This year I have challenged all the choristers in the stake to make an extra effort to invite and acknowledge the Spirit in Primary each Sunday. Each month I will be posting one thought on this topic.
Before I offer my thoughts and ideas, I would like to backtrack just a little to the 2011 Challenge itself. I started thinking about this challenge about 2 months ago when I began to compile the 2011 notebook I provided each chorister. I felt impressed to issue the challenge, but it wasn't until last week that this impression made complete sense. In a Stake Primary presidency meeting, our handbook-thought centered around the new themes and purposes of Primary. Although I do not have the exact wording from the previous handbook, the sister giving the thought pointed out that the Church had condensed the purposes from 6 to 4, and that they had also made them much more concise. For those that have not looked at these new purposes they are "to help the children":
- Feel Heavenly Father's love for them.
- Learn and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ
- Feel and recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost.
- Prepare to make and keep sacred covenants.
It was during this handbook-thought that I completely understood the reason I had felt impressed to issue the challenge. Purpose #3: to help the children to "feel and recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost", was not present in the last handbook. It is obvious to me, through this new handbook and the impressions I have recieved, that the ability of these precious children to feel and recognize the Holy Ghost in their lives is of vital importance to their success in overcoming all the obstacles they face and will continue to face in life.
I know I am biased, but I really do think that choristers have the unique opportunity to provide the children with the chance to feel the Spirit each and every Sunday....regardless of the songs they are singing. I feel this way because of the strong testimony I have of the power of uplifting music. As I have expressed to a few of the choristers, even if "sharing time" is a bit chaotic or the children are not fully engaged in the lesson and fail to recognize the feeling of the Spirit in the presidency's lesson, they are almost certain to feel it at some point during "singing time". This is a great opportunity and responsibility for choristers. I pray that we can take full advantage of the opportunity and rise to the responsibility given us by the Lord.
Now to January's thought: Creating an environment that encourages reverence and invites the Spirit.
The Spirit speaks in quiet ways to each individual. Even if the Spirit is present in primary, the children will not be able to feel His presence in excessive chaos, excitement, and volume. I am reminded of a scripture in D & C that admonishes the Saints to "cast away...your excess of laughter far from you". Obviously the key to this verse is the warning of excess. There is a time for excitement, laughter, fun, and other similar expressions and feelings in primary. I think the important thing to remember is that everything we do must encourage a reverent atmostphere. By reverence, I am referring to the expression in thought, word, and action of respect and love for Heavenly Father. The children can be respectful while they are having fun. The key, I believe, is to lead the children away from the excess.
I saw two fabulous examples of this principle exhibited in the ward I visited last week. The first occurred when the counselor was presenting the sharing time lesson. In the process of the activity, she asked the children if they wanted to help their friend and there was an immediate response from the children. This was a large Senior primary, and unfortunately some of the older children began to yell out "no" while standing and gesturing with their hands. This outburst caused a similar reaction in the younger children present and it quickly became very loud. The counselor was quick to remind the children that they were in Heavenly Father's house and should remember to act accordingly (there had obviously been a previous lesson related to this). This simple reminder was all the children needed to sit back down and calm themselves. The reverence (respect and love for Heavenly Father) immediately returned and the children were able to continue to participate in this fun lesson/activity.
The second example came during singing time and also occurred in Senior Primary. The chorister was allowing the chosen child to select something for the children to do when a particular word was sung in the song they were learning. The boy quickly chose "jump up and down". The chorister simply suggested that the action should be something that could be completed reverently. The child chose from some suggestions given by the chorister, and the game and singing continued.
I know that it is possible to encourage reverence in primary while the children are singing and participating in activities. I think it is important for choristers to be one of the leaders in this endeavor, as it is the choristers who are involved in sharing time and in front of the children every single week. Here are a few practical ideas I have seen implemented:
- Have the children whisper "hey" or "hel-lo" at the end of the "Hello Song". You could also have them use the sign language for "hello" at the end of the song. It seems this one song can be a source of excess at times in primary.
- Have the children use their hands to acknowledge the "-beam" in "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam" instead of jumping up.
- Refrain from any jumping or hopping activities. Standing and sitting, when controlled, works just fine, and can be a lot of fun.
- Avoid competitions that pit the children against one another. I have found it best to give the children a challenge or goal they can work toward together so they are supporting and loving one another. I have set the children against the teachers and have had both good and bad experiences with it so it is always an activity I am cautious to initiate. I always make sure to use lots of reminders of reverence during competitions.
- Encourage the children to display their excitement using the sign language for clapping or whispering "yeah". Discourage children from "booing" or cheering.
- Instead of asking open-ended questions, ask the children to "place your hand on your ____" if they know the answer to your question. This works particularly well in Junior Primary.
- Remind, remind, remind. Remember that the children are still learning and expect that there will be times they will need to have a quick, mini-lesson on the importance of reverence. Obviously we cannot expect perfection in this category, but we can always strive for it.
Primary is, and should be, a place the children enjoy coming to. It should also be a place they can expect to feel the Spirit. I know that choristers can play a vital role in this endeavor through all the singing and activities we partipate in with the children. Fun and games are great, as long as it does not result in excess and detract from the overall goal of displaying respect and love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Choristers are not called to entertain the children (though at times I know it can feel like we have to in order to keep their attention and focus). We are called to fulfill the purposes of Primary outlined in the handbook. Rely on the inspiration you are entitled to in this calling as you prepare your singing times and songs each week. I know that through prayerful preparation and attentiveness to the Spirit we feel, the children can begin to feel and recognize the Spirit in their lives.
Please know that I feel that each and every chorister in our stake is doing an amazing job. I love learning from you as I visit your wards and talk with you....you are inspiring women! Thank you for your time and continued efforts on behalf of the children in your ward. I know you will be blessed for your willingness to serve in this calling.
I would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, or experiences on this topic if you are interested in sharing....:)
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