January 2020 Newsletter
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." -King Benjamin (Mosiah 3:19)
Happy New Year
Dear Sisters- We hope this newsletter finds you all doing well; and that the holidays have been a wonderful time to reflect on the year, be filled with gratitude and focus on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so excited for 2020! Ward Conferences will be taking place from January-March, so please check the calendar for your unit's conference date. In addition, you will find information below that will aid in your preparation for the training and ministering visits that will take place during your ward conference. Thank you for all of the love and patience that you put into the service and teaching of our children. We look forward to seeing you all very soon.
Love, the Bessemer Stake Primary Presidency
Meet Sister Cureton
My name is Evie Cureton and I am the Bessemer Stake Primary President. My husband, Luke, and I have been married for 17 years and we have 4 children: Robert (16), Peter (16), Andrew (14) and Lily (12). We are fairly new to Alabama, having moved into the Gardendale ward in April 2019 from Yuma, Arizona. As a family, we love to travel and experience new things.
Like most families, our schedules can get pretty hectic; but one promise that we keep to ourselves and our family is that we always meet back together in the evening to share a spiritual thought/scripture and a prayer. It doesn't have to be perfect and, trust me, it rarely is! I testify that kneeling before the Lord, as a family, will draw you closer together, as it draws each of you individually closer to the Jesus Christ. -Sis. Cureton
Meet Sister Halgren
My name is Lindsay Halgren and I am the 1st Counselor in the Bessemer Stake Primary Presidency. My husband, James, and I have been married 18 years and have five children. We recently moved to Alabama from Fort Collins, Colorado and are in the Northport Ward. We love to ride bikes together and to go hiking as a family. Our favorite family meal is "Grandma Tacos." This year our family theme is "Love and Serve," from King Benjamin's talk in Mosiah 4:13-15 of the Book of Mormon. Our family superpower is being able to read books while we do just about any task. -Sis. Halgren
Ward & Branch Conferences
Unit Conferences will be kicking off this month and will be going on through the end of March. Check the calendar below for the date and time of your ward or branch's conference.
Prepare for Unit Conference
In preparation for your ward or branch conference, we ask that you read and study the talk, "The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality" by Elder David A. Bednar. Please write down your thoughts and bring them with you.
Breakout Training & 2nd Hour
Prior to sacrament meeting, we will have a breakout training with your presidency. During 2nd hour, the stake primary presidency will take over primary so that your presidency and leaders may attend the 2nd hour of unit conference.
Ministering Visits
We invite your primary presidency to prayerfully consider 4 families that you would like for us to visit after the conclusion of ward conference. Please make appropriate arrangements for us to visit them in their homes. We will split up, visit and then meet back at the church.
Come Unto Christ
What does it mean to Come unto Christ? When I think of following Jesus Christ, I envision the Stripling Warriors burying their weapons and not going back to them. That illustration can translate to putting aside our natural man in order to become, more fully, the spiritual beings that Heavenly Father created us to be. Sin and transgression separates us from God because "no unclean thing can dwell with God or inherit (enter into) the kingdom of heaven" (1 Nephi 10, Alma 11:37, Alma 40, 3 Nephi 27). We can be made clean only through the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and heal that distance caused by sin.
How do we Come unto Christ? Repentance is made possible because of Christ's Atonement. Repentance unlocks that redeeming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As we repent continuously, we become worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Partaking of the Atonement of Jesus Christ means choosing continuously to keep the commandments and to change. It means that we choose to change, to transform and to prepare for heaven. Elder Bednar quoted President David O. McKay, "The purpose of the gospel is... to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature." By connecting the dots between President McKay, Elder Bednar and King Benjamin's words, we find that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has 1) Redeeming and Cleansing power and 2) Enabling and Strengthening power. Repentance unlocks the redeeming and cleansing power, "making bad men good;" which enables us to take the next step to unlock the enabling and strengthening power of Christ's Atonement, thus "making good men better." It all begins when we exercise our agency to Come Unto Christ.
As you've probably noticed, this month's newsletter is hosted on our Bessemer Stake Primary site. This is not an official site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is simply a hub that we've put together to help us all stay connected and to keep the information flowing freely. Please explore the site and become familiar with it. You will also find a link to the church's official website where there is an abundance of resources to help you with your primary leaders and children.
Please let us know about your needs, ideas and suggestions! If you have a thought, voice it here! Good or bad. Of course, you're always welcome to call, text or email us, but this is another option if you're laying in bed at 3am and think of something you'd love to see happen. You may also submit an opinion anonymously. And, naturally, we also want to hear what you love!
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Action Items:
All leaders and teachers of children or youth are to complete this training within one month of being called. The training is valid for three years. Please make sure that every leader and teacher, as well as your presidency, completes this training by the end of this month.
We encourage each unit to fill out a Monthly Report Form for the stake. This, along with regular correspondence, will help us to be able to report back to the Stake Presidency on the well-being of each unit. The online form is quick and easy, and should be filled out by the 1st Wednesday or 1st Sunday of the month (whichever comes first) following the month's end. Thank you for loving our primary children and for being such diligent leaders. Contact us with any questions or concerns.
We want to see all of the wonderful ways that your presidency is helping the children grow closer to Jesus Christ! Please use this link to submit a description and photos when great things happen in your primary! Your unit could be our next spotlight!