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By Mary Richards, Church News
This year, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints moved to a manual for the Come, Follow Me study, there may have been some confusion as to whether youth classes and quorums would still have to advise each other at the beginning of the lessons, as has been done in recent years.
The answer is yes, explained Sister Andrea Muoz Spannaus, second counselor of the General Presidency of Young Women.
Take five to ten minutes to talk about how young people can be more involved in salvation and exaltation, Sister Spannaus invited recently in a post on Young Women Worldwide’s social media account.
This is an opportunity for the class or quorum presidency to follow up on topics discussed at the presidency meeting or neighborhood youth council meeting.
Examples of discussion questions can be found in Appendix D of the Come, Follow Me 2024 handbook. But classes can also discuss other issues that have arisen.
You can choose an area from the four areas we have. You can ask a question or two, or if you have other questions, you can discuss them as well. Then talk with your friends and classmates about what the answer to these questions would be, Sister Spannaus said. Advise together.
The four areas of the annex are:
- Live the gospel.
- Care for people in need.
- Invite everyone to receive the gospel.
- Uniting families for eternity.
Young women leaders around the world commented on the post and shared how this is happening in their neighborhoods.
These class councils run by young women are amazing, said one comment.
I love visiting the Young Women classes and hearing the wise ideas of our amazing young women during these discussions, said another.
Others expressed thanks for the clarification as they had been wondering about it.
Youth and Gathering of Israel
In January 2022, the Young Women General Presidency wrote for Church News that these moments of counseling together as a Young Women class or Aaron Priesthood quorum can be powerful and bring great blessings.
The Lord uses his youth to perform miracles in the gathering of Israel. Young women and young men value opportunities to contribute to the work of salvation and make a difference in the lives of their peers, neighborhoods and communities, the presidency wrote. The council portion of the Sunday meeting is an opportunity for young people to unite in the cause of Christ to bring souls to Him.
They explained that youth leaders can let class and quorum presidencies determine how to use the time and what to focus on. But the questions asked are not as important as the result, which is to strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and fulfill the work of salvation and exaltation.
Meanwhile, leaders may wonder about the difference between youth and leaders and balance who plays which role in the program.
Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman explained that Church President Russell M. Nelson has said that young people have an unusual talent for reaching out to others and sharing what they fundamentally believe, that they have a unusual talent for gathering Israel (Testimonies, Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women’s Classes). , October 2019 general conference).
This is what we know that young people have an unusual talent for gathering, especially people their own age. So we’ll let them lead. They know what we should do, President Freeman said in a video on Young Women Worldwide.
So when talking about a weekly activity or a Sunday lesson or when communicating with someone in the neighborhood, leaders can brainstorm with the youth about what it should look like from the perspective of teens. Leaders can then guide, mentor and support young people to bring these ideas to fruition.
Young people are busy, but to ask them to lead is not to give them one more thing to do, but to invite them to use their gift of gathering and be part of the work of salvation and exaltation.
Leaders, let us help our youth discover this gift by helping them, guiding them, ministering to them, serving them, encouraging them, supporting them, and giving them an example of Jesus Christ, President Freeman wrote in a another post Young women, the gift is yours. Let your leaders know you want more opportunities to lead and share. Remember, we were in this together.
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