Teaching Relief Society & Priesthood

This activity is written as if it is being taught to a Relief Society only because it makes the use of pronouns easier and consequently, makes it easier to read.   The principles in this talk and the substance of this activity are applicable to all.   Ideas for adapting this activity/talk to an audience of men are detailed below. The Activity: 1.      Read the quote Sis. Eubanks shares from Pres. Kimball (Paragraphs 5-7:   “Finally, my dear sisters . . .   in the last days.”) and ask the class members to consider their specific part in this work. 2.      Explain that you are going to consider how faithful women the world over are already doing this work and how we can be better prepared to take part in this work/improve our contribution. 3.      Divide the class into five groups. 4.      Give each group one of the sections of the talk.   They are: a.  ...

The Activity: 1.      Draw a line down the middle of the board. 2.      Label the left-hand side “Believe In” 3.      Ask class members what it means to believe in God? 4.      Discuss and list answers down that side of the board.   As you do so, talk about the blessing of believing in God. 5.      When conversation begins to lag, write “Trust” on the other side of the board. 6.      Now, ask what it means to trust God. 7.      Write down and discuss answers to this question as they are given. 8.      Spend some time comparing and contrasting the two lists as appropriate. 9.      Discuss how our lives are different when we trust God rather than just believing in Him. 10. Let this set the stage for the rest of your discussion. Using the Activity: From step 10 it ...

The Activity: 1.      Begin by pointing out that Elder Callister compares the Book of Mormon to three things in his talk a.       The keystone of our testimonies b.      A sword to fight for the hearts of the just c.       A shield with which to defend the truth 2.      Ask the class members to consider for a moment each of those metaphors and decide which one is most powerful in their minds 3.      Have the class organize into three groups around the three metaphors that Elder Callister uses—they should go to the one they feel is most powerful 4.      In these groups, ask the class members to discuss a.       Exactly what their chosen metaphor teaches them (for example, how is the Book of Mormon like a keystone when it comes to testimonies?) b.      How the Book o...

The Activity: 1.      Draw to lines vertically down the board, dividing the board into thirds.   Label the boxes as follows: a.       “Learn of Him” b.      “Have faith in Him” c.       “Emulate Him” 2.      Then, draw a line horizontally across the middle of the board so that the board has been divided into 6 boxes of roughly the same size (2 under each heading. 3.      Divide the class into three groups. 4.      Give each group responsibility for one of the categories. 5.      In their groups, class members spend time discussing how they can do the topic they have been assigned, e.g. how do we learn of Christ?   How do we have (or develop) faith in Him?   Etc., and what blessing they will receive as they do those things. 6.      After some time discussi...

The Activity: Elder Arden urges us to greater action, obedience to and faith in the restored gospel.   Then, speaking of questions that may arise, he counsels us to “seek answers and guidance” out of the best books.   The strategy that follows is more of a questioning technique than an actual teaching strategy, but it is useful here and can be used similarly with many other talks. 1.      Ask class members to consider the journalist’s questions for the idea of seeking learning out of the best books.   To do so, use the following questions: a.       Who should seek learning? b.      What are the best books? c.       Where can we seek learning out of the best books? d.      When should we seek learning out of the best books? e.      Why should we seek learning out of the best books according to all of the above answers? ...

Elder Alonso explains that love is demonstrated by service and forgiving.   This activity builds on that. 1.      Make sure everyone has something to write with and to write on. 2.      Ask each person to complete one of the following sentences a.       Loving service is like _____________.   (Loving here is an adjective describing service; not a verb form describing our feelings about service). b.      Forgiveness is like ________________. 3.      Explain that the last part of the sentence should be thoughtful and insightful. 4.      Collect everyone’s similes 5.      Randomly choose one of the similes, read it aloud and discuss it with the class, e.g. what is being said here; how is that true; etc.   Be sure to tie in the talk as appropriate. 6.      The only rule to the activity ...

The Activity: 1.      Divide the class into small groups (about 4 people in each group). 2.      Give each class member a piece of paper with the following questions on it and ask them to discuss these questions with their groups—making notes on their paper for each question: a.       How do social media and pride lead us to “draw things too close . . . obscuring our vision of heaven?” b.      Both social media and pride bring positive as well as negative effects into our lives.   How can you know the difference between the positive and the negative? c.       What are some specific actions you can take to prevent social media and pride from becoming a problem in your life? 3.      Please note that some ideas and inspiration may come to the class members during these discussions that are just for them and not to be shared.   Tha...