Lesson Plans Put Together by a Prayerful Human

Exceptional General Conference Quotes Plus Discussion-Promoting Questions

Lesson topics Elder Gong covered are: the worldwide church, the significant increase in new converts, reasons for loneliness or not fitting in, sitting by someone, transformations, and goals at church.

Useful Links

• Fast lesson-planning tools—for printable class handouts and a quick teacher guide for this lesson—click here.
• Tips for delivering a successful lesson are located at the end of the article.
• For other speakers, see General Conference Talks with 5 Highlights

All blue quotes are from Gerrit W. Gong’s October 2025 General Conference talk (unless otherwise noted).

Quote #1 (all of us)

Possible engagement tool: Our Church is growing fast these days. Elder Gong helps us understand how that fulfills prophecy.

Note: Please divide between two or more readers.

Everywhere, record numbers of converts are finding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every Sabbath, members and friends from 195 birth countries and territories gather in 31,916 Church congregations. We speak 125 languages.

Preparing us for the kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells the parables of the great supper and wedding feast. In these parables, invited guests make excuses not to come. The master instructs his servants to “go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city” and “the highways and hedges” to “bring in hither” the poor, maimed, halt, and blind. Spiritually speaking, that’s each of us.

Scripture declares: “All nations shall be invited” unto “a supper of the house of the Lord.” “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, … that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come.”

Possible discussion questions: Has anyone ever attended our church in another country (where was it and what was it like?) Who went to a foreign-speaking mission, and what impressed you about the people in the country you went to? What was a different custom you liked that was normal to them, but not typically observed here? Why is it important to welcome everyone to the supper of the Lord?

For printable class handouts and copies of this lesson – click here.

Quote #2 (move)

Possible Intro: Elder Gong asks us to be braver than we may have been in the past. Invite your class to think about what Elder Gong asks us to do and why as we read the following quote.

Living the gospel of Jesus Christ includes making room for all in His restored Church.

The spirit of “room in the inn” includes “no one sits alone.” When you come to church, if you see someone alone, will you please say hello and sit with him or her? This may not be your custom. The person may look or speak differently than you. And of course, as a fortune cookie might say, “A journey of gospel friendship and love begins with a first hello and no one sitting alone.”

Highly recommended activity! Have everyone get up and sit by someone they don’t normally sit by for the rest of the lesson.

Have them share with the other new person 1) their name and where they lived before this ward, 2) two interesting things of their own choice about themselves or what they have done recently. Give them 2-3 minutes. It’s okay if some people end up in small groups. As long as you get some movement and chatter – you’re successful. Make sure you sit by anyone who seems left out during this exercise.

Possible discussion questions: Why is Elder Gong asking us to sit with new people—what does that accomplish? Did anyone learn something new today, about someone in this room? By show of hands, who thinks they can accept Elder Gong’s challenge next Sunday and sit near someone they don’t normally sit by and say hello?

Quote #3 (let it go)

Possible engagement tool: Elder Gong understands how difficult other people can be, even at Church, and offers valuable counsel on this topic – see what stands out to you as we read the following quote.

On the dusty roads to Jericho, each of us has been laughed at, embarrassed and hurt, perhaps scorned or abused. And with varying degrees of intent, each of us has also disregarded, not seen or heard, perhaps deliberately hurt others. It is precisely because we have been hurt and have hurt others that Jesus Christ brings us all to His inn. In His Church and through His ordinances and covenants, we come to each other and to Jesus Christ. We love and are loved, serve and are served, forgive and are forgiven. Please remember, “earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal”; earth burdens lighten—our Savior’s joy is real.

In His restored Church, we are all better when no one sits alone. Let us not simply accommodate or tolerate. Let us genuinely welcome, acknowledge, minister to, love. May each friend, sister, brother not be a foreigner or stranger but a child at home.

Possible discussion questions: Why is it important to realize that no one can live up to our expectations or may really disappoint us…and it’s going to happen? Where can we find healing and well-being? What is your favorite way to hit the spiritual reset button or recharge your emotional batteries? What happens when we dwell on the guilt of others? (Accept all reasonable answers…WE ARE MISERABLE when we focus on the guilt of others. It can eventually make us blind to the good things in life and in each other. Time to let it go and move on.)

Quote #4 (judge less)

Possible Intro: Elder Gong has some great advice to bring us all more relief.

Note: Please divide between two readers.

