The One Month Conference Preparation Countdown

7100

General conference is only one month away! And LDS.net is excited. Check out our Facebook page, as we get closer for news about general conference. So be sure to check it out.

And check out our conference preparation ideas. These are only suggestions, but following them will get you excited and ready for conference to begin!

Thursday, March 2

Put general conference on the calendar! Sessions will be held September 26th, October 3rd and 4th . Do what you can to clear the day of other commitments, and let those in your family know that you are excited and getting ready.

Friday, March 3

Invite someone to join you for conference. Whether you invite them to join you at your home or the church building, conference can be a great time to build friendships, or introduce someone to the Church.

Saturday, March 4

Put together a list of questions you want answered at conference. When we go into conference with questions we want answered, we will often gain more from the experience. Consider the struggles you are having, or those you want to help.

Sunday, March 5

It’s Sunday, so take some time and begin re-reading the April conference sessions. One reason that reading the conference sessions again is helpful, is that you will know if the prophet and apostles are repeating themes. Repetition at general conference can be an important indicator of what is important to the leaders of the Church. Try and tackle the Saturday morning session today.

Monday, March 6

For family home evening, read and teach a lesson on President Uchtdorf’s First Presidency Message from September 2011, when he spoke of the wondrous blessings of general conference

Tuesday, March 7

Read Mosiah 2-6. This account of King Benjamin reminds many members of the Church of today’s general conferences. Focus on the way the people of that day prepared for and responded to King Benjamin’s words.

Wednesday, March 8

Many of those who are speaking at general conference, are still preparing their remarks. Say a prayer for them that they’ll have the inspiration they need.

Thursday, March 9

Read through your patriarchal blessing. Make a note of the elements that you’re drawn to. Do you have questions about how to achieve some of the promises? Consider adding them to your question list. The question list was only a draft and through all of your preparation continue to revisit, revise, and add new ideas to your list.

Friday, March 10

Read through this moving article about Latter-day Saints affected by the September 11th attacks. Ponder with yourself or your family how the gospel and the words of the prophets helped these individuals.

Saturday, March 11

Brainstorm the 10 most influential general conference talks of your life, and then send the list to someone who could benefit from it.

Sunday, March 12

Continue your Sunday rereading of last April’s conference. Read the Saturday afternoon session today.

Monday, March 13

During family home evening, choose a new conference tradition. Consider this list of ideas to pull from, or create your own unique family tradition.

Tuesday, March 14

Learn all about the Cornell note taking system. Many members of the Church make the most of conference by writing notes. This particular note-taking approach has proven effective in remembering and applying things you learn!

Wednesday, March 15

Turn your study up to the max, and check out this college-level conference prep text, from the Teachings of the Living Prophets Institute Manual.

Thursday, March 16

Get your motab on. For many people, one of the highlights of general conference is listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Get ready by checking out their YouTube channel.

Friday, March 17

In October 2013, Elder Hales delivered an address on the many blessings of conference, punctuated by his powerful remark “Oh, how we need general conference!” Take the time to read through it and try to count the number of blessings he mentions that come from conference.

Saturday, March 18

LDS.org has a list of memes to get you excited for general conference. Read through the inspirational messages and consider sharing some of them through your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Sunday, March 19

It’s Sunday, so check out the next session of April’s general conference. To stay on schedule, today you’ll read the Sunday morning session!

Monday, March 20

Remember that family tradition you picked last week at family home evening. Take time as a family tonight to get everything ready. Do you have to make up packets? Or print out pictures of all the apostles? Whatever you’ve decided on as a tradition, take the night to get it ready.

Tuesday, March 21

Most of the speakers will have finished their remarks by this point, and passed them on to the army of translators. Translating these remarks can be difficult and spiritual work, so consider praying for the translators that their minds will be guided.

Wednesday, March 22

With just over a week and a half before conference, it’s time to turn your review schedule up. Take the next two days to read through the rest of last April’s conference. Today, read the priesthood and women’s sessions.

Thursday, March 23

Read the Sunday afternoon session today. Don’t forget as you have impressions to add them to your list of questions. Congrats! By reading through all of the previous conference, you will be in a much better position to notice trends in what the brethren are addressing.

Friday, March 24

Use this opportunity to learn more about the lives of our leaders, so you can be more prepared to understand their messages. The LDS.net biography on President Monson is a great place to start.

Saturday, March 25

Watch the general women’s session of conference. And heed the advice of Elder Bednar by sharing your thoughts on the session over social media.

Sunday, March 26

At church today, practice note taking the way you want to for General Conference. Taking effective notes is great, but not if you’re focused more on the note taking and not enough on the messages.

Monday, March 27

Teach a lesson for family home evening on everything you learned preparing for conference

Tuesday, March 28

Only in the last year have we had an entire week between sessions of conference. Use this new spiritual opportunity to take what you learned from the first session and revise your list for the remaining sessions next weekend.

Wednesday, March 29

Time to complete your question list. First add any additional thoughts. Than narrow down your list. Look through all the areas you want to improve on, and then lump them together into three or four main questions to focus on as you’re listening to conference. All your preparation will put you in a great position to focus on the most important parts of your list.

Thursday, March 30

Consider putting packets of activities together to keep your kids (or you) focused and attentive during general conference.

Friday, March 31

Spend the day before conference getting as much ready as you can. Consider preparing meals ahead of time, so you can spend the next two days focusing on your family and the words of the prophets.

 

These ideas are suggestions, of course. Let us know which you are definitely going to try out, and what preparation ideas you have in the comments below!

Christopher D. Cunningham is the managing editor for Public Square Magazine and contributor to Third Hour. He loves emphatically celebrating the normal healthy development of his sons Albus and Whitman, writing about the Church of Jesus Christ, finding the middle ground on most controversies, and using Western Family generic brand lip balm. Christopher is a proud graduate of Brigham Young University-Idaho, and a resident of San Antonio, Texas.