Relief Society · Elders Quorum · 25 minutes
Elder Patrick Kearon · Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles · Saturday Morning Session
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This class in one line
Our callings, whatever they are not mere assignments but an invitation to join Christ in His redeeming work, and that changes how we respond to them.
Skip a detailed explanation of common consent and the solemn assembly history; let the discussion questions do the work instead.
Before Sunday
Sunday: What does it mean to be 'about His business'?
This Sunday we'll discuss Elder Patrick Kearon's April 2026 talk 'About His Business.' He shares what he learned as a new member receiving his first church calling, assistant ward clerk, and why he almost turned it down. Before class, think about a calling you've had that surprised you, stretched you, or that you didn't fully understand at the time. Ponder: what did the Lord teach you through that experience that you couldn't have learned any other way?
Pick one opening
Think of a calling you've received that your first reaction was something like 'that's not really me' or 'I'm not sure why they picked me.' You don't have to share details if it's too personal, but what was that moment like? What went through your mind when you were asked?
Think of a calling you've received that your first reaction was something like 'that's not really me' or 'I'm not sure why they picked me.' You don't have to share details if it's too personal, but what was that moment like? What went through your mind when you were asked?
Elder Kearon was a new convert in his mid-20s in London. His bishop called him in, rocked back in his chair, thwacked a ruler against his palm, and extended a calling, assistant ward clerk. Elder Kearon's inner reaction was: 'Assistant ward clerk? Well, that is not me!' Grace intervened, and he said thank you anyway. He had no idea what he was agreeing to.
Teach this first
Elder Kearon's bishop told him that each calling was chosen through prayer, designed to stretch Patrick but not overwhelm him. With time, Elder Kearon came to see that this is true for everyone: callings pull us outward toward Christ's virtues, charity, humility, forgiveness, often through people very different from us. It isn't where we serve but how that matters to the Lord.
"Callings from the Lord are tailor-made for our growth, as we humble ourselves, look outward, and learn that, indeed, when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are in fact in the service of our God.", Elder Kearon
Ask the class
If time remains
Common consent, raising our hand to sustain, is Elder Kearon's phrase for something he found genuinely moving as a new member: a voluntary promise to support, uphold, and pray for those called to serve alongside us, even when we might privately wonder about the fit.
Ask the class
Counsel together
Last 3–5 minutes
This week, reach out to one person in your ward who holds a calling, especially someone in a quiet, unseen role, and let them know specifically how their service has blessed you or someone you love.
Elder Kearon teaches that whatever our offering in the Lord's economy, we always come out ahead, and that life is better, everything is better, when we are about His business.
Your witness: Share, in your own words, a moment when you felt the Lord's hand in a calling you held, when serving someone else quietly became something sacred for you personally.