June: How can I participate effectively in councils in the Church?

All printables, handouts and videos found HERE

Introduction:

• Quickly did our monthly scripture chart drawing.
• What is a council?
• Types of Councils Match Game
• I put a colored piece of paper or cardstock behind each picture and word strip. 
• I also put the pictures on one side and the word strips on the other side of the chalkboard. I didn't want it to take too long by having them turn over two pictures or two word strips on their turn.

Making it Personal:

• Have the youth share their experiences participating in council settings at Church or at home. 
• What did they do to prepare for the meeting?
• What did they do to participate?

Likening the Scriptures:

• Before class write these scriptures on the board:
• Matthew 18:20
• Moroni 6:4-5
• D&C 38:27
• D&C 88:122
• Have the youth pick one of the scriptures and answer the question, "Why does the Lord use councils to accomplish his work?"
• Read the heading/description of this lesson in the Sunday School Manual. I have one you can print out in the link above.

Learning Together:

• Watch "Participate in Councils" video
• Have the youth write down what they learn is needed for a successful council on the index cards in the printable link above.
• Have they seen any of these principles applied in a council?
• Mock Ward Council Activity
• I put a table in the middle of the room and had the youth sit around it.
• I had them draw a prompts/problems that could be facing the ward. Using what they learned from the video and their experiences with council, they are to work together to find a solution to the problem.
• If you want, you could assign specific roles such as: Elder's Quorum President, Bishop, Relief Society President, Primary President, Sunday School President, etc. But I decided not to because of my age group and I only have 2 boys and 4 girls in my class. 

Conclusion:

• Why would it be less effective if one person made all the decisions without counseling others?
• How did the council help accomplish the Lord's work?
• What makes councils such an effective way to do the Lord's work?

December: How can I learn to serve more effectively in the Church?

ALL PRINTOUTS FOUND HERE

1. Introduction

• Ask the youth to list any callings they have had in the Church. Write these on the board.
• What were their responsibilities? What did they find difficult or challenging about the calling? How did the Lord help them?
• Share an experience of your own
• Display topic

2. Likening the Scriptures

• Ask the youth to share any stories from the scriptures where someone was given a difficult assignment and received help from the Lord.
• Pass out the scripture worksheets with pictures. (Print these double sided) Give the class time to read and complete worksheet.
• Have the youth teach the other class members about their scripture.

3. Learn Together

• Pass out talks to each class member. I had half of the class read "Serve" by Elder Cook, and the other half read "The Savior's Call to Serve" by President Monson.
• Invite the youth to look for quotations to share about how to serve faithfully in Church callings. I passed out colored pencils for them to highlight.
• Ask class members to share. Why did they find the quote meaningful?
• After all have shared, ask the class how they can apply what they learned in their callings now and in the future.
• (If you don't think that this activity is suitable for your class, you could pick out the quotes and post them around the room. Then the class will have had time to ponder them and you could discuss the quotes that they liked.)
• Watch video "It's Not about You". (I searched all over for a music video or lyric video. This was as close as I could find. Maybe one day I will just have to create my own music video.)

4. Making it Personal

• Using the worksheet included with the talks, have the youth list a calling that they think would be interesting, challenging, or one they would like to learn more about. If they need ideas, they can use the Ward Callings list (It is a little outdated.) Write these on the board.
• Read D&C 107:99
• Where could you find out what the responsibilities are in the calling you selected? 
• Let the class research using the internet. My class usually bring their phones or tablets, so I decided to incorporate electronics. I also brought a couple of devices that could be used if a class member didn't bring device with internet browsing. (I tried to see if you could find Handbook 2 which lists a lot of calling responsibilities at the distribution center, so you wouldn't need electronic devices. But I couldn't find it anywhere except for lds.org.)

5. Treat

• Oreo Magnifying Glass with quote found in printouts