APRIL “Jesus Christ restored His Church in the Latter-days.”

BOOK: Our new “Sunday Savers: Sharing Fun! I Am a Child of God,” book (shown) is available at LDS bookstores and online at DeseretBook.com or SeagullBook.com. CLICK HERE OR ON BOOK COVER TO ORDER.

CD-ROM: There will not be a CD-ROM for this book available this year. 

The black and white images are only available in the book.

WE HAVE THEM ALL HERE TO DOWNLOAD . . . ON GospelGrabBag.com ⇒

THE GOOD NEWS IS . . . ALL ACTIVITIES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE . . . in color.

WATCH FOR Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions. AS YOU READ EACH CURRICULUM OUTLINE FOR THE 2018 SHARING TIME, YOU WILL SEE HOW OUR LESSON ACTIVITIES MATCH EACH WEEKLY THEME.

2018 Primary Sharing Time – APRIL Week 1 After Jesus Christ and His Apostles died, gospel truths were lost.

CHURCH Sharing Time OUTLINE:
Identify the doctrine (discussing): Ask the children to name some things Jesus Christ taught when He was on the earth. Show a picture of Christ ordaining the Apostles. Explain that after Christ died and was resurrected, His Apostles taught the gospel, but many people would not listen to them; soon, the Apostles died, and some important truths about the gospel were not taught anymore. Write on the board “After Jesus Christ and His Apostles died, gospel truths were lost,” and have the children say it with you.

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: Restored Truths (Lost-and-Found Gospel Treasures) . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE (shown)

CHURCH Sharing Time OUTLINE:
Encourage understanding (drawing pictures*): Write on the board some gospel principles that were lost or changed during the Apostasy (for example, baptism, priesthood, temples, living prophets, and the sacrament).

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions:
*Use the above Lost-and-Found Gospel Treasures images to do the following instead of having children draw pictures (for the sake of time). 

CHURCH Sharing Time OUTLINE:
Explain that when Christ was on the earth, He taught all of these important gospel truths. Ask the children to close their eyes. Remove all of the pictures and hide them. Then ask the children to open their eyes. Explain that the gospel truths were lost after Jesus Christ and His Apostles died. Tell the children that the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith.

Replace the pictures, and testify that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has all the truths that were once lost. 

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: Apostasy and Restoration (Church Building Blocks Object Lesson) . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE (shown).

2018 Primary Sharing Time – APRIL Week 2 Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith.

CHURCH Sharing Time Outline:
Identify the doctrine (seeing a picture): Cover a picture of the First Vision with several smaller pieces of paper. Invite children to remove the pieces of paper one at a time. Ask the children to quietly raise their hands when they know what the picture is. After all the pieces of paper have been removed, ask the children to tell you what is happening in the picture.

Encourage understanding (reading scriptures): Show the children where in the scriptures we can read Joseph Smith’s description of his experience in the Sacred Grove (Joseph Smith—History 1:14–19). Read or ask some children to read several verses that describe what happened.

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: Use this large Post-and-Present Activity: First Vision – Joseph Smith’s Answered Prayer . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE (shown) 

You may want to ask younger children to do simple actions, such as standing and stretching their arms up like trees or folding their arms as if they are praying. Ask the children how they might have felt if they could have watched Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appear and talk to Joseph Smith. Discuss the importance of this event.

Encourage application (sharing testimonies): Have the children sing “The Sacred Grove” (CS, 87).

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: “The Sacred Grove” song visuals . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE (show).

Then bear your testimony that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. Invite a few children to share their testimonies of the First Vision. See “On a Golden Springtime” song visuals below (verse 3 pertains to the FIRST VISION – see below to DOWNLOAD song visuals)

Then bear your testimony that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. Invite a few children to share their testimonies of the First Vision.

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: “On a Golden Springtime” song visuals . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE (show).

SONG VERSE 3 PERTAINS TO THE FIRST VISION:

“On a golden springtime, in a forest glade,
The Father and the Son appeared as Joseph knelt and prayed.
Awake, awake, O nations all!
Receive the gospel light!
The gospel true is here for you.
Receive its glorious light!”
– Words: Virginia Maughan Kammeyer, b. 1925. © 1989

2018 Primary Sharing Time – APRIL Week 3 Priesthood authority was restored by heavenly messengers.

CHURCH Sharing Time OUTLINE:
Identify the doctrine (singing a song): Ask the children how they might announce something very important. Explain that long ago trumpets would be played when something important was announced. Ask the children to close their eyes and imagine that they hear trumpets as the pianist plays “The Priesthood Is Restored”* (CS,89). Ask the children to sing the song and discover what important message this song is announcing. Ask a few children to explain what the song means.

*Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: Display the song visuals for the song The Priesthood Is Restored (see “T”) (Children’s Songbook, 89) . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE or below.

2018 Primary Sharing Time – APRIL Week 3 Priesthood authority was restored by heavenly messengers.

CHURCH Sharing Time OUTLINE:
Encourage understanding (listening to guest speakers):Show the children pictures of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood and the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Invite an Aaronic Priesthood holder to briefly share the story of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 13; Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72). Then invite a Melchizedek Priesthood holder tell the children about the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood (see D&C 27:12–13; Joseph Smith—History 1:72). Show the pictures again, and ask the children to name the people in the pictures.

Gospel Grab Bag Suggestions: POST-AND-PRESENT ACTIVITY: Priesthood Power (Branches and Blessings) . . . to DOWNLOAD HERE or below 

CHURCH Sharing Time OUTLINE:
Encourage application (sharing testimonies): Have each class write on a piece of paper one thing that we have today because the Aaronic Priesthood was restored (for example, baptism and the sacrament) and one thing we have because the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored (for example, confirmation and blessings for the sick). Ask some of the children to share what they wrote. Express your gratitude for the blessings that come from our Heavenly Father because of the restoration of the priesthood.