Relief Society · Elders Quorum · 25 minutes
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf · Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles · Sunday Afternoon Session
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Baptism makes each of us part of a covenant people, and President Uchtdorf teaches that as we come closer to Jesus Christ, we come closer to each other, because Christ and His doctrine are what make us one.
Skip the long list of things people unite around (causes, cultures, soccer teams) and the exponential-curve image of spiritual growth; mention them in a sentence at most and spend the time on the Book of Mormon example and the sacrament.
Before Sunday
Sunday: President Uchtdorf on unity in Christ
This Sunday we will discuss President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's October 2026 talk "Christ-Centered Unity." He teaches that baptism is an individual ordinance that also joins us to a covenant people, and that the sacrament reminds us each week that we are not alone. If you have a few minutes, read or listen to the talk in Gospel Library. As you take the sacrament this week, ponder: what does it mean to you that you renew your covenants surrounded by the people in your ward?
Pick one opening
Think of a group you belong to outside of church: a team, a workplace, a neighborhood, a group of fans. What holds that group together? Take a few answers. Then ask: President Uchtdorf says something different holds the Savior's Church together. What do you think it is, and why would that hold people together when other things fail?
Think of a group you belong to outside of church: a team, a workplace, a neighborhood, a group of fans. What holds that group together? Take a few answers. Then ask: President Uchtdorf says something different holds the Savior's Church together. What do you think it is, and why would that hold people together when other things fail?
President Uchtdorf was baptized at age eight in a large indoor public swimming pool. As he walked into the water, one thought filled his mind: the pool is getting deeper, and he couldn't swim. He went in anyway, one person entering one gate. Then he teaches that baptism, though done one by one, also joins us to a whole people. Ask: what changes when we see our baptism as joining a people, not only making a personal promise?
Retell President Uchtdorf's example: the Nephites and Lamanites fought for generations, one of the longest sibling rivalries anywhere. Then Jesus Christ appeared to them, taught His gospel, and organized His Church. For about 200 years contention ended, and former enemies became one people, "the children of Christ" (4 Nephi 1:17). Ask: what do you think actually changed in those people?
Teach this first
President Uchtdorf teaches that what unites the Saints is not politics, culture, or shared interests but love for God and His children and our covenants with Jesus Christ. When the Nephites and Lamanites received the Savior and His doctrine, generations of contention ended, because Christ is the one who changes and purifies people. So the way to unity is not first trying harder to agree with each other; it is coming closer to Him, and as we do, we draw closer to each other.
President Uchtdorf taught: "The closer we come to Him, the closer we will come to each other."
Ask the class
If time remains
President Uchtdorf points out that the sacrament is the only ordinance in which we are not addressed by name; the prayers ask blessings on "the souls of all those who partake of it." We partake individually but as a group, so each Sunday reminds us that we have the Savior and we have each other.
Ask the class
Counsel together
Last 3–5 minutes
This week, before and during the sacrament, look around the chapel and pray for one person by name who you sense is carrying something heavy, then find one small way to reach out to them before next Sunday.
President Uchtdorf testified that the more united in Christ we are, and the more we build bridges instead of walls, the more our lives, families, communities, and nations will experience God's presence and His blessings.
Your witness: Think of a time when being close to the Savior helped you feel closer to someone else, perhaps someone you had felt distant from. Share it briefly in your own words, and tell what you know about Jesus Christ's power to make people one.