Thursday, March 9, 2017

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 5 Lesson 11 The Restored Church of Jesus Christ is Organized

Peter Whitmer Sr Cabin

PRIMARY 5 LESSON 11 THE RESTORED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS ORGANIZED
(pictures to be added before Sunday the 12th)

CLASSROOM PREP
Write on the board --> Tuesday, April 6th, 1830
Have picture up on laptop of Peter Whitmer’s log cabin
Have the cups from Apostasy lesson in the restored pyramid on the chalkboard edge


OPENING ACTIVITY
Bring in a handful of Legos in different colors and sizes
  • Dump it on the table
  • Have a kid organize it (or have them all take turns if others want to do it too)
    • Which did you like better, the disorganized way or the organized way?
    • Why do you think having something organized is better?
      • Disorganized room = can’t find your clothes, books, toys
      • Disorganized backpack = can’t find homework
      • Disorganized class = chaotic, loud, can’t learn
      • WHEN ORGANIZED = get more done, learn, peaceful, prepared



LESSON
Remember when Joseph and Oliver received the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods?
Who gave them the Aaronic Priesthood? → John the Baptist (show church artwork)
Who gave them the Melchizedek Priesthood? → Peter, James, and John (show church artwork)


That was in 1829.


Since then, they:


What was still left was for them to start the church. They had the authority.
They needed to actually start it, put it together, but how was he supposed to do it?
He received revelations in April 1830 about how.
He was told to organize it as Jesus had organized His church when He lived on the earth


The Lord even told Joseph on what day to officially start/organize it! (refer to date on board)

Get out D&C 20 and go through it with them and point out various scriptures:
  • verse 1: the date
  • verse 2: Joseph Smith to be the first elder
  • verse 3: Oliver Cowdery to be the second elder
  • verse 37: baptism
  • verse 38-67: duties of priesthood holders
  • verse 73: baptism
  • verse 75-79: sacrament


A meeting was held at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr in Fayette, New York (refer to photo on laptop)


Remember the Whitmers? (show drawings from previous lesson)
David Whitmer came to get Joseph and Oliver and took them to his home so they could safely finish translating? Remember his farm was miraculously worked on by angelic strangers? And his family were some of the eight witnesses?
So they were a big part of the early church and nice helpers.


About 60 people were there at the meeting at Peter Whitmer Sr’s home.
Joseph Smith was in charge of the meeting. (show church artwork)


New York had a law - you have to have 6 official members of a church to call it a church.


There were 6 people who had been baptized so far:
Joseph, Oliver, Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer Sr, Samuel H Smith, and David Whitmer
They had also been some of the witnesses.


They started their meeting with a prayer and then Joseph asked everyone if they accepted him and Oliver as their leaders and teachers. Everyone said yes and raised their hand.

Does this sound familiar?
What happens sometimes in church meetings -- the Bishop says, “So and So has been called to be ____” and we sustain them by raising our hands.


Then Joseph and Oliver ordained each other to be an elder in the church.
Then they had sacrament. They were given the scriptures to do so → D&C 20:75-76
Then they gave everyone who had been baptized the Gift of the Holy Ghost.


NOW the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized and restored!
→ See D&C 115:4 for the name



SONG ACTIVITY
Write two columns: What We Know / What We Will Do
Start singing “The Church of Jesus Christ" without warning and they'll undoubtedly join in!
After, tell them we’re going to sing it again and we’re going to point out “what we know” and “what we will do”


Write them on the board
KNOW: I know who I am, I know God’s plan, I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ
DO: I’ll follow Him in faith, I’ll honor His name, I’ll do what is right, I’ll follow His light, His love I will proclaim



GAME TO REVIEW STEPS LEADING TO ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH


We’re going to play a drawing game called Who What Where*


Rules:
Draw what’s on your card
You can’t write any words, just draw
If you want to show someone is speaking, draw a cartoon bubble (show them an example you’ve done)
We will guess the “who” the “what” and the “where”


Make up 12 index cards or pieces of paper with the below who/what/where combinations.
So for example the first one will say “Who: Joseph Smith, What: Praying, Where: Sacred Grove”

Have them pick a card without looking at it.
Tell them they'll have about a minute (but you will probably give them more) to look at their card and draw their scene that uses the who, the what, and the where. Everyone will stop drawing at the same time and will show their drawing, and everyone will guess.


WHO / WHAT / WHERE
Joseph Smith / praying / Sacred Grove
Angel Moroni / visiting/teaching / Joseph Smith’s bedside
Joseph Smith / receiving the plates / from the ground in the woods
Joseph Smith / hiding/protecting the plates / your choice: in a barrel of beans, hollow log, under floor
Joseph & a scribe / translating the plates / at a table in a house
John the Baptist / visiting Joseph/Oliver / in the woods near the Susquehanna River
Peter, James, & John / visiting Joseph/Oliver / next to the Susquehanna River
Joseph & Oliver / being baptized / Susquehanna River
3 Witnesses / visited by Angel Moroni / woods near the Whitmer home
8 Witnesses / being shown the plates by Joseph / woods near the Whitmer home
Grandin Press people / publishing the Book of Mormon / the room with the printing press
Joseph Smith / running the first organized meeting / Peter Whitmer Sr’s log cabin


PRETZEL LOG CABIN
To prep for this, draw a log cabin on a piece of paper that will fit the exact length of your pretzel sticks. Draw a roof and chimney too.

Pass out for each kid: paper towel for their food to go on as they're working
Pass out for each kid: a bag of pretzel sticks, a pretzel rod (for the chimney), a red fruit leather in the wrapper, a paper plate to use for cutting, and a plastic knife.


Tell them to:
- fill in the log cabin with the pretzels however they can figure out (for the roof they'll need to bite or break some pretzels to fill it all in...like a puzzle)
- the chimney is where the pretzel rod goes
- they need to open and cut the fruit leather into a door and two windows

*Who What Where is an actual game played slightly differently, and I’ve adapted it to be more reverent for a church setting

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