There are many reasons we may feel we do not fit in at church—that, speaking figuratively, we sit alone. We may worry about our accent, clothes, family situation. Perhaps we feel inadequate, smell of smoke, yearn for moral cleanliness, have broken up with someone and feel hurt and embarrassed, are concerned about this or that Church policy. We may be single, divorced, widowed. Our children are noisy; we don’t have children. We didn’t serve a mission or came home early. The list goes on.

Mosiah 18:21 invites us to knit our hearts together in love. I invite us to worry less, judge less, be less demanding of others—and, when needed, be less hard on ourselves. We do not create Zion in a day. But each “hello,” each warm gesture, brings Zion closer. Let us trust the Lord more and choose joyfully to obey all His commandments.

Author’s Note: My stake president once said, “We ALL need to spend a whole lot less time judging and a whole lot more time loving.”

Author’s Note: I’m at my best when I focus on being a giver and receiver of love. I always regret those days when I was not a giver and receiver of love. Love is a worthy, intentional thing.

Possible discussion question: How would you sum up Elder Gong’s advice to us? (Accept all reasonable answers – for me, it would be love more, worry less (quit obsessing on it), judge less, and demand less – that is a sure recipe to a more fulfilling experience.)

Quote #5 (goals)

Possible Intro: As we welcome others at Church and are at Church ourselves, Elder Gong shares some worthy goal and transformations we can all work for.

Conversion in Jesus Christ requires us to put off the natural man and worldly culture. As President Dallin H. Oaks teaches, we are to give up any tradition and cultural practice that is contrary to the commandments of God and to become Latter-day Saints. He explains, “There is a unique gospel culture, a set of values and expectations and practices common to all [the] members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Gospel culture includes chastity, weekly attendance at church, abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee. It includes honesty and integrity, understanding we move forward, not upward or downward, in Church positions.

Possible activity: Have your class help you pull out a list from Elder Gong’s quote of some of our goals and habits we work towards at church. (The list does not need to be in the same order, or use the exact words, or get all of them.)

Each time someone names something, write it on the board and ask, “Why and what are the blessings? (Decide how much time you have for this quote and stop after a few if needed.)

• chastity
• weekly attendance at church
• abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee
• honesty and integrity
• humility in church callings
• (put off the natural man)
• (put worldly culture)

Possible discussion questions: What are some “natural man” traits we could “put off” (get rid of or not do)? What are some worldly cultures that we should avoid or refrain from engaging with?

Summary

Summarize class discussion highlights and/or share your testimony and feelings about Elder Gong’s talk. Thank your class for their excellent contributions and insights.

Final Comment

Please teach the quotes in any order that makes sense to you.

Teach with confidence, and if you would like some tips on how to feel more confident while teaching – try “9 Tips for More Class Participation.” May the Spirit bless and guide your efforts.

(You can find the full General Conference talk here.)

How to Teach Successfully and Give a Better Lesson

You have great content; now let’s ensure the lesson goes smoothly.

Unless you opt to spend a lot of time on a particular quote, try to pick around 2 questions per quote. Prayerfully select the questions that resonate the most with you and would make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities.

The above “5 Highlights” quotes and discussion questions fit with Lesson Template 1 —OR— Lesson Template 2.

Lesson Prep

• You can arrange the quotes in any order that makes sense to you. I suggest starting with the most important ones and working your way down. Don’t EVER worry about covering all the quotes. Rushed lessons are not as effective.
• If you want the discussion to be more robust and meaningful, hand out reading assignments ahead of time and ask the reader to answer one question about them (i.e. pick one of the questions from each quote and give it to them, along with the assigned quote). The sooner you do this, the better, but if possible, at least show it to them before the Sacrament meeting. You can also send it via text or email.
• Ask various people to read and participate, especially those who are not often asked to do so.

Lesson Delivery

• Ensure every class member has the conference talk and scriptures in front of them or on their phone. Always invite the class to read along—hearing and seeing the words together increases comprehension and engagement.
• Avoid videos – they shut down discussion. Save them for personal study.
• If the discussion gets too non-spiritual, pull it back by going to the next quote or question.
• Make sure you assign others to read the quotes. You’re talking enough already, and letting others read allows more people to participate.
• Encourage discussion by accepting all reasonable answers. Validate people for participating, and be thankful they spoke up. Engage with the answer in a conversational way whenever it feels natural. Never say, “That’s not the right answer.”
• Remember, spiritual discussion is golden. We want people to talk about the gospel together.
• Never say, “We haven’t got to that part of the lesson yet.” If the discussion takes a different turn than your planned lesson, roll with it. The Spirit intends for you to be successful.