Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 5 Lesson 17 Edward Partridge Is Called as the First Bishop

PRIMARY 5 LESSON 17 EDWARD PARTRIDGE IS CALLED AS THE FIRST BISHOP

Edward Partridge

CLASSROOM PREP

Write: “He’s the father of our ward…”

Post photo of our Bishop (photo from his wife or from Facebook etc)

Post photo of Edward Partridge (found easily online)

Who’s the father of our ward?

OPENING ACTIVITY: CUTE STORY  “BISHOP, HELP!”

From a talk by Dallin H Oaks

During a sacrament meeting, a little boy made a big disturbance. After several minutes of trying to quiet this noisy three-year-old, the mother desperately handed him to the father, who was seated on the aisle close to the front of the chapel. By this time the noise distracted the speaker and audience, and everyone was very conscious of the parents’ plight. The father’s patience was much shorter than the mother’s. In a few moments he put the little boy over his shoulder, stood up, and started for the back door. Looking back over his father’s shoulder and sensing his determined steps, the little boy became quiet and apprehensive. Just as the father approached the rear door of the chapel, the little fellow reached his arms out toward the stand and shouted, “Bishop, help!”

Today we’re going to be learning about bishops!

VISIT THE BISHOP (WHENEVER HE IS FREE WITHIN THE HOUR)

Go to the Bishop’s office as a class to talk with him whenever he is available the 2nd hour

(already have made an appointment with his Executive Secretary for 5-10 minutes)

Ask him these questions and ideally have emailed him these in advance so he can think about it:

What are some of the things you do as a bishop?

What’s the most number of hours you’ve spent at church in one day and what were you doing?

How can your ward members support you?

What’s the nicest thing you’ve seen someone do for someone else?

What’s your favorite thing about being a bishop?

LESSON

Historical account from the manual of Edward Partridge's call to be bishop and his responsibilities (illustrate as much as possible to hold their attention)

My kids are a bit young to hear all the things within the account and I'm not mentioning tarring and feathering until the lesson a bit later than this one, so I kept it short and sweet:

In 1831, a year after the Church was organized, many people were joining the Church in Ohio. Remember they’d just gathered to Kirtland, Ohio?

Joseph Smith needed additional leaders to help!

There were many poor people who had no land, money, food, clothing, or other things.
Can you imagine not having those things?

The Church needed money for a temple, and to publish things about the Church for people to read.

Joseph didn’t have a home either! Or money to give his own family food.

Everyone needed help! (drawing for this)

Joseph prayed to the Lord to ask what to do.

In 1831, he received a revelation to call Edward Partridge as the first Bishop! (show his image from lds.org for this)

His first job as bishop? Help the Prophet to help the members with all his needs.

People who had extra things, gave those extra things to people who needed them. (drawing for this)

The Bishop helped organize all of it. He had a storehouse where all of those extras were stored.

He was also supposed to help buy land for homes and churches.

He was also the one who was called as a “judge in Israel” to decide who shouldn’t be part of the Church if they weren’t keeping the commandments.
(drawing for this)

There were many sacrifices that Edward made to be a bishop.

He was a good man!

Include D&C 41:9-11

• What does “in whom there is no guile” mean? Someone who is honest, righteous, and unselfish

Why do you think it’s important for a bishop to be honest and obedient?

What do you admire about our bishop?

How is he a good example to you?

What duties does our bishop have? --> D&C 42 (30-31, 34-35) and D&C 58 (14, 17-18)

MY EXPERIENCES

Talk about different Bishops in my life and what they have done to help me

Share 1-2 experiences about each one, listing their name on the board and how old I was at the time to help hold their attention.

VIDEO: REACH OUT WITH LOVE (8:32 minutes)

A boy follows his bishop’s suggestion to reach out with love

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/reaching-out-through-love?lang=eng

Before watching tell them to look for things the bishop does - then follow up and ask "What did the bishop do?":

• Was inspired to tell Guillermo to visit the boy
• He followed up again and again, didn’t forget about the boy
• He asked Guillermo to go back and not give up
• He gave advice

What did the Bishop do when Guillermo felt frustrated? Counseled him one on one, read scriptures together, etc

CHARADES (BUT YOU CAN TALK)

List on separate pieces of paper things a bishop can do (from the manual, Enrichment 2) and have pairs act them out, including talking. Everyone guesses what they are doing!

On each piece of paper, write a few prompts in case they need help figuring out what to say or do.

• Supervise ward leaders.
• Greet you and shake your hand at church.
• Visit Primary and encourage you to obey Heavenly Father.
• Accept your tithing and send it to Church headquarters.
• Call a ward member to be a Primary teacher.
• Interview a 12-year-old boy so that he can be ordained a deacon.
• Interview a 12-year-old girl when she enters Young Women.
• Interview an 8-year-old child so that he or she can be baptized.
• Help a needy family obtain food and clothes through the bishops’ storehouse.
• Pray for the people in his ward.

