The Presidents of the Church the Presidents of the Church
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The Presidents of the Church The Presidents of the Church Teacher’s Manual Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah © 1989, 1993, 1996 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America English approval: 2/96 Contents Lesson Number and Title Page Helps for the Teacher v 1 Our Choice to Follow Christ 1 2 The Scriptures—A Sure Guide for the Latter Days 5 3 Revelation to Living Prophets Comes Again to Earth 10 4 You Are Called to Build Zion 14 5 Listening to a Prophet Today 17 6 The Prophet Joseph Smith—A Light in the Darkness 23 7 Strengthening a Testimony of Joseph Smith 28 8 Revelation 32 9 Succession in the Presidency 37 10 Brigham Young—A Disciple Indeed 42 11 Brigham Young: Building the Kingdom by Righteous Works 48 12 John Taylor—Man of Faith 53 13 John Taylor—Defender of the Faith 57 14 A Missionary All Your Life 63 15 Wilford Woodruff—Faithful and True 69 16 Wilford Woodruff: Righteousness and the Protection of the Lord 74 17 Lorenzo Snow Served God and His Fellowmen 77 18 Lorenzo Snow: Financing God’s Kingdom 84 19 Make Peer Pressure a Positive Experience 88 20 Joseph F. Smith—A Voice of Courage 93 21 Joseph F. Smith: Redemption of the Dead 98 22 Heber J. Grant—Man of Determination 105 23 Heber J. Grant: Success through Reliance on the Lord 110 24 Turning Weaknesses and Trials into Strengths 116 25 George Albert Smith: Responding to the Good 120 26 George Albert Smith: A Mission of Love 126 27 Peace in Troubled Times 132 iii 28 David O. McKay: Honor for Home and Family 136 29 David O. McKay—Worldwide Ambassador of God 141 30 Preparing for an Eternal Home 147 31 The Scriptures Can Be Enjoyable 152 32 Joseph Fielding Smith—Child of Promise, Student of the Scriptures 158 33 Joseph Fielding Smith Magnified His Calling 164 34 Prayer, Precious and Powerful 171 35 Harold B. Lee: From Boy to Man, Close to God 175 36 Harold B. Lee—Dynamic Leader 179 37 Spencer W. Kimball: Raised in a Refiner’s Fire 184 38 Spencer W. Kimball—Model of Forgiveness 190 39 “Lengthen Your Stride” 194 40 Ezra Taft Benson: Teaching Sacrifice and Service for the Lord 197 41 Ezra Taft Benson—A Loyal Servant 202 42 Howard W. Hunter: In the Footsteps of the Savior 207 43 Howard W. Hunter: Focus on the Temple 213 44 Gordon B. Hinckley: Making Correct Choices 218 iv Helps for the Teacher Lesson Format Using the Materials Please note that only forty-four lessons are included in this manual. However, there are more than enough stories, activities, scriptural quotations, and audiovisual helps included for each lesson. You may want to spend extra time on some lessons. Feel free to do this. A few of the lessons have enough material to fill two full weeks of class time. Be guided by the Spirit in determining how much of the suggested material should be used. Plan your lesson according to the needs of your class members and the time you have in class. All lesson information does not need to be used. Follow the Spirit and use the scriptures in selecting which information to use. Remember that the scriptures are the primary resource for class members, and discussion of them should always take first priority when planning your lessons. Review each lesson carefully. Gather and prepare all needed materials. You may need to arrange to obtain such things as pictures and chalk and an eraser from your meetinghouse library. If you plan to use wordstrips or posters in place of the chalkboard, prepare these during the week preceding your lesson. You may want to look over the entire course before you begin teaching. Be sure to plan your time so that the lives of later prophets receive adequate attention. This manual has been designed with simplicity in mind and follows the standard format for all Sunday School courses. Please note the following: 1. The materials also include a videocassette, Testimonies of the Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (53242), which contains very short testimonies of nine Presidents. It is intended to enhance your instruction. You may want to preview the entire videocassette before you begin teaching. If it is not available in your area, remember the manual provides ample material for the lessons without it. 2. Suggested classroom activities have been expanded. Class members seem to learn best when they become involved in the lesson. Some of these activities are designed just to get the class members up and moving. Often such physical movement gives just enough change in the lesson presentation that greater enjoyment and interest will result. Class participation sometimes involves reading assignments or reports. These should be assigned ahead to give class members an opportunity to prepare. 3. Careful thought has been given in this manual to involving class members with the scriptures. The best way to do this is to lead the class directly to the Savior through the scriptures. Let them experience the scriptures personally. Encourage them to always bring their own scriptures with them to class and to read, mark, and cross-reference them in class and at home. (You will need to ensure that enough copies of the scriptures are available for class use. Check your meetinghouse library for extra copies.) Carefully consider your class, their v reading ability, and their understanding of the scriptures when calling on them to read passages in class. One of your responsibilities is to help them develop a love and understanding of the scriptures. This may mean assigning even shorter scriptures ahead so that a young man or woman can understand and be comfortable in reading a scripture to the class. 4. A color section at the end of the manual contains a picture of each President of the Church. A brief biography on the back of each President’s picture lists some important dates, contributions, and statements by that President. The color section also includes a picture of Christ and a picture of Claude Monet’s Sunflowers. Some black and white pictures are included within the lessons. Other pictures may be found in the meetinghouse library and are noted by their item numbers. Most of these pictures also are found in the Gospel Art Picture Kit; their numbers are included also. For example: Jesus at the Door (62170 [the meetinghouse item number]; Gospel Art Picture Kit 237). 5. Note: Should a new prophet be sustained because of the death of a prophet, use the Ensign articles that will shortly follow the ordination of any new President of the Church and create a lesson to follow the last lesson. Teaching Suggestions Four Fundamental Principles of Quality Teaching 1. Your spiritual preparation must come first. As you study and prepare, build and strengthen your own testimony of the restored gospel. Draw on the testimony of those around you. Sunday School faculties should work together to spiritually nurture each other. 2. Classroom instruction is extremely important. Also important is a sincere, loving interest in each class member. Go out of your way to become a caring part of each class member’s life. 3. To help build a caring relationship with class members, plan meaningful experiences with them. A thoughtful talk with a young person who is having problems or your continued support of their activities in church or school might well do more than many of the lessons you can prepare. 4. Regularly evaluate with your class members what you have learned together. For instance, ask: How do you feel? What did the experience mean to you? How can the experience of the prophet we are studying help us face our daily challenges? These four principles are some of the secrets of quality teaching. Remember the words of Paul to Timothy: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:7, 9). You have been called to “an holy calling.” As you seek help from our Father in Heaven, power to teach will come; as you give time and service, love for your class members will grow; as you study and prepare, your understanding of gospel principles will bless your life. Indeed, as you step into this teaching responsibility you will come to know the holiness of your call and its special blessings. vi Our Choice to Lesson Follow Christ 1 Objective Class members will realize that they chose in pre-earth life to follow Christ and that they will want to choose again in this life to follow him. Preparation 1. From parents, get a picture of each class member when he or she was very young, or learn a story about each class member’s early life. 2. Prepare to use the voting ballots found at the end of the lesson. 3. If you think there will be time, with the bishop’s or branch president’s approval, invite a member of the ward Sunday School presidency or the bishopric and a member of either the Relief Society presidency or the Young Women presidency in the ward to visit the class and briefly explain how their choice to follow the teachings of Christ has affected their lives.