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By Mary Richards, Church News
As youth leaders and youth Sunday School teachers prepare to teach their classes this year from the new combined “Come, Follow Me” manual for 2024, they can use resources in the manual crafted specifically for youth.
“Come, Follow Me — For Home and Church” focuses on a study of the Book of Mormon in 2024.
In a video for youth leaders posted in the media library on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, a young woman named Sam and a young man named Lucas describe what the changes to the manual means for Young Women classes and Aaronic Priesthood quorums.
Each week’s outline begins with ideas to help youth and adults study the scriptures at home and at church, they explained. A blue scripture icon can help parents and teachers identify content that may be ideal to study with youth at home and youth classes at church.
The physical copy of the manual includes images and drawings, activities, and questions to ponder and discuss. The electronic version links to a variety of general conference talks, Church magazine articles and other resources like the Book of Mormon Videos, “For the Strength of Youth” guide and music.
“You can use any of the activities here in our Sunday class and quorum meetings. But there is one — the one with this blue icon — that has been specifically designed with youth in mind. Follow the inspiration of the Spirit. He’ll help you know what to focus on to help us build our faith in Jesus Christ,” Sam said.
In the back is a resource in Appendix D with a sample meeting agenda to help quorum and class presidencies lead the meeting.
“At the beginning of each meeting, the presidency member leads us as we counsel together about our roles and accomplishing the work of salvation and exaltation, including ministering to those in need, sharing the gospel, or participating in temple and family history work,” Lucas said.
Next, the classes learn together about the gospel of Jesus Christ. This part of the meeting is led by whoever the class or quorum presidency assigns to teach and is the part of the meeting where the manual is used.
The manual is designed to be used easily by youth, parents and teachers for nearly all age groups, explained Mike Madsen, a product manager for the Church, in a Church News article in December 2023.
“We wrote every activity in such a way that it can be done by any individual studying at home on their own or by a teacher or parent teaching a class or their family,” Madsen said.
Another video in the media library involves a woman named Michelle who goes through what Sunday School teachers need to know to prepare to teach.
“Gospel learning is home-centered and church-supported, so consider how you can support, encourage and inspire us to study the scriptures at home,” she said.
In a Church News article on January 1, Brother Jan E. Newman, Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, said that during Sunday School and other classes, teachers can simply ask class members what they learned the previous week through studying the scriptures with “Come, Follow Me.”
When that kind of sharing happens, church becomes “a very personal, revelatory experience for all the members in the ward and class,” he said.
Parents and teachers can also use resources like the Book of Mormon Videos, the illustrated “Book of Mormon Stories,” Book of Mormon app, Gospel Library app, Gospel Living app, Liahona magazine, For the Strength of Youth magazine and the Friend magazine to help them study. For those who wish to have additional copies of the new manual, they can be purchased at store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
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