[Teachldsseminary] First Day Lesson Ideas

[Tkcs@aol.com]

Following are a couple of first day lessons that you might get some ideas 
from.



Where is Your Sacred Grove?


Have CD of Joseph Smith's First Prayer playing as they enter or/and sing it 
as a class.  Keep the music cued for the journal activity.  Have journals and 
pens out on chairs or desks.

Optional:  Bring in artificial trees and plants to make the room look like a 
grove.  Project a slide of The Sacred Grove on the wall, or use a poster.  
Another option is to cut out large green trees, attach them to the wall, and over 
them pin up a black paper silhouette of a kneeling Joseph. 

Ask if any of them have been to the Sacred Grove.  Could have them briefly 
share experience, what it looked like, what they felt, etc.  Ask them what 
happened there.  It's called the Sacred Grove because we know that a very sacred 
event happened there. 

Joseph had a specific question for Heavenly Father.  What would you ask Him 
if you were in the Sacred Grove?

Tell following true story:  An early morning seminary teacher went on a 
Church History tour with a group of other seminary and institute teachers.  The 
trip started in Vermont at Joseph Smith's birthplace, and then went by bus to 
some other sites of interest for several days before they got to Palmyra.  The 
teacher had some serious concerns about her brother and she shared with a friend 
that she was really looking forward to having some time alone in the Sacred 
Grove so she could pray to Heavenly Father for some answers about how to help 
her brother.  The Grove is quite large and the exact spot of Joseph's vision 
isn't known, so when the group got there they all spread out to find a private 
spot where they could meditate and pray. After an hour or so they left the 
Grove and got back together with the group.  The seminary teacher's friend asked 
her if she got an answer when she prayed in the Sacred Grove.  The teacher's 
response was (paraphrasing), "Yes, I felt the Spirit, and the response I got was 
that I didn't have to wait to be in the Sacred Grove to receive answers to my 
prayers".

Quote from Sister Chieko Okazaki, former counselor in General RS Presidency:
"We don't have to be in a sacred place for spiritual things to happen.  The 
Sacred Grove was just a stand of trees before Joseph Smith walked into it.  It 
became sacred because of what happened there.  Where is your Sacred Grove?  It 
could even be in your car, if that's where you spend a lot of time thinking 
through problems and attuning your heart sensitively to the Spirit.  Perhaps 
it's while you are out walking.  Heavenly Father doesn't save up all his 
spiritual experiences just for sacrament meeting or the temple."
(Lighten Up, Deseret Book 1993, p. 73)


Where are places you might feel the Spirit and get answers to your 
questions?  Seminary can be one of those places. 

Journal Prompt:  What questions would you ask Heavenly Father if you could 
talk with him face to face as Joseph did?  What do you need to do to receive 
answers to those questions?

End with your testimony of Joseph Smith and seminary.

End early so kids can have time to visit--Refreshments!

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Patriots, Pioneers, and Prophets


Optional:  Display pictures of patriots, pioneers, prophets.  Have 
appropriate music playing as students come into class, and have it ready to play softly 
while they respond to the journal prompt.

Who are some of your heroes?  Ask what the people in the displayed pictures 
have in common.  They all are heroes.  This year in seminary we will learn 
about lots of heroes.  Let me tell you about a few people who are heroes.

Tell a story from U.S. history (or whichever country you live in) about a 
patriot(s), then tell one about a pioneer(s), then share something about some 
prophets--maybe your feelings about the prophet of your youth, then President 
Hinckley, then Joseph Smith.

Journal Prompt:  What are your feelings about Joseph Smith?  Write your 
testimony of him, and write down any things you'd like to have a firmer testimony 
of.  (This same thing will be done the last week of seminary so the students 
can see how their testimonies have grown).  An additional thing they can do is 
draw a continuum with the number 1 on one end and 10 on the other.  They place 
an X on the line where their current testimonies stand, with 1 being not sure 
at all and 10 being absolutely no doubt.

End:  All the people we've talked about today are heroes, and are people whom 
you can look to as examples.  As we study the Doctrine and Covenants together 
and learn about Church history, you'll get to know many more valiant men and 
women who will be roll models to you, too.  Testimony.


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