SONG AND VIDEO

Teach them “Our Bishop” from the songbook and post the words on the board

Video them singing it to share with the Bishop later

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 5 Lesson 16 The Saints Gather to Kirtland, Ohio

PRIMARY 5 LESSON 16 THE SAINTS GATHER TO KIRTLAND, OHIO

CLASSROOM PREP

Study the drawing of redwoods in the manual and draw trees on the board equal to the number of kids in the class with shallow roots intertwined as in the manual drawing

OPENING ACTIVITY

Hand out pieces of a small kids puzzle to everyone in class, as equally as possible. If you don’t have a kids puzzle, print out a puzzle template online and cut out the pieces

Encourage the class to work together to put the puzzle together with good teamwork

• Was that fun?
• Did you guys have fun working together?
• Could you have solved that puzzle with just your own piece(s)?
• When we are part of the same team, or the same ward, or the same family, we all have a common goal. What’s the goal with the puzzle pieces? Solve the puzzle
• What’s the goal for a ward family? Help each other follow the Savior
• What’s the goal for a family? Help each other return to live with Heavenly Father so you can be an eternal family

LESSON

We’re going to learn what happened with the newly restored Church and with Joseph Smith when they received a revelation that was hard to follow and they had to show unity to follow it!

Tell historical accounts from the manual

• Find images online, use manual images from Gospel Art Kit, and/or draw my own
• Use a map to show the various areas the Saints were needing to be gathered from

Then open to D&C 38:31-33

• Why did the Lord command them to go to Ohio?
• What were they promised if they went? (vs 32)
• They were promised they would receive additional laws of God and blessings when they gathered to Kirtland and built a temple

Do we make sacrifices today to help our Church? We give of our time, we serve in callings, we attend church, we help each other, we deliver food, we visit teach other, we pay tithing, etc.

What if our Prophet told every member of the Church to move to Salt Lake City, where the headquarters are today? Why doesn’t He? We’re supposed to gather together where we are and establish God’s church across the world, strengthen our own wards and stakes.

When do we gather together? Church, ward activities, Scouts, Activity Days, baptisms, etc.

How do you feel when you’re hanging out with your ward family? Do you like the Trunk or Treat? The ward Christmas party? Primary activities? Being in our class together? What makes it fun? We share the same beliefs, values, standards, we are comfortable around each other, we know we are friends, we know we will support each other if we need help with anything, etc.

Go to D&C 38:27 - what does it mean to “be one” (united)

Why is this important? What if we were all mad at each other in class or in Primary? How would it feel? Do you think we’d want to learn together? Or come back to church?

Why is it easy to feel united when we show love and friendship to each other?

Reference the drawing on the board and talk about the quotation in the manual - that the giant redwood trees have shallow roots. Their roots grow into the roots of the other redwoods near them, so they are stronger together than they are alone. They hold each other up.

Write each child’s name on one of the trees.

How can Kid 1 support Kid 2? What ways can Kid 3 support Kid 4?

UNITY DISCUSSION / PAIRS LINKED GAME

Split everyone up into pairs

Pick the first pair and have them come up to the front and stand back to back, and link arms.

You put something small (stuffed animal, pen, something random out of your bag) on either side of the room and assign each to one of the kids in the pair. You could also use this opportunity to have a snack or treat for them in a bag and that's what they each need to get.

Tell them they have 10 seconds to get their thing.

You say “go” and they’ll naturally begin pulling the other in the opposite direction, one will get their thing or neither will. Point out that had they cooperated together and gotten them one at a time, they would have both gotten their assigned thing in the end.

Give everyone a chance to work together, pair by pair, in the same manner above.

Do you guys feel good when you work together? You can get a lot of great things done!

When members of our Church are working together, we can feel really strong and unified.

Adapted from http://www.mormonshare.com/search-lds-object-lesson.php

UNITY DISCUSSION/HOT POTATO GAME

Sit in a circle on the floor and pass around an object that you can tape pieces of paper to (a beach ball, a book, etc.) and play a church hymn about love/unity (“Love One Another” or something similar) and then stop it periodically.

When it stops, that person has to take an idea off the object you’re passing around and read the idea about how we can develop unity within our ward or class. Discuss each idea and how you can do it, how you will feel doing it, how you have felt doing it, etc.

Ideas from the manual for what can be written on the slips:

• Take care of the church building
• Treat others kindly
• Listen to the speakers in Sacrament Meeting
• Pray for each other
• Listen and participate in Primary
• Say thank you to your church leaders
• When asked to pray, give a talk, read a scripture, do so willingly

THANK YOU CARD FOR PRIMARY PRESIDENCY

Let’s “say thank you to our church leaders” by making a thank-you card for our Primary Presidency!

Everyone takes turns drawing/writing thank-you in a section of a card, one card per presidency member. Deliver to your presidency during Sharing Time (or after church if you teach the last hour).

SEND HOME IDEA

Amazon and eBay sell blank puzzle kits, there's also die-cut machines at craft stores that can cut out puzzle pieces from paper. Or print out a puzzle template on paper and give one per kid to take home, color/draw, and cut out themselves.

