COME FOLLOW ME Doctrine and Covenants – JULY (week) Lesson 27 “No Weapon That Is Formed against You Shall Prosper” D&C 71-75 (June 28-July 4, 2021) – Activities and Song Visuals for Primary and Home, family home evening (individual families), Sunday School, Seminary

Little children may not know a lot about what their bishop does to serve them and other ward members. You can help them appreciate their bishop’s service.

• Explain that in 1831 the Lord called the bishop of the Church, Edward Partridge, to move from Kirtland, Ohio, to be the bishop in Independence, Missouri (see “Chapter 17: The First Bishops of the Church,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 64–66). Read Doctrine and Covenants 72:8 with the children, and ask them to listen for who the Lord called to serve as the new bishop in Kirtland. Why does the Lord call bishops? Share with the children an experience when you were blessed by the service of a bishop.

• Invite the children to make a list of some of the things they have seen the bishop do to help people in the ward. Ask the children to draw pictures of the bishop doing something they mentioned. Bear your testimony that your bishop was called by the Lord to be His servant. Why are we grateful that the Lord has called a bishop in our ward.

  DOWNLOAD lesson-match activities and song visuals (below)

• Invite each child to take a turn acting out how they would do an act of service, such as cleaning a room in the church or washing dishes at home. Read Doctrine and Covenants 75:3, and ask the children to show how they would do it lazily when you say “neither be idle” and show how to work hard when you say “but labor with your might.” Why is it important that we do our best when serving the Lord?
  DOWNLOAD A Loving or Lazy Leader word-find (HERE or below)

• Share with the children President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s stories about work from “Two Principles for Any Economy” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 55–58). How do we feel when we know we have done our best?

• Sing a song about working together, such as “When We’re Helping” (Children’s Songbook, 198). Help the children make up actions to go with the words.
  DOWNLOAD “When We’re Helping” song visuals (HERE or below)

• Use the section heading for Doctrine and Covenants 71 or “Chapter 25: Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon Go on a Mission” (Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 96) to teach the children about the circumstances that inspired section 71. Read Doctrine and Covenants 71:1 with the children, and help them find what the Lord wanted Joseph and Sidney to do about the “unfriendly feelings” people had toward the Church (section heading). What did He say they would be given to help them? How can we be like Joseph and Sidney?

• Explain that when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon returned from a short mission near Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord wanted them to resume work on an important project. Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 73:3 to find out what that project was. To help the children understand what the Lord wanted Joseph and Sidney to translate, read with them parts of the Bible Dictionary entry “Joseph Smith Translation (JST).”

• Pass around a copy of the Bible, and allow the children to open it and see how many pages are in it. Invite the children to imagine they were asked to translate the Bible into another language. What are the chances they might make some mistakes? Explain that when people translated or copied the Bible before Joseph Smith’s time, they made some mistakes, and sometimes they removed important truths. The Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to make inspired corrections. Why is Joseph Smith’s work valuable to us?