Ask the

This talk feels like a back to the basics talk.  The purpose of the gospel is to bring us peace, joy, and happiness.  The gospel is summed up in the two great commandments.  It is also worth noting that by my very unofficial count the scriptures where Christ identifies the two great commandments were the most cited scriptures of this conference (Luke 10:27; Mat. 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31).  That should probably tell us that those are important for us at this time. The Activity: Read par. 14-16 "The best ways . . . the elders quorum" Point out that Pres. Ballard connects four of the most recent points of emphasis from the brethren to the two great commandments: Ministering Home-centered, Church-supported gospel learning Sabbath day worship Gathering Israel on both sides of the veil Divide the class into four groups and assign each group one of those four points of emphasis Ask the groups to discuss how their topic connects to the two great commandments.  For exampl

As someone who makes a living in academia, I appreciate that at the beginning of most, if not all, of Pres. Eyring's talks he gives us his purpose(s).  This talk is no different.  At the end of the first paragraph, he tells that he has two purposes.  First, he wants to express appreciation, specifically from the Lord, for the sustaining faith of the members.  Second, he wants encourage us to sustain more completely our leaders.  This activity will focus on the second purpose. The Activity: Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk. On the board draw a line down the middle and on one side write How do we sustain our leaders? On the other side, write What are the blessings of sustaining our leaders? Then, ask the class members to look over the talk and identify some answers that Pres. Eyring gives to each of those questions.  Do not take answers immediately; instead, give the class a few minutes of silent time to locate some passages that will work.  Encourage

This talk is based on a very practical approach to gospel living and so this activity is geared to highlight the applicability of this talk to our everyday lives. The Activity: Prior to the lesson, create 7 or 8 situations that require a choice and write them on slips of paper.  For example . . . You are exhausted and get into bed before saying your prayer.  What do you do? You see a friend making poor choices that could endanger her/him and others.  What do you do? You win free tickets to a show that you and your wife have been wanting to see.  Then, you discover that the show is on a Sunday.  There are no changes.  What do you do? Etc. Put the slips of paper in a jar Ask a volunteer to select a paper from the jar and read it aloud.   Discuss the situation, the possible choices, and where each choice will lead.  Be careful of falling into the trap of a slippery slope.  For example, not saying your prayers one night does not condemn you to outer darkness, but it does make

It struck me as significant that both Pres. Oaks and Pres. Nelson addressed the idea of repentance in conference this time.  In the mouth of two or three witnesses . . . The Activity: Prior to the lesson, ask each class member to read over the talk and identify A) the most powerful sentence, B) an a-ha moment in the talk, and C) a part that would have special importance for a friend. Take a moment in class to allow class members to look over the talk and remind themselves of those parts that they identified (and anyone who didn't do it can find at least one passage). Ask class members to stand up and walk around the room meeting with other class members (especially those that they do not know well).  In these meet-ups (which should last only a minute or two), they are to share one of their passages and explain why they chose it.  They listen to their partner's passage and then discuss how the passages relate to each other. Give everyone time to talk to 4 or 5 people (mo

The most fundamental role of a prophet is to invite people to come unto Christ and it feels that this is exactly what Pres. Nelson did during this conference, and this talk is a great example of that.  Specifically, this talk speaks to those who are struggling with activity or belief.  As such, it would seem to be a great tool for ward missionaries and those who know and minister to anyone with such struggles.  The activity here reflects the nature of this invitation by asking class members to consider some of the things Pres. Nelson invites us to do.  The activity is fairly simple but will hopefully be a powerful experience for class members. The Activity: Explain that today you will discuss some questions that for some members may seem obvious (and that certainly have typical answers that we can spout without a lot of thought).  For other members, though, these are legitimate concerns.  So, as the discussion proceeds everyone should be respectful but also be earnest in trying to

I could say this about every talk, but I really loved this talk by Pres. Nelson.  It was a call to action that I grew from when I heard it and even more as I have read it.  I have created two activities for this talk.  One feels to me like a beginning the class activity and the other feels like an end of class activity, although they would be able to be used at any time.  I hope they serve you well. The Activity 1: On the board write the following questions (or prepare a handout with them on it): What does it mean to repent? What are the blessings of repentance? What is Satan doing to prevent us from repenting? Why do we need to increase our efforts to repent at this time? Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk. Divide the class into small groups (2-4 people per group) Ask the groups to look through the talk and find the best quote(s) from Pres. Nelson's talk to answer each of the questions above. Give the groups a few minutes.   When it feels appr