Attach this quotation by Elder Neil L. Andersen:

Just as we might be perplexed with a mountain of puzzle pieces, the early Saints must have seen the commission to take the restored gospel to all the world as a nearly impossible task. But they began, one person, one puzzle piece at a time, finding the straight edges, working to rightly frame this divine work. Little by little, the stone cut without hands began to roll forth; from hundreds to thousands, to tens of thousands, and now millions of covenant Latter-day Saints across every nation are connecting the puzzle pieces of this marvelous work and a wonder.

Each of us is a piece of the puzzle, and each of us helps to set in place other essential pieces. You are important to this great cause. Our view ahead is now clear. We can see the miracle continuing and the Lord’s hand guiding us as we complete the gaps that remain. Then, “the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done,” and He will return in majesty and glory.

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Priesthood Preparation / Etc.

PRIMARY 5 LESSON 47 THE PRIESTHOOD CAN BLESS OUR LIVES

Our Primary Presidency scheduled this lesson to be taught on this particular Sunday this year. As I teach the Valiant 8's currently, they said I can tailor it to their understanding and touch upon it briefly and use the time for something else. I will be using the rest of the time to create a timeline on our classroom wall, and to go over how to use the scriptures.

CLASSROOM PREP

Write this on the board and post up with the painting of John the Baptist with Joseph and Oliver:

“What a stunning privilege and sacred trust given at such a remarkably young age!” - Elder Holland about the Priesthood


PLAN SUMMARY FOR THIS MISHMASH LESSON:
1/PRIESTHOOD
2/TIMELINE
3/SCRIPTURES
4/TAKE-HOME CRAFT AT THE END

PRIESTHOOD

OPENING ACTIVITY - PRIESTHOOD DISCUSSION VISITOR

Have one of our ward's new Deacons come in to talk about the Priesthood

• How did he prepare to receive it?
• How is his life different now?
• How does he focus on being worthy of it?
• What can the boys in our class do to prepare?
• What are the duties of a deacon? D&C 20:59
• Pass the sacrament, collect fast offerings, act as a messenger for the bishop in sacrament meeting, set a good example
• How can others (in our class) support and sustain the Priesthood?

Finish up discussion after our visiting Deacon leaves:

Who was the first person to pass the Sacrament? Jesus

Why is the Sacrament so sacred? It represents the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for each of us

Have one of the boys read the quotation from Elder Holland:

“We ask you young men of the Aaronic Priesthood to prepare and bless and pass these emblems of the Savior’s sacrifice worthily and reverently. What a stunning privilege and sacred trust given at such a remarkably young age! I can think of no higher compliment heaven could pay you. We do love you. Live your best and look your best when you participate in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper”

PRIESTHOOD ACTIVITY

Pass out separate index cards with the following blessings that come through the priesthood:

• Receiving a name and a blessing
• Being baptized
• Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost
• Receiving a blessing when sick
• Partaking of the sacrament
• Serving a mission
• Being married in the temple

As we talk about each one, talk about/share personal or family experiences related to each blessing

Finish up Priesthood discussion by bearing testimony of the power of the Priesthood!

TIMELINE

TIMELINE SO FAR

Elements needed: painter's tape for line, year labels, event labels

Go through all events of what we’ve learned so far this year, one by one

Use timeline from manual

Start by putting up the painters tape across the length of one side of the room
Show them a picture/drawing from the below events, or just read a description

Then I post up the event label and the year, if not already posted up

1820 New York The First Vision

1823 New York Angel Moroni visits Joseph Smith

1827 New York Joseph and Emma Marry

Joseph obtains gold plates

1828 Pennsylvania Joseph begins translating gold plates

116 manuscript pages lost

1829 Pennsylvania Aaronic priesthood restored

Joseph and Oliver baptized

Melchizedek Priesthood restored

Joseph and Oliver move to Fayette

1829 New York Book of Mormon translation completed

Three Witnesses see angel Moroni and the gold plates

Eight Witnesses see the gold plates

1830 New York Book of Mormon published

The Church is organized

Timeline resource here:

https://www.lds.org/manual/primary-5-doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history/church-history-time-line?lang=eng

SCRIPTURES

SCRIPTURE PRACTICE

Go to the library

Get a Bible per kid, a Book of Mormon per kid, and a Doctrine and Covenants per kid

Show table of contents of Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon

Sing the song in the Children’s Songbook for each as we follow along with the table of contents!

Then spend time looking through everything, discussing all elements of the scriptures, and talking about how to find things

SCRIPTURE ACTIVITY

Hand them this printed out, with a pen:

The Lord gave Moses an important commandment that teaches us how we should spend our time on Sundays.

Use the scriptures to find the words in the clues, and then write them in the spaces below.

1. The fifth word in Helaman 5:12.

2. The last word in Mark 2:27.

3. The tenth word in Doctrine and Covenants 20:23.

4. The third word in John 15:10.

5. The ninth word in Acts 19:2.

_____________________ the ________________ __________, to __________________ it __________________.

FINAL ACTIVITY AND TAKE HOME

Fold origami shirts to represent the white shirts worn by Priesthood holders
Instructions online and here
Very simple once you've tried it yourself! Kids will need help in class.

image from here