Changes coming to Relief Society and Priesthood curriculum 2018

[pam]

The Church has announced changes for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Sunday meetings in 2018 that affect not only what materials adults will study but also how they use the time they meet together to accomplish the Lord's work.

An August 25 letter from the First Presidency announced that the new 2018 materials—Come, Follow Me—For Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Meetings—will emphasize learning from general conference messages and counseling together.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-announces-come-follow-me-for-melchizedek-priesthood-and-relief-society?lang=eng#3848324845

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I think this sounds great!  I love it.  One question though... are we going to continue to meet separately, and then together on the 5th Sunday as we do now?  I would think so, but somewhere I got mixed up on that point...

[NeuroTypical]

Wow - no more "Teachings of the Presidents" manuals?  New emphasis on teaching out of the current General Conference?  One Sunday a month working on local needs and how to fill them?

It's like our leaders are trying to shorten the lines of communication with us worldwide and get us prepped for action. 

[Sunday21]

@Pam. Thanks for posting! The accompanying teaching notes for the general conference talks will be most welcome. 

[beefche]

I like the changes, but I'm concerned that the First Sunday will devolve into a gossip session. I hope not, but I can easily see how a RS without a strong leadership to divert the talk would go into something bordering or crossing into gossip. 

[Sunday21]

1 hour ago, beefche said:

I like the changes, but I'm concerned that the First Sunday will devolve into a gossip session. I hope not, but I can easily see how a RS without a strong leadership to divert the talk would go into something bordering or crossing into gossip. 

Really? The only lds female that I know who gossips is me! I only say nice things though...my, hasn't she lost weight...that purse so nice..

[Jane_Doe]

1 hour ago, beefche said:

I like the changes, but I'm concerned that the First Sunday will devolve into a gossip session. I hope not, but I can easily see how a RS without a strong leadership to divert the talk would go into something bordering or crossing into gossip. 

I don't think so.  We've had lots of "local needs" lessons before, they're opportunities to discuss things on people's minds locally.  Sometimes they're lessons on broad topics we need reminded on like "how to better love my neighbor", other times I've seen pointed "we need to talk about teaching youth the importance of LoC, particularly the dangers of sexting".  I've even had lessons on "this is how you pack and move self-sufficiently!"  (it's like I live in a college ward...) 

[Sunday21]

'How to get a job for new immigrants' would be popular here. 'How to visit teach the inactive' would be useful.

 

[Jane_Doe]

6 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

'How to get a job for new immigrants' would be popular here. 'How to visit teach the inactive' would be useful.

 

Exactly!  That's the point of local lessons: to address local needs.  Though "how to visit teach the inactive" is more of a global need.

[seashmore]

1 hour ago, Jane_Doe said:

I don't think so.  We've had lots of "local needs" lessons before, they're opportunities to discuss things on people's minds locally.  Sometimes they're lessons on broad topics we need reminded on like "how to better love my neighbor", other times I've seen pointed "we need to talk about teaching youth the importance of LoC, particularly the dangers of sexting".  I've even had lessons on "this is how you pack and move self-sufficiently!"  (it's like I live in a college ward...) 

 I had similar concerns, and this calms them.

Curious as to how involve members with a 3rd hour calling. Right now, I can read/study the week's lesson and still feel like I'm part of RS. Hopefully the insert will be made available electronically. This new method will also require much more personal effort on the part of the teachers: no more provided questions at the end of the lesson!

Truthfully, I'm a little bummed that RS and PH may have different lessons each week. It helped established a sense of unity for me knowing that the men and women in my ward/branch were being taught from the same message every week.

[pam]

4 hours ago, beefche said:

I like the changes, but I'm concerned that the First Sunday will devolve into a gossip session. I hope not, but I can easily see how a RS without a strong leadership to divert the talk would go into something bordering or crossing into gossip. 

I thought about that myself because some of the issues that some ward members have are meant to be kept between the Bishop, RS President and perhaps the home teachers.  Not to be discussed with the entire body of RS sisters.  I would be mortified if something like say my financial status or lack of was openly discussed.

[SilentOne]

I hope they still eventually publish a Thomas S. Monson book to match the others on my shelf.

[Ironhold]

Considering that we have Relief Society / Priesthood first, this is... not so good for me. 

No matter how early I'm up and ready to go, someone or some thing does its best to ensure that I'm late. Be it the animals acting up, engine trouble, traffic, or even the neighbor setting his lawnmower on fire (actually happened). 

When we had the manuals, I could read the lesson on my own time and at least have that. 

[Jane_Doe]

6 hours ago, Ironhold said:

Considering that we have Relief Society / Priesthood first, this is... not so good for me. 

No matter how early I'm up and ready to go, someone or some thing does its best to ensure that I'm late. Be it the animals acting up, engine trouble, traffic, or even the neighbor setting his lawnmower on fire (actually happened). 

When we had the manuals, I could read the lesson on my own time and at least have that. 

You can still read GC on your own time.  I know for my ward, they always announce the RS lesson in the RS weekly email.  (I'm not in Priesthood, so don't know about that).

[Ironhold]

8 hours ago, Jane_Doe said:

You can still read GC on your own time.  I know for my ward, they always announce the RS lesson in the RS weekly email.  (I'm not in Priesthood, so don't know about that).

