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