“Let’s Go Fishing,” For the Strength of Youth, Apr. 2023
Let’s Go Fishing
A guide for quorum and class presidencies.
Illustrations by Jarom Vogel
Many of Jesus Christ’s early disciples originally worked as fishermen. When the Savior called them, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18–20).
The Savior was not asking his disciples to hang bait from a fishing line, cast it into a crowd of people, and reel in whoever decided to take a bite. Instead, the Savior meant that as His disciples, it was their job to help people come to Christ and find peace in Him.
You are also a “fisher of men”! And if you are in a quorum or class presidency, you are called, set apart, and given priesthood authority to help bring those in your quorum or class to the Savior. So let’s go fishing!
1 Get in the Boat
Alright, hang on a minute. First put on a life jacket and sunscreen. Grab your lunch and an oar. Then make sure to get in the boat! (Figuratively speaking, of course.) As a fisher of men, your first catch is yourself. Being a young man or young woman who follows the Savior is your number one priority.
2 Grab Your Fishing Gear
It’s pretty hard to fish without fishing gear, or tackle. In this case, each piece of tackle represents one of your main responsibilities as a member of a quorum or class presidency.
1: Seek and expect personal revelation.
Pray to Heavenly Father about your calling. Ask Him questions, then act on thoughts and feelings that come to your mind. He wants to guide you in your service.
2: Love and minister.
Take the time to get to know and minister to each member of your quorum or class. Some of them may be living through very hard trials. How can you serve them, love them, be their friend, and help them come to Christ?
3: Hold presidency meetings.
As quorum and class presidencies, you are the captain of the ship, so to speak. Get together often with your presidency and adult advisers. Talk about the needs of your quorum or class, discuss how you can participate in the work of salvation and exaltation, plan activities and Sunday lessons, and decide how you will delegate your responsibilities.
4: Lead and conduct Sunday classes.
Sunday is an important day for being a fisher of men. Conduct Young Women or Aaronic Priesthood quorum meetings and lead the “Counsel Together” section in Come, Follow Me before the lesson.
5: Plan and carry out service and activities.
Good fishing includes good planning. Prepare service and activities that have meaningful purpose—things that are not just fun, but will help your quorum or class learn something new or become more like the Savior.
3 Go Fishing
Are you ready to be a fisher of men? As you help members of your quorum and class feel loved and included, they will have opportunities to grow closer to the Savior and find peace in Him. And you will find peace as well as you help the Savior in His work.