Julie talked recently about how members of the LDS (Mormon) church attend meetings for three hours each Sunday. The main meeting, for all ages, is sacrament meeting. 

Sacrament meeting is held in the chapel of the church building. (Click here for a video tour of a chapel.) Members are encouraged to arrive to sacrament meeting a few minutes early. I love doing this so that I can hear the prelude music, and also because when I’m early, I get the seat I want! Arriving early helps me because I feel a peace wash over me when I enter the building, since I am not rushed and stressed out. I believe that my children can feel it too. Often they are running in the parking lots and yelling, but once we sit down in the pew, they whisper instead of yell and they sit quietly (most of the time).

Prayer is a big part of a sacrament meeting. Before the meeting begins someone from the bishopric (similar to a pastor and his assistants) asks a member of the congregation to say the opening and closing prayers. These prayers are said at the beginning and end of the meeting. These prayers are not memorized. They are not said the same each week though you may hear some of the same things said. During these prayers we are able to give thanks for the building that we have, for the chance to gather together for worship and we pray for those that may be sick or in need, as well as other things.

Music plays an important part of the sacrament meeting as well. At the start and end of the meeting we will sing from the hymn book. We do this before the sacrament as well. I love the sing the hymns. They make me realize what the Lord has done for me. They help me to understand that He loves me. They soothe my soul.

Following the opening prayer, a member of the bishopric will conduct any ward business – changes to callings, announcements, baby blessings, and the occasional confirmation.

Next is the actual taking of the sacrament. In my part of the world, we are given a bite of bread that is passed to us on trays, followed by a small cup of water. The bread and water each have a prayer said over them by young men (16+) holding the Aaronic priesthood. Younger boys (12+) bring the trays to the pews and the trays are passed along and everyone is given the chance to partake. The prayers are simple, and spoken the exact same each week. During this time it is very quiet in the chapel. Sometimes I spend this quiet time reading the scriptures, praying and just thinking about Christ. It is a wonderful opportunity to think about the sacrifice that he gave us. The bread is meant to symbolize the body of Christ and the water is meant to symbolize the blood of Christ.

Following the bread and water we hear the speakers. Once a month, usually the first Sunday, is Fast Sunday. This is a day that we are encouraged to fast by not eating or drinking for a certain amount of time and concentrate our prayers on a special cause, for ourselves or others. On Fast Sunday, members of the congregation have not been called to speak; rather, we bear testimony, or share what we believe to be true, if we feel prompted or have a desire to. We believe that when we share testimony we are making our faith stronger.

On a Sunday that is not Fast Sunday, the bishopric will assign 2-3 speakers. Often there is a youth (ages 12-17) speaker and two adult (male or female) speakers that have been assigned a specific topic. Topics for speakers vary from pre-mortal life to missionary work to personal revelation and everything in between, always relating to Jesus Christ and his central role in the plan of salvation.

Sometimes sacrament meeting can be challenge – there are kids that don’t want to sit still, or the temperature isn’t quite right for me – but it is among my favorite times of the week. Seldom is there a time when I don’t learn something. I always feel a confirmation of the truth of the words that are spoken – and this is the spirit of the Lord.

If you would like to attend a sacrament meeting, click here to find meeting times for your area.
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**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” reflect the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of individuals. Although here at Mormon Women: Who We Are, we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

Have a question you would like to ask? Send an email to us at gmail, with username ‘mormonwoman’

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When my friends find out that we go to church every week for three hours at a time, I get lots of big eyes and replies like “You’re crazy! Why would you do that?!”

I’ll be the first one to admit that some weeks, three hours does feel quite long.  Thankfully the three hour block of meetings is broken up into chunks, so usually time goes by at a good pace.

The main part of our Sunday church service is when everyone in the ward (or congregation) comes together for Sacrament Meeting, a 70 minute service held in the chapel.  I have three small children (5 years, 3 years and 1 year old), and it takes some work to teach our children how to sit reverently, and we by no means have it down!  My 1-year- old daughter isn’t close to being able to sit still, and sometimes I’ll rock her in the back of the chapel, sometimes I’ll take her out for a short break to stretch her legs.  During Sacrament meeting, we sing songs of worship, take the Sacrament, listen to talks given by members of the congregation, get to hear special musical numbers, and take care of ward business (announcements about upcoming activities, announcing changes with responsibilities at church).  My ward has Sacrament Meeting as the first meeting of the three, but my parents ward has this meeting at the end.  I love Sacrament meeting because it gives me a feeling of family unity within my ward when we all worship together.

After (or before) Sacrament meeting, all the children 18 months to 3 years old are provided with a nursery they can attend. In nursery each week, the children have snack and song times, story time, and a lesson about a principle of the gospel, followed with lots and lots of play time.  Often there is also a little craft the children get to do that reinforces the lesson they were taught that day.

When children are 3-11 years old, they attend Primary for 2 of the hours each Sunday block.  Half of Primary is spent in a large group Sharing Time, with singing and a lesson.  The children get to put on part of the program each week in this meeting, presenting talks they prepared, praying, and reciting scriptures. The second half of Primary is where the children are broken up by age and have Sunday School.  My 5 year old son loves Primary!  His teacher is so loving and puts a lot of work into her lessons each week, and we hear him singing the church songs he learns all week long.  He has given talks in Primary twice, and gets excited each time.

For youth 12-18 years old, and all the men and women in the ward, the second hour is spent in Sunday School.  The adults learn together, and the teenagers are usually separated into two or three classes by age group.  Each year, the lessons focus on a particular book of scripture, and are the same lessons around the world. The teachers are ward members who are called on to prepare a lesson each week and present it to the class.  We have wonderful Sunday School teachers.

The last hour is possibly my favorite – if I can say I have a favorite!  Girls 12-18 attend Young Women, women meet together in Relief Society, and all the males from age 12 up meet in Priesthood (another link).  The men have a short opening meeting with announcements, prayer and song, and then the teenagers and adults have separate lessons. Everyone has the same lesson in each group, but I like the opportunity to have lessons and conversations as just women for those few minutes each week.

When I worked with the Young Women several years ago, I loved the chance we could take to focus on just these awesome girls for one hour each week, and the needs that teenagers have – these girls are so special and meeting their needs is so important!  I’m sure the men who are in charge of the teenage boys have similar feelings.

I love the sisterhood and love I feel in Relief Society, and I’m excited to get to attend this meeting again after spending time serving in Young Women and Primary for a few years.  It’s always interesting to chat with my husband after church and see what angle his Priesthood lesson took.  We think it’s fun to discuss how each others Priesthood or Relief Society lessons went that day and how they were different or similar.

So yes – Mormons go to church for three hours, and it can sound like a long time!  But every minute is important, used wisely, and fulfills an important purpose. And thank goodness we’re in three different classes during that time and not sitting in one seat in one room the whole block!

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**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” reflect the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of individuals. Although here at Mormon Women: Who We Are, we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

Have a question you would like to ask? Send an email to us at gmail, with username ‘mormonwoman’

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