I love this idea from the Friend magazine, July, 2001.
Use the cutouts to tell the story of the Restoration. There is also a simplified summary of the story that is great for children.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
from the Friend magazine, July 2001, Sharing Time Ideas
Opening Song: "The Church of Jesus Christ" (CS, 77)
Scripture: D&C 1:30 (use in attention activity below)
Attention Activity
Display a bouquet of four artificial flowers and one real flower. Ask how the flowers are similar and different from one another. Point out that the main difference is that only one is a true flower. Explain that though there are many churches in the world today, only one of them is the true Church of Jesus Christ. Look up D&C 1:30 and read it together.
Write each word of the name of the Church on strips of paper. As a family, put the word strips in the correct order. You could take turns pulling the word strips out of a bag or find them hidden around the room.
Activity
Ask questions about the name of the Church and when it was organized. Use the scriptures listed to find the answer.
Why is the Church named after the Savior? (3 Nephi 27:8; D&C 115:4 - He is the had of the Church)
Why is the date the Church was organized, April 6, important? (D&C 20:1 - It is the date of the Savior's birth)
Why is "of Latter-day" in the name? (D&C 20:1; D&C 115:4 - Because we are living in the last days; the name was revealed to Joseph Smith)
What were members of the Church called in New Testament times? (Romans 1:7 - Saints)
Explain that the Church was taken from the earth after Jesus Christ was resurrected and all the apostles died. Members then strayed from the truth. The Lord chose Joseph Smith to help restore (bring back) the true church. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, and He chooses the prophets of His Church today just as he chose Joseph Smith to be the first prophet and President of the Church in the latter days.
Opening Song: "The Church of Jesus Christ" (CS, 77)
Scripture: D&C 1:30 (use in attention activity below)
Attention Activity
Display a bouquet of four artificial flowers and one real flower. Ask how the flowers are similar and different from one another. Point out that the main difference is that only one is a true flower. Explain that though there are many churches in the world today, only one of them is the true Church of Jesus Christ. Look up D&C 1:30 and read it together.
Write each word of the name of the Church on strips of paper. As a family, put the word strips in the correct order. You could take turns pulling the word strips out of a bag or find them hidden around the room.
Activity
Ask questions about the name of the Church and when it was organized. Use the scriptures listed to find the answer.
Why is the Church named after the Savior? (3 Nephi 27:8; D&C 115:4 - He is the had of the Church)
Why is the date the Church was organized, April 6, important? (D&C 20:1 - It is the date of the Savior's birth)
Why is "of Latter-day" in the name? (D&C 20:1; D&C 115:4 - Because we are living in the last days; the name was revealed to Joseph Smith)
What were members of the Church called in New Testament times? (Romans 1:7 - Saints)
Explain that the Church was taken from the earth after Jesus Christ was resurrected and all the apostles died. Members then strayed from the truth. The Lord chose Joseph Smith to help restore (bring back) the true church. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, and He chooses the prophets of His Church today just as he chose Joseph Smith to be the first prophet and President of the Church in the latter days.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Restoration of the Gospel
This is a list of ideas that should be split up into multiple lessons. They are also not my original ideas. I will give credit to the sites I found them on!
Restoration Object Lesson - from www.HatchPatch.com and April 2013 Sharing Time
Preparation:
Gather at least 27 large plastic or paper cups.
Label cups using a marker or tape/glue word strips (below).
12 cups labeled "Apostle"
15 cups labeled with other gospel principles:
Priesthood
Sacrament
Baptism
Temples
Living Prophets
Revelation
Gift of the Holy Ghost
Missionary Work
Prayer
Tithing
Eternal Families
Repentance
Book of Mormon
Bible
Atonement
Teaching:
During this object lesson you will be building a pyramid using the cups. At different points in the lesson, you will be removing cups one at a time, so at one point the pyramid will come crashing down. During the remainder of the lesson you will use the cups to re-build the pyramid.
Explain that when Christ was on the earth he ordained apostles who held the Priesthood. As you explain, place the 12 cups with the word Apostles in two rows of six, side by side. (This is the foundation of your pyramid.) You could show a pictures of Christ ordaining the Apostles. Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them;
Explain that the earth now had the priesthood (point to the bottom row of cups.) Because we had the priesthood other gospel truths followed.
Place another cup so that it is balancing on top of four of the apostle cups, and talk about the gospel principle listed on the cup.
After all the principles have been added, you should have a pyramid of cups.
Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them; soon the apostles died, and some important truths about the gospel were not taught anymore.
Remove one of the apostle cups (like you are playing Jenga). Explain that the gospel still stood because there were still those who held the priesthood.
Continue to remove apostle cups until the pyramid falls. Explain that after Jesus Christ and His Apostles died, gospel truths were lost. This time when the full gospel was not on the earth is called the Apostasy.
Explain how other men throughout history created other churches. They took different parts and tried to create a church. (take small amounts of cups and put together in small pyramids.)
