Hello Everyone!

I decided to create a blog where we can share ideas for Enrichment Meetings and Activities.

www.reliefsocietyenrichmentideas.blogspot.com

If you have an activity or enrichment meeting idea, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at
reliefsocietyideas@gmail.com
.

I will then post your idea/activity/suggestion. Thank you!

Make sure you check out all the ideas just to the right, in the Related Websites section...I hope you find some good resources to help you in your planning!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Upcoming Christmas Program

We are having a nice dinner in the gym, and then we will move to the chapel for a program. This is the program I put together. I got all the music from defordmusic.com.

Christmas Program Rough Draft

Christmas Program Final

Narrator:
As quoted from The Living Christ, we read “As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth…

“We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world…

“His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”

Video: Hallelujah Chorus

Narrator:
Jesus Christ IS our King of King and Lord of Lords. He is also our Elder Brother who has made our Father’s Plan of Salvation possible. It is now the time of year when we get to celebrate and commemorate His life. The entire Christian world now moves into the happiest season of the year. We open the Bible to Luke’s account of one of the greatest events in history and we hear again what the shepherds heard: For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

In the most humble of surroundings, the most precious infant in all history was born. This Child, was “The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” To Mary and Joseph that night, so many years ago, his blessed name was simply, Wonderful. Let us rejoice as we reflect on this sacred event that was Christ’s birth.

Song: O Holy Night

Story: God Bless Your Way

Narrator:
President Hinckley said: It is proper during this season when we commemorate His birth that we remember the Lord Jesus Christ in reverence and with love. He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has brought meaning to our mortal existence. He has given us the gift of eternal life. He was and is the Son of God, who was “made flesh, and dwelt among us.

In Second Nephi, it was foretold, “The Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall”. (2 Nephi 2:26)

Without Him, without His atoning sacrifice, we could not be saved. He is our Redeemer.

Song: O Come O Come Emmanuel – Group of RS Sisters


Narrator: Our prophet, President Monson said, “With the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, there emerged a great endowment, a power stronger than weapons, a wealth more lasting than the coins of Caesar. This child was to be the King of kings and Lord of lords, the promised Messiah—even Jesus Christ, the Son of God. –
There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. It is the time to love the Lord our God with all our heart—and our neighbors as ourselves. It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much, he who gives time gives more, but he who gives of himself gives all.

Video: Anya’s Bell

Narrator:
“I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

When all is said and done, when all of history is examined, when the deepest depths of the human mind have been explored, nothing is so wonderful, so majestic, so tremendous as this act of grace. The Son of the Almighty, He who had condescended to come to earth as a babe born in Bethlehem, gave His life in ignominy and pain so that all of the sons and daughters of God of all generations of time, every one of whom must die, might walk again and live eternally. He did for us what none of us could do for ourselves- President Hinckley

So think of Him this Christmas season. He was born, and He lives now. Think of Him and all that He has done for us. He came from the most humble of circumstances and yet He is our King, our Lord, and our Savior.

Song: What Child is This?


Video: Nativity

Narrator:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” 2 Nephi 19:6

As President Hinckley said, “ I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the eternal, Living God. None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak His name in reverence and wonder. I worship Him and I worship His Father, in the spirit and in truth. I thank Him and kneel before His wounded feet and hands and side, amazed at the love He offers me. God be thanked for the gift of His Son, the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind, the Prince of Life and Peace, the Holy One.

Congregation sings the first verse of “Silent Night.”

More Info:
For the Hallelujah Chorus, I just did a slideshow of pictures of Christ put to the Tabernacle Choir singing the song.
As for the Nativity, I used the one put out by the church...the most recent one. Here is an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icilgwdHiZg
The video of Anya's Bell is inside of this book: http://deseretbook.com/item/4964370/A_Christmas_Bell_for_Anya
The story "God Bless Your Way" is inside of this book: http://deseretbook.com/item/4988541/God_Bless_Your_Way (I shortened it a little bit.)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm an enrichment counselor from Colorado and am really interested in learning more about this Christmas program. Where did you get the videos like Anya's bell? I'd like to check them out. We're planning an enrichment in December centering around Christ. I really like your blog. Thanks for creating it.

Natalie Sue said...

Anya's bell was a book at Deseret book, and inside of it was the DVD. It's such a beautiful and touching story.
If you have more questions or would like me to email more information about the program, you can email me at reliefsociety58@gmail.com.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it!
-Natalie

Laura said...

I love this idea. Did you make a dvd of the slide show of pictures of Christ and if so is it possible to get a copy? We'd like to do something along these lines for our Christmas activity this year. Thanks,
Laura

Natalie Sue said...

I'll post it on youtube, if that would help? It's too large to email....

4girls4me said...

I have really enjoyed reading over your christmas program and am planning to do a similar one at our RS christmas party this December. I was wondering if you could tell me where you got the Nativity song breath of heaven video from? I watched it on Youtube - it is wonderful. Did you play it right off Youtube or did you have an actual copy that you used? I was hoping to find a hard copy through deseret or something like that? I look forward to your response.
Amanda

Natalie Sue said...

Thank you, Amanda! I did play the video off of you tube. If you know someone talented, they can take the clip and put the music to it. That would be pretty simple even on a basic windows movie maker program. The music is "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant, and the video is of course, The Nativity, published by the Church. If you don't have that resource, then you can do what I did and play it from you tube. I hope that helps!
Unfortunately, it's just a homemade version, I don't think you can buy it anywhere.
You can also play the Nativity DVD with the volume turned down, and then play that song on a separate CD player with the volume turned up. That's what I used to do in the olden days. :) lol

Aaron and Alicia said...

I would really like to do this for my reliefe society this christmas. coud you send me more information on the program??!!!

Thanks!
Alicia

Aaron and Alicia said...

Coule you please send me more information on this program?!

Thank you!
Alicia!

Natalie Sue said...

Hi Alicia. I just used this narration that I've posted here. What else can I help you with? I was able to get free song downloads - sheet music or minus tracks - at www.defordmusic.com. I think that everything else is listed, but let me know if you have more questions. :)

Anonymous said...

I can't find the slide show of picture of Christ on You Tube. Could you tell me how to find it.
Thanks

Natalie Sue said...

Here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/laddandnat?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/LQYOmU4MnYo

Feel free to make your own if you want. You can use this as an idea, or you can use this.

Thanks!