Additional Guidance on 3rd Hour Adult Classes

12 December 2017

TO: Bishoprics, Branch Presidencies and Ward Councils

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we all prepare for the exciting new teaching plans for the 3rd Hour Adult Classes beginning in 2018, we offer this additional guidance:

1. SELECTING TOPICS: We remind you that topics for the First Sunday Council Meetings are to be recommended by the Ward Council, but selected by the ward Relief Society presidency and priesthood quorum/group leaders. It’s an another example of how the Brethren continue to place the responsibility to those leaders closest to the members and their concerns for deciding which topics will “help meet the needs of the ward or branch. Priesthood and Relief Society leaders can decide when and how their organizations will address these needs.” (p. 135, November Ensign)

• The same applies for the 2nd and 3rd Sundays when messages from the most recent General Conference are to be discussed. “On occasion…the bishop or stake president” will recommend messages to be discussed. (p. 138, November Ensign)

• The 4th Sunday discussions will be topics selected by the First Presidency (for instance, the topic for the first part of 2018 is the Sabbath Day; see p. 144 in the November Ensign).

• The 5th Sunday discussions will be topics selected by the Bishopric or Branch Presidency.

2. WHEN THERE’S NO FIRST SUNDAY: On occasion, such as for General Conference, there are no block meetings on the 1st Sunday of the month. Or some times there is a conflict on one of the other Sundays in the month, such as the upcoming stake conference broadcast on Jan. 28, 2018. 

We leave it to the discretion of the bishopric or branch presidency, in consultation with the ward or branch council, to decide if a First Sunday Council Meeting needs to be conducted or not. It is not required that the First Sunday Council Meeting be conducted on that month’s Fast Sunday (or any Sunday, for that matter). The same applies to other Sundays that may have a scheduling conflict.

In short, we trust ward and branch leaders’ judgement as to which discussion should be conducted on any given Sunday in the adult classes.

3. EXTRA MAGAZINES FOR THE 3rd HOUR DISCUSSIONS: Because the most recent General Conference talks will become the “manuals” for much of the 3rd Hour instruction, the stake has ordered 20 extra copies of the November 2017 edition of the Ensign magazine with the Conference talks for each ward (5 for each branch) for the few members who may not have a subscription or access to the talks on their mobile device. We will deliver the magazines to you within the coming week to use as you choose. We hope it’s helpful, but may not be needed.

In the future, if you decide to order extra copies of the May or November Ensign magazine, you can place the order online or call the Global Service Center, anytime between 7a and 7p on weekdays and 7a - 3p on Saturdays, at 1-800–537-5971. Hit “1” for English then “2” for magazines. Single editions cost $1 each.

We hope the above is helpful. 

Bishops and Branch Presidents, please forward this email to your ward/branch council members.

Thank you,

The Stake Presidency