As you know the Relief Society and Priesthood lessons will be based on the teachings of Spencer W. Kimball this year. It would be great if you took the time to introduce your entire family to this wonderful prophet. President Kimball is the first prophet that I remember. I was born while he was prophet, and I have memories of him during General Conference. I have also been touched by the stories from his life that show his love and service to others. He was a truly great man.
You can begin the lesson by sharing a little bit about President Kimball’s life. You can find an outline of events from his life and a short biography in the front of the manual for this year. You may also want to share any personal memories you have of President Kimball. If you do have any you may want to read the following resources to help you in preparing your lesson.
These resources are from “The Friend,” and would be most effective for those with Primary aged children. Here is a cartoon strip about President Kimball going to Primary, and another about him working on the farm. The following are articles written by President Kimball and published in the Friend: “Decide Now,” and “Reading, a Sacred Privilege.” “President Spencer W Kimball” is a short article about his life. Here is a crossword about his life.
If you are teaching youth you may want to use “Here and Now, Then and There,” and “President Spencer W Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals.” If you are teaching adults you may want to use “Spencer W Kimball: Man of Action” and “Spencer W Kimball: A True Disciple of Christ.” If you are teaching adults you may want to have them share any personal memories they have of the prophet.
If you would like to extend the lesson to include more prophets you can play the matching game and complete the activity found here. You simply need to scroll past the first two activities. You can sing “Follow the Prophet” p 110, “The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden” p 237 and “Latter Day Prophets” p 134 from the “Children’s Songbook. From “Hymns” you can sing “We Thank Thee, Oh God, For a Prophet” p19 and “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice” p 21. Do not forget to have an opening and closing prayer. You may also want to have an activity and refreshments.
Related Articles:
RS/EQ: The Life and Ministry of Spencer W Kimball
Preparing Your Family for General Conference
General Conference: The Words of Prophets and Apostles