When Jesus Christ fed the 5,000 in John, chapter 6, it was a young lad who brought the five loaves and two fishes, and Jesus took the offering and magnified it.
“As children bring what they have to offer, the Savior will magnify it as well," said President Susan H. Porter, the Primary general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
President Porter and her counselors — Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor, and Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor — spoke on the Church News podcast about the Primary service initiative, where all Primaries around the world are invited to organize an annual service activity, beginning in 2025.
“We are building on their natural, God-given tenderness. We are expanding their vision to their community, helping them with counseling together and serving together and becoming leaders,” President Porter said. “We are helping them identify that the Spirit will guide them because they are involved in the sacred work of Christ, which is blessing all of His sons and daughters.”
The Church History Department is working on an official history of Primary for the 150th anniversary in 2028. As the Primary general presidency and Primary general advisory council members are reading the drafts of the chapters, they have seen newspaper articles and other writings about some of the efforts of Primary children to serve other children ever since the Primary organization began on Aug. 25, 1878.
Some of these examples include raising pennies for Primary Children’s Hospital, and Primary children in the United States collecting clothing and toys for children in Europe after World War II.
As the presidency read about these examples, President Porter said, “We were overcome with the power of children to do good. …We just felt the Spirit flood over us that this is something our Primary children can do in our day.”
President Porter and her counselors have worked to help increase understanding that once children are baptized, they are members of the Church.
“We have seen the capacity of the children offering prayers in sacrament meetings, giving talks and helping in Primary. And so this service activity is an expansion of the capacity of children to make a difference,” President Porter said.
Children can serve in their families and in church settings and now can be invited to look to their communities as they plan, invite and serve.
Children are altruistic by nature, said Sister Wright. “They tend to see the world through the eyes of our Savior, Jesus Christ. They love as He loves. They forgive as He forgives, and they strive every day to serve as He serves.”
Sister Browning said that as leaders invite children’s discipleship, children can establish a foundation of love, service and care “that propels their spiritual momentum into their youth and into their adult years, because they’re centering their relationship and their discipleship in the Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Children can be a part of the revelatory experience
Sister Wright said the presidency wants the children to be fully engaged in the process of planning, inviting and serving, with adults leading and guiding along the way. The older or Valiant-age children — those who are ages 7-11 — especially should be involved at the beginning.
“We want children to be part of the revelatory experience as they are invited to counsel with their leaders, with their teachers, about meaningful ways in which they can serve other children in their communities,” Sister Wright said. “Engaging the children in the revelatory process is significant because there naturally becomes a sense of ownership and responsibility.”
The presidency also hopes children will invite their friends and families and include their branches, wards and stakes to participate as well. This can become an opportunity to invite friends at school or in the neighborhood to join in a wonderful cause.
One of Sister Browning’s favorite scriptures is Acts 10:38, which talks about how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, and then it says that Jesus went about doing good.
Thus, this opportunity for Valiant-age children in particular — who have been baptized and have received the gift of the Holy Ghost in their lives — will let them use that gift to follow the example of the Savior to “go about doing good,” Sister Browning said.
“This is a wonderful experience for them to center their service on being like Jesus Christ, following His example, because they too are also anointed by the Holy Ghost and also have power in their lives to serve, to be a part of God’s work, even the work of salvation and exaltation,” she said.
Children may have things in their young lives they are anxious or concerned about — or even afraid of. Turning inward with these thoughts can make the world a dark and scary place, Sister Wright said.
“But when we turn our vision outward and seek to help one another … we find joy and light, and it can help with that anxiousness,” Sister Wright said, adding, “When we go about doing good, we also heal, and that healing comes from our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Looking for service opportunities
Sister Browning said stakes and wards can be flexible and consider the best time to do this in a way that is meaningful. Adequate time should be given to go through planning, inviting and serving.
Leaders and parents can help their children answer questions like, “What needs do we see in the community? What needs do we see within our neighborhoods? What needs do we see within the membership of our ward? What can we do to serve — and especially serve in ways that might be meaningful to other children and be flexible in that opportunity?” Sister Browning asked.
Ward council is a great place to consider where opportunities are for service, she explained, and the JustServe website and app is a great resource to find opportunities. Users can use filters and the search function to find volunteer opportunities that specifically benefit children or find group activities by location.
People can also find several resources at JustServe.org/Primary.
President Porter said she hopes local Primary presidencies feel the full support of their ward and stake councils and that this will be a focused and elevated effort — because it is all one work.
“It’s helping children live the gospel of Jesus Christ, by following His example,” President Porter said. “It’s caring for those in need, looking outside yourself. It’s inviting others to learn of the gospel as we invite them to participate in our Savior’s service, and it’s uniting families. … Children are going to come with their parents, their grandparents, their neighbors, and standing side by side. It’s a beautiful way for all of them to come together.”
The Primary general presidency would love to see examples of the children planning, inviting and serving. Stories, videos, drawings and photos can be submitted through the Friend magazine. Ward and branch leaders can submit stories to unit histories through the online unit history tool.
