Year 01/Lesson 43: Going to Church

What You'll Need: scriptures, Gospel Art Kit pictures #240: Jesus the Christ, #605: Young Boy Praying, Primary Children’s Songbook or Hymnal,  printed activity pages and coloring tools.

Scripture: Exodus 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Opening Song: When I Go to Church (PCS #157 )

Lesson:

This month we have been talking about different things that can be our armor against evil and sadness.  Prayer, reading our scriptures and being honest are all things that can protect us and help us to be happy.  Another way to help us to be strong and protect us from evil is by going to church.

At church we do a lot of different things.  We learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and their plan for us.  We sing songs that uplift our spirits and make us feel happy.  We get to share our testimonies with others, which helps out testimonies to grow.  It is nice to see friends at church because our Ward (or Branch) is like a family.

Sometimes, it may be hard to go to church.  We may feel grumpy on Sunday morning. Maybe we just want to stay home and play with our toys or ride bikes with our friends.  Heavenly Father made Sunday a special day for us, a day when we go to sacrament meeting and Primary. He wants Sunday to be a happy day, one that we look forward to. When we choose to go to church, we are choosing the right.

We can show love for Heavenly Father at church in these ways...

1. Thinking of Jesus.  (show Gospel Art Kit picture #240) When we take the sacrament, we are remembering Jesus Christ. We should sue that time to think about him.  Maybe you can remember your favorite story about His life. 

2. Praying.  (show Gospel Art Kit picture #605)   We hear many prayers when we are at church. When another person is offering a prayer, we should close our eyes, bow our heads, and listen to what is said. During the sacrament service we can pray silently. While we are thinking about Jesus Christ, we could ask Heavenly Father to help us choose the right and obey the commandments.

3. Singing.   (hold up Primary Children's Songbook or Hymnal)  When we sing a hymn with feeling, we are expressing our love to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. If we do not sing, we are missing an opportunity to show we love them.  Read Doctrine and Covenants 25:12 to the children. Emphasize that Heavenly Father is pleased when we sing hymns and sacred songs to him.

4. Listening.  How can we show we are listening at Church? (By sitting reverently, by not talking, and by looking at the speaker or teacher.) Who are some of the people we should listen to while at church? (a speaker in Primary or sacrament meeting, the young man blessing the sacrament, someone who prays in class or in a meeting, and a teacher).

Here’s a story about how one girl learned about how we can make each week at church a great experience.

Ella liked to go to Primary. One Sunday, Ella’s father asked, “What did you learn in Primary today, Ella?” Ella thought a moment; then she said, “I can’t remember, Daddy.” As she thought, she remembered that throughout Primary she had been thinking how wonderful it would be at Sarah’s birthday party the next day. She hadn’t listened at all in Primary!

Her father said, “Ella, I am glad that you go to Primary, but Mommy and I also want you to be reverent while you are there.”

“But, Daddy, I was very quiet!”

“I’m glad you were quiet, Ella, but that is only one part of being reverent. You also need to listen and participate in everything. When the prayer is said, you should think about it as though you were saying the prayer yourself and then say amen. When you sing, you should think about the words of the song. You should listen carefully to your teacher. When you participate in everything, you will feel close to Heavenly Father. That is being reverent.”

- What did Ella learn about being reverent?
- How can you make church a great experience every week.

The primary song we sang at the beginning of this lesson teaches us how we should act a church in order to have a good time. It says,

I like to raise my voice in singing when I go to church.
I fold my arms and bow my head,then listen while the prayer is said;
I do not talk, but think instead, when I go to church.

Bear your testimony about the importance of attending church.   Mention specific things you like about church and express how it makes you feel to attend church, even when it seems difficult.

(For tips on sharing your testimony please click here.

Activity: Choose from the following activities as they best suit your family.

YOUNGER KIDS: Church coloring page (included in lesson pdf)

OLDER KIDS: Church Maze  (included in lesson pdf)

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