Teach how they couldn't build the entire pyramid because they didn't have all the truths. The Savior's church had to be restored.
Then explain how Joseph Smith, through the direction of our Heavenly Father restored the gospel in its fullness.
Repeat the first steps of this object lesson by re-building the pyramid in its entirety.
Another Restoration Object Lesson from teachldschildren.com
Gather ingredients to make a chocolate cake and a few extra odd ingredients (pickles, mustard, etc.). Show the family the ingredients you gathered. Tell them you don't have the recipe, but it doesn't matter because you think you can remember how to do it. Tell them you also want to make a few changes and add some things to the cake that you think will make it taste better. Mix ingredients in random amounts, and add a few of the extra items. Ask the family if they think your concoction will make a delicious chocolate cake? Why not? Without the right ingredients and recipe, the end result won't be as hoped for.
Explain that just as the cake needed the correct ingredients, it is also necessary for a church to consist of the correct components, which includes correct doctrines and ordinances, and power and authority from God.
Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them; soon the apostles died, and some important truths about the gospel were not taught anymore. For example, baptisms began to be performed on babies instead of waiting until a child had grown to the age of accountability. Baptisms also began to be done by sprinkling water instead of immersion. Because of the changes to doctrine and ordinances, and the loss of priesthood keys and authority, the true church was no longer on the earth.
The gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith. When Joseph Smith was young, he noticed how the different churches interpreted the same thing in different ways. He wanted to know which of all the teachings and churches were correct. As he prayed for an answer, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. The restoration process then began. Joseph Smith, who had been chosen for this responsibility because of his faithfulness in the preexistence, helped restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth once again. Because of the restoration we now have the vital truths, knowledge, and the true priesthood authority that had been lost.
The First Vision
I really feel like nothing fancy needs to be done to teach the story of Joseph Smith and the first vision. Simply reading the account in the scriptures or telling the story to young children using pictures is perfect!
You can also watch the video made by the church called The Restoration on lds.org (it is 19 minutes).
Joseph Smith - History
If it is nice weather, you could take your family to a quite grove of trees to read the story together.
Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and restored gospel truths.
If someone in your family speaks another language, use this activity. If not, you can skip this part, or invite another family to have FHE with you and ask them to help with this part! :)
Have someone who speaks a foreign language, bring a Book of Mormon in their chosen foreign language. Have them read part of the "First Vision" in the different language. Afterward, ask them to translate it to English and tell what it means. Explain what it means to translate. Share how miraculous it was that Joseph Smith was able to translate a language that no one knew.
Activity: visit www.hatchpatch.com for printables
You will need 12 - 3"x5" cards or you can cut a large paper into 12 smaller pieces.
Label each card with words below: (you could use other languages too as long as you know the translation!)
Hebrew
Swahili
Thai
Turkish
Spanish
French
Golden Plates- planchas de oro
Book of Mormon- Kitabu cha Mormoni
Power of God- Puissance de Dieu
Urim and Thummim- Urim ve thummim
Angel Moroni- (visit website above, or google)
Jospeh Smith- (visit website above, or google)
Translation Answer Key
Golden Plates- Spanish
Book of Mormon- Swahili
Power of God- French
Urim and Thummim- Turkish
Angel Moroni- Thai
Joseph Smith- Hebrew
Hand out the cards with the English and foreign language phrase on it. Take turns trying to say the phrase in that language and then guess what language it is. Then discuss why that thing or person was important to the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Activity for young kids:
I Spy Moroni and Hide the Plates from www.thegoldenseven.blogspot.com
You will need a picture of Moroni and the Golden Plates. (one can be found on the link above).
This game is played like "hot and cold." One person leaves the room and the group decides where to hide Moroni and/or the Golden Plates. When the player comes back into the room, the group will sing a favorite Primary song or hymn. When the player gets closer to Moroni/plates the group sings louder. When the player is far away the group sings softer. Hide Moroni and the plates in as difficult or easy places as you choose. Play as many times as you wish!
Restoration Object Lesson - from www.HatchPatch.com and April 2013 Sharing Time
Preparation:
Gather at least 27 large plastic or paper cups.
Label cups using a marker or tape/glue word strips (below).
12 cups labeled "Apostle"
15 cups labeled with other gospel principles:
Priesthood
Sacrament
Baptism
Temples
Living Prophets
Revelation
Gift of the Holy Ghost
Missionary Work
Prayer
Tithing
Eternal Families
Repentance
Book of Mormon
Bible
Atonement
Teaching:
During this object lesson you will be building a pyramid using the cups. At different points in the lesson, you will be removing cups one at a time, so at one point the pyramid will come crashing down. During the remainder of the lesson you will use the cups to re-build the pyramid.
