Announcing... The Summer Challenge for Primary Children and Their Families

The Challenge: To hold daily family prayer and scripture reading, as well as weekly family home evening, all summer long

How Progress Can Be Measured: Each family will be provided a one-quart jar for the children to fill as follows -

For each family prayer – Add one blue pom-pom

For each family scripture reading – Add one yellow pom-pom

For each family home evening – Add one red pom-pom

The Goal: To fill the jar by summer’s end and bring the filled jar to Stake Conference in September

To Sweeten the Challenge: A generous, talented, and in-demand professional photographer, with her trusty assistants, has graciously volunteered to photograph each family on temple grounds in the afternoon following Stake Conference. Families will be encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and participate in various Sunday activities on temple grounds while awaiting their family portrait. Note: Jars must be presented at the time the photograph is taken.


More details to follow in your respective wards.

Upcoming Event: Eleven-Year-Old Scout Camp

Just a reminder to the parents and leaders of 11-year-old scouts attending their first overnight. Camp begins at 5:00 pm Friday, June 7 and ends at 3:30 pm Saturday, June 8 at Camp Herms in the El Cerrito hills. This is a six-stake event and will be a highlight of their scouting experience so far. At 11-year-old Scout Camp the boys prepare for continued success in Scouting, learn basic outdoor skills, build self-confidence, work on rank requirements and build leadership skills, associate with other LDS boys throughout the East Bay area...and have fun!

Please ensure that the boys wear their Scout uniform (both Friday and Saturday) - and have their name on everything they bring. The boys will need to bring the following:

Scout handbook
Scout uniform
Jacket
First aid kit
Compass (optional)
Mess Kit (knife fork, spoon, plate, bowl, cup)
Sleeping bag and tent
Ground cloth/tarp
Flashlight
Toilet kit
Rain poncho (just in case)
A 3-foot length of rope
Foil dinner (for Friday night)

Driving Directions to Camp Herms:
Take 580 and merge onto 80 towards Richmond. Take Central Ave exit. Left on San Pablo, Right on Mossier (go to end, very steep), Left on Arlington (residential winding), Right Arlington Park, Right just after park to get to Camp Herms upper parking. *** Turn Right just before Arlington Park (Villa Nuevo) and park near bottom lower field area.

May Newsletter From Stake Primary Presidency

Sharing Time for Primary Presidencies
Oakland Stake Primary Newsletter Vol. 4, May 2013

I recently viewed the General Sunday School Auxiliary Leadership Training - what a great resource!

Did you know that the Sunday School of each ward is responsible for training all teachers (including Primary teachers)?

Did you know that the most important part of your Primary teaching is in your own daily spiritual preparation?

Have you sensed the change in emphasis - from children/students who sit in a class waiting to receive the prepared lesson to “gospel learners” who also have responsibilities in the classroom?

Did you know that your purpose as a Primary teacher is to help the children become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ (not just to gain a testimony)?

Did you know that your calling is to teach as the Savior taught? (Now, that is a tall order!)

To that end, the church has introduced “Teaching in the Savior’s Way” to inspire us to look to the Savior and ponder his ways as we prepare and teach. The Savior (1) loved those he taught, (2) knew those he taught and who they could become, (3) used the scriptures, (4) shared simple, relevant stories and parables, (5) asked questions that caused gospel learners to think and feel deeply, (6) invited them to testify, (7) trusted those he taught and gave them opportunities to serve, (8) invited them to act in faith, and (9) was their examplar, patterning the principles he taught.

I encourage all of us to become more familiar with the church’s new teaching resource, Teaching in the Savior’s Way.

The First Presidency has promised that as we pattern our gospel teaching in the Savior’s way, the Holy Ghost will help us know what to do, our own testimonies will grow, our personal conversions will be deepened, and we will be strengthened to meet the challenges of life.

April Newsletter for Stake Primary Presidency

Sharing Time for Primary Presidencies
Oakland Stake Primary Newsletter Vol. 3, April 2013

The General Primary Presidency recently held the annual Primary Leadership Training, which is available via webcast on the church website (highly recommend for each of you!). I’ve watched it a few times thus far (I’m a little slow) and am still taking copious notes. Here is one bite-size idea that I wish to share –

Primary Children and Family History Work
One Primary mother listened to Elder Bednar’s talk encouraging the youth of the church to get involved in Family History (October 2011). Thereafter, this inspired mother invited the ward’s Family History Consultant into her home to introduce family history to the family. Initially interested because of his love of computers, her 10 year-old son became excited about family history. Thus far, he has submitted over 200 family names needing temple work and has learned the joy that comes from family history. We were reminded of Elder Bednar’s promise to the youth and children who perform family history –
“As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you. Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.”
With those kinds of promises to the youth who participate in family history, I would invite all of you to think of ways we can introduce family history to the Primary children (Elder Bednar also cautioned leaders and parents not to overly program this endeavor or provide detailed training, but merely to allow the children to explore, experiment, and learn for themselves.)
This mother shared that too often we underestimate what our children are capable of accomplishing and deprive them of potential blessings and protection.

2013 Oakland Stake Leadership Training

This year's Primary Leadership training for primary presidencies and teachers is on May 2nd. Please join us for a general session to discuss this summer's family challenge and the revamped Oakland Stake Primary blog. Breakout sessions will follow for teachers, Cub Scout leaders, Activity Day leaders, Nursery leaders, and Choristers.

2012 Oakland Stake Primary Leadership Meeting

Here is a link to the 2012 Worldwide Primary Leadership Training Video that we watched parts of at our meeting:

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/primary-auxiliary-training/2012/03?lang=eng

The video is 2 hours long.  If you are looking for a specific part we talked about, here are the times (i.e. how far into the video that section is):

Sister Wixom's letter:  21 minutes
Shoe Video:  One hour, 43 minutes
Bryce Reynolds story:  One hour, 55 minutes
Music portion: 40 minutes

Click here to download a copy of the handout we discussed about lds.org.

Note that in the training video above, they also do a long segment that shows you how to navigate to various resources on lds.org.  It starts about 1 hour into the training video.

New Online Resource

It’s here! A new resource for parents, teachers, and leaders of children! Beginning this month, the Friend is publishing an online resource of additional helps for teaching children. Included here are stories, activities, and media that support the Primary lessons being taught in 2012. You will also find an index of ideas for different gospel topics. These ideas are all approved resources and can be used with full confidence that they are endorsed by the Church and meet the standard of teaching true doctrine. It is a sacred responsibility to teach children the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them learn to live it. You are doing much more than teaching a lesson—you are teaching children to know and love the Savior, and helping them to be lifelong followers of Jesus Christ.

Go to: lessonhelps.lds.org