Sacrament Meeting

Anywhere you go in the world, if you attend a sacrament meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) it will follow the same basic format. Sacrament meetings are held every Sunday, unless there is a stake or general conference, and is where members renew the promises they made at baptism by partaking of the Sacrament (known as the Eucharist or Communion in other Christian churches). The dress at a Sacrament Meeting is "Sunday best" to show respect. Men usually wear a suit and tie and women usually wear a nice dress or skirt and blouse. If you have ever seen the way Mormon missionaries dress, model your attire after them and you will fit right in. When you get to the meetinghouse, the Sacrament Meeting is held in the chapel. Pews are not assigned and you may sit anywhere you would like. On the stand will be seated the bishopric, any visitors from the high council or stake presidency, the speakers and the priests who will bless the sacrament. Behind the pulpit there are also places for choirs to sit. All members, children included, attend Sacrament Meeting and families typically sit together. A member of the bishopric will start the meeting by welcoming everyone and then giving announcements. This is followed by an opening hymn. Accept for certain occasions, members remain seated while singing. The music director will announce if the coungregation should stand. Following the opening hymn a prayer is given. Members stay seated, bow their heads, close their eyes, and fold their arms. During the meeting the only time those in the congregation say anything out loud is when they say amen, and this is done reverently. "Amens" come after prayers, talks, and testimonies. After the prayer, ward business is conducted. This is where new callings are given, babies are blessed, and new members are confirmed. When a person is given a new calling the members are asked to sustain them. This is something that visitors need not participate in. After ward business, the Sacrament hymn is sung. This hymn is to help members get into the proper mood for partaking the Sacrament. After the hymn a blessing is given on the Sacrament and then it is passed to the members. Visitors may also take the Sacrament. This is the most sacred and important part of the meeting, so while the Sacrament is being passed is not a good time to get up or leave the meeting for any reason. Following the Sacrament, talks are given. This part of the meeting is usually the longest part. Members of the congregation are asked to speak about certain topics and each person's talk can be anywhere from five minutes to twenty minutes. Occasionally there will be a rest hymn between talks, or, on occasion, the ward choir may perform a selection and that is usually an arrangement of a hymn. When the talks are done, a closing hymn will be sung, followed by a prayer. When the prayer is done the meeting is over and people begin leaving the chapel.