What weekly e-mail? 

Nothing of the sort goes on in the branch I go to. 

[zil]

10 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

What weekly e-mail? 

Nothing of the sort goes on in the branch I go to. 

That would be a decision of the RS Presidency.  It's not a mandate or anything, just something they decided was worthwhile in their RS.

[seashmore]

On August 25, 2017 at 10:49 PM, pam said:

I thought about that myself because some of the issues that some ward members have are meant to be kept between the Bishop, RS President and perhaps the home teachers.  Not to be discussed with the entire body of RS sisters.  I would be mortified if something like say my financial status or lack of was openly discussed.

Received some clarification on this in branch council. Basically, ideally, they will be topic based councils. For instance, we have a lot of homes where only one parent is an active member, so we may council on helping those (generic) in that situation remain faithful. Also, the new teaching format will require some adaptation of teaching methods, so one meeting may be a discussion on how to do that. I imagine these meetings will be similar to the adult meetings during ward/brand conference, if that helps with a frame of reference.

Edited August 28, 2017 by seashmore

[Sunday21]

I wonder how we will manage this. We just barely manage what we need to do now. The good thing about the old manuals was that anyone, even a recent convert with moderate English and teaching skills could teach. Now? I wonder how many teachers will  be prepared to try?

i guess I should stop worrying...somehow we will do this. 

Edited August 28, 2017 by Sunday21

[zil]

@Sunday21, if I understand correctly, the first Sunday counsel will be led by the presidency, which is how it's supposed to be now (except one of them teaches a lesson).  The second and third Sundays will still be lessons, but using GC talks (how the fourth Sunday is now, but possibly with some teaching aids from the GC Ensign).  The fourth Sunday will be some topic as specified in the GC Ensign (can't remember and don't want to go look it up, but the teaching aids may only be for these fourth Sunday topics).

IMO, it is not as hard as some people think to teach from a GC talk.  Someone in your ward / presidency should be able to explain to a teacher some of the options for how to do this.  Your ward should be conducting on-going teacher training in the form of the "Teaching in the Savior's Way" program (which should involve all presidency members and all called teachers).

[anatess2]

6 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

I wonder how we will manage this. We just barely manage what we need to do now. The good thing about the old manuals was that anyone, even a recent convert with moderate English and teaching skills could teach. Now? I wonder how many teachers will  be prepared to try?

i guess I should stop worrying...somehow we will do this. 

 

5 hours ago, zil said:

IMO, it is not as hard as some people think to teach from a GC talk.  Someone in your ward / presidency should be able to explain to a teacher some of the options for how to do this.  Your ward should be conducting on-going teacher training in the form of the "Teaching in the Savior's Way" program (which should involve all presidency members and all called teachers).

I was only a member for 1 full week before I got called to teach RS Teaching for our Times one Sunday a month.  All the lessons are from GC manuals.  If I can do it as a very recent convert who still referred to Sacrament meeting as Mass and sacrament bread as Communion and still prayed the Lord's Prayer when called upon to do opening and closing prayer, anybody else can.  And yeah, there were no "teaching aids" then.  And I didn't even get a class on "Teaching, no greater call" or some such.

Especially since the way we're set up now, RS teachers only teach one Sunday a month.

Edited August 28, 2017 by anatess2

[mordorbund]

On 8/25/2017 at 3:47 PM, NeuroTypical said:

Wow - no more "Teachings of the Presidents" manuals?

Alternate title: Mormon Church Prophesies Leader will Survive to New Year!

[Sunday21]

@zil @anatess2. Yes anatess, dear but you are clearly extraordinary! I teach the conference talks because no one else wants to do it and many months, I have not the foggiest idea how to teach that talk, therefore buzz groups. However, we can always try reading the talk paragraph by paragraph. Some of the talks that we are assigned, I have no idea what the speaker is trying to convey. But nevermind, I will bug you guys! 

[anatess2]

5 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

@zil @anatess2. Yes anatess, dear but you are clearly extraordinary! I teach the conference talks because no one else wants to do it and many months, I have not the foggiest idea how to teach that talk, therefore buzz groups. However, we can always try reading the talk paragraph by paragraph. Some of the talks that we are assigned, I have no idea what the speaker is trying to convey. But nevermind, I will bug you guys! 

Haha!  Extraordinary is like exotic... it can be a bad thing.  Ha!

Bug zil.  She's awesome.

[Bad Karma]

On 8/25/2017 at 0:47 PM, NeuroTypical said:

Wow - no more "Teachings of the Presidents" manuals?  New emphasis on teaching out of the current General Conference?  One Sunday a month working on local needs and how to fill them?

It's like our leaders are trying to shorten the lines of communication with us worldwide and get us prepped for action. 

With that in mind, blessed be the name of the lord. For the worse it gets, the closer his return draws near. 

[Sunday21]

@seashmore. May I be struck dead for suggesting this but..I wish a secretary or someone could copy a few sentences of what is said in the lesson and send them out in the monthly email. Maybe Lesson: What Lack I yet: Action suggested -Pray to know in what way you should improve.

What do you think? Maybe a way to include those with 3rd hour callings?

Edited September 7, 2017 by Sunday21