Explain that when Christ was on the earth he ordained apostles who held the Priesthood. As you explain, place the 12 cups with the word Apostles in two rows of six, side by side. (This is the foundation of your pyramid.) You could show a pictures of Christ ordaining the Apostles. Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them;
Explain that the earth now had the priesthood (point to the bottom row of cups.) Because we had the priesthood other gospel truths followed.
Place another cup so that it is balancing on top of four of the apostle cups, and talk about the gospel principle listed on the cup.
After all the principles have been added, you should have a pyramid of cups.
Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them; soon the apostles died, and some important truths about the gospel were not taught anymore.
Remove one of the apostle cups (like you are playing Jenga). Explain that the gospel still stood because there were still those who held the priesthood.
Continue to remove apostle cups until the pyramid falls. Explain that after Jesus Christ and His Apostles died, gospel truths were lost. This time when the full gospel was not on the earth is called the Apostasy.
Explain how other men throughout history created other churches. They took different parts and tried to create a church. (take small amounts of cups and put together in small pyramids.)
Teach how they couldn't build the entire pyramid because they didn't have all the truths. The Savior's church had to be restored.
Then explain how Joseph Smith, through the direction of our Heavenly Father restored the gospel in its fullness.
Repeat the first steps of this object lesson by re-building the pyramid in its entirety.
Another Restoration Object Lesson from teachldschildren.com
Gather ingredients to make a chocolate cake and a few extra odd ingredients (pickles, mustard, etc.). Show the family the ingredients you gathered. Tell them you don't have the recipe, but it doesn't matter because you think you can remember how to do it. Tell them you also want to make a few changes and add some things to the cake that you think will make it taste better. Mix ingredients in random amounts, and add a few of the extra items. Ask the family if they think your concoction will make a delicious chocolate cake? Why not? Without the right ingredients and recipe, the end result won't be as hoped for.
Explain that just as the cake needed the correct ingredients, it is also necessary for a church to consist of the correct components, which includes correct doctrines and ordinances, and power and authority from God.
Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them; soon the apostles died, and some important truths about the gospel were not taught anymore. For example, baptisms began to be performed on babies instead of waiting until a child had grown to the age of accountability. Baptisms also began to be done by sprinkling water instead of immersion. Because of the changes to doctrine and ordinances, and the loss of priesthood keys and authority, the true church was no longer on the earth.
The gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith. When Joseph Smith was young, he noticed how the different churches interpreted the same thing in different ways. He wanted to know which of all the teachings and churches were correct. As he prayed for an answer, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. The restoration process then began. Joseph Smith, who had been chosen for this responsibility because of his faithfulness in the preexistence, helped restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth once again. Because of the restoration we now have the vital truths, knowledge, and the true priesthood authority that had been lost.
The First Vision
I really feel like nothing fancy needs to be done to teach the story of Joseph Smith and the first vision. Simply reading the account in the scriptures or telling the story to young children using pictures is perfect!
You can also watch the video made by the church called The Restoration on lds.org (it is 19 minutes).
Joseph Smith - History
If it is nice weather, you could take your family to a quite grove of trees to read the story together.
Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and restored gospel truths.
If someone in your family speaks another language, use this activity. If not, you can skip this part, or invite another family to have FHE with you and ask them to help with this part! :)
Have someone who speaks a foreign language, bring a Book of Mormon in their chosen foreign language. Have them read part of the "First Vision" in the different language. Afterward, ask them to translate it to English and tell what it means. Explain what it means to translate. Share how miraculous it was that Joseph Smith was able to translate a language that no one knew.
Activity: visit www.hatchpatch.com for printables
You will need 12 - 3"x5" cards or you can cut a large paper into 12 smaller pieces.
Label each card with words below: (you could use other languages too as long as you know the translation!)
Hebrew
Swahili
Thai
Turkish
Spanish
French
Golden Plates- planchas de oro
Book of Mormon- Kitabu cha Mormoni
Power of God- Puissance de Dieu
Urim and Thummim- Urim ve thummim
Angel Moroni- (visit website above, or google)
Jospeh Smith- (visit website above, or google)
Translation Answer Key
Golden Plates- Spanish
Book of Mormon- Swahili
Power of God- French
Urim and Thummim- Turkish
Angel Moroni- Thai
Joseph Smith- Hebrew
Hand out the cards with the English and foreign language phrase on it. Take turns trying to say the phrase in that language and then guess what language it is. Then discuss why that thing or person was important to the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Activity for young kids:
I Spy Moroni and Hide the Plates from www.thegoldenseven.blogspot.com
You will need a picture of Moroni and the Golden Plates. (one can be found on the link above).
This game is played like "hot and cold." One person leaves the room and the group decides where to hide Moroni and/or the Golden Plates. When the player comes back into the room, the group will sing a favorite Primary song or hymn. When the player gets closer to Moroni/plates the group sings louder. When the player is far away the group sings softer. Hide Moroni and the plates in as difficult or easy places as you choose. Play as many times as you wish!
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