Sacrament meeting

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Sacrament meeting is the weekly worship service held on Sunday in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The chapel in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah is unusual in that it is in a downtown office building, however, it still follows the standard design of LDS chapels throughout the world.

Sacrament meetings are held in individual wards or branches in the chapel of the meetinghouse. The bishop or branch president of the ward or branch presides, unless a higher authority is present. Anyone is invited to attend, whether they are a member of the church or not. Sacrament meetings are not held during stake or district conferences, or during the biannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Attendees of sacrament meetings generally wear "Sunday formal" dress. Men wear suits and ties, and women wear modest dresses or skirts. Children are encouraged to attend, but when they become unruly, the parents generally escort them into the lobby.

Sacrament meetings usually proceed in this manner:

First, the conducting officer (usually a member of the Bishopric or Branch Presidency) welcomes the members to the meeting and presents announcements or other informational items of general interest.
An opening hymn is usually sung by the congregation. Following this is the invocation, or opening prayer, performed by an assigned member of the congregation.
Following this, church business is conducted. This includes the announcement of assignments and callings, the call for consent on various issues and assignments, and performance of ordinances, such as naming and blessing children and the confirmation of recently baptized converts.
Next, a sacrament hymn is sung by the congregation. After this, the Priests of the Aaronic Priesthood bless the bread. The bread is distributed to the congregation by Deacons. After this, the Priests bless the water, which is distributed in like manner. The prayers used in the blessings are exact (See The Doctrine and Covenants, Covenant 20:75-79). The bread and water constitute the sacrament and are prepared before the meeting by one or more teachers. If sufficient number of Aaronic Priesthood holders are not available, Melchizedek Priesthood holders may prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament, as required.
Following the administration of the sacrament, various sermons, or talks, are delivered by assigned members of the congregation, visiting officials such as Stake High Council members or a member of the Stake Presidency. Often, congregational hymns or special musical numbers are included before or between talks. If it is Fast Sunday, instead of prepared talks, the congregation is asked to bear their testimonies as they feel inspired. (See Fast and testimony meeting.)

The meeting closes with another congregational hymn and a benediction, or closing prayer.

A collection plate is not passed as part of sacrament meeting, or any other church service. The Church operates by lay ministry, and local leaders, teachers, and speakers are not compensated. Church members make private contributions to the Church, including tithing, usually using small envelopes.

Sacrament meetings usually last approximately 70 minutes. Other church meetings that can follow or precede sacrament meeting include, for adults, Sunday School and Relief Society or Priesthood quorum meetings; and for youth, Sunday School classes, Young Women and Young Men classes; and Primary classes and a nursery for children. The sum of these meetings constitute Sunday services and typically lasts three hours.

[edit] Significance of Sacrament meeting

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Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the ordinance of the sacrament allows them to renew all of their covenants, such as the covenants they have made in baptism or the priesthood or in the temple. They generally attend seeking to be forgiven for their shortcomings during the week and to begin anew with renewed conviction.

If they have the approval of the bishop, priesthood holders may administer the sacrament to those who are homebound or otherwise cannot attend sacrament meeting.