2016 LDS Sharing Time Ideas for May Week 1: The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored.

2016 Sharing Time Outline Theme: "I Know the Scriptures Are True"

May 2016 Sharing Time Topic: The Church of Jesus Christ Has Been Restored

May 2016 Scripture: “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17).

May 2016 Song:  “Praise to the Man,” verses 1 and 3

May Week 1 Topic: The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored.

Preparation:

Prayerfully study and think about what the specific needs of your primary are and how you can teach them this doctrine.

Sharing Time Instruction:

As the primary children enter the primary room, give them a sticker, or tape a piece of paper on the most reverent children. On the stickers or paper should be a number, from 1-12. These children will be who will help teach of the restoration later on in the lesson.

Show the primary children the picture of Jesus ordaining the Apostles and place it on the board. Ask the primary children what the picture is of.  Discuss with the children that when Christ was on the earth he organized his church. Explain that after Jesus was crucified and all of the apostles died, Heavenly Father took the gospel as well as the priesthood from the earth.  This is known as the "Apostasy". Place the paper with the word Apostasy on it over top of the picture of Jesus ordaining the Apostles. 

Explain that the world was in darkness. Invite the primary children to imagine what it would be like living during a time when, their were no prophets and no priesthood. That would mean, no baptisms, no blessings, no revelation given through prophets, it would be a world with no direction. 

Place the paper with the word Restoration on the board.  Explain that the word restoration means to bring something back to the way it was.  

Invite the child with the number on sticker to come up.  Give them the week's theme poster and invite them to read what it says, "The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored." Invite the rest of the primary children to repeat it.

Explain that the thing we are going to talk about that has been restored is The Church of Jesus Christ, the same church that existed when he was on the earth.

Invite the primary children to sing "The Sixth Article of Faith Song". 

Invite the primary child with the number 2 sticker to come up and show the primary the picture of Joseph Smith's First Vision. Invite the primary children to help tell of the first vision. Make sure that it is pointed out that Joseph Smith was only 14 years old when he went to pray and ask Heavenly Father a question. The question that he asked was which of the church's he should join. He received an answer and the answer was that none of the churches were true. The Church of Jesus Christ would later be restored to the earth by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Place this picture on the board under the word Restoration. Take the word Apostasy off of the picture of Christ and his apostles.  

Explain to the children that in the 6th Article of Faith it states that, "We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church,"  So, what are somethings that were apart of Christ Church when he was on the Earth and are apart of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now.

(This idea is adapted from the 2016 Sharing Time Outline)

Draw a line down the middle of the board. Above the picture of Christ place the word strip, "The Primitive Church (when Christ was on the Earth)". And on the other side about the picture of the First Vision place the word strip, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints".  Draw another line after that so there are three columns on the board and place the word strip "Duties" on the board.

Invite the primary child with the number 3 sticker to come up and place the word strips, "Apostles" under both the primitive church and LDS columns. Ask the primary children what the duties of apostles are both in the primitive church and the LDS church. Invite primary child number 4 to come and place on the board under duties, "Be a special witness of Jesus Christ". 

Invite primary child number 5 to come and place on the board under both the primitive church and LDS church columns, "Prophet". Ask the primary children what the duties of the prophet is. Invite primary child number 6 to come and place on the board under duties, "Speak the will of Heavenly Father".  

Invite primary child number 7 to come up and place on the board under primitive church the word strip, "Pastor" and under the LDS side the word strip, "Bishop".  Discuss with the primary children the duties of a pastor/bishop. Invite primary child number 8 to place under the duty column, "Lead a small group of Saints"

Invite primary child number 9 to come up and place on the board under both primitive church and LDS church columns, "Teachers" word strip. Discuss with the primary children the duties of teachers.  Invite primary child number 10 to come up and place in the duties column, "Teach the gospel"

Invite the primary child number 11 to come up and place on the board under the primitive church column the word strip "Evangelist" and under the LDS column, "Patriarch". Discuss with the primary children the duties of a Evangelist/Patriarch. Invite primary child number 12 to come up and place on the board under duties, "Give special blessings"

Invite the primary children to share some of the other things that have been restored such as the priesthood, Baptism by immersion, the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, etc. 

Share you testimony in the restored gospel.

Want more ideas:

• Apostasy
• LDS Primary Sharing Time July 2014 Week 1: The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored.
• LDS Sharing Time Ideas for April 2015 Week 1: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith.
• LDS Sharing Time Ideas for April 2015 Week 2: Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God.

Click this link for past Sharing Time post: LDS Primary Sharing Time Ideas

***Basic ideas for this sharing time came from the 2016 Outline for Sharing Time, you can find a link here: 2016 Outline for Sharing Time