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Sacrament meeting

 

 
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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.

Sacrament meetings are held in individual wardsWard (Mormonism)

:For the term used for congregations in other Latter Day Saint denominations, see Branch....
 or branchesBranch (Mormonism) Overview

In denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, a branch is the term used for what is called a congregation in othe...
 in the chapel of the meetinghouse. The bishopBishop (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, the Bishop is the leader of a local congregation and an office of the Aaronic Priesthood....
 or branch presidentBranch President

A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
 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 districtDistrict (LDS Church)

A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of ...
 conferences, or during the biannual general conferenceGeneral conference (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, a General Conference is a meeting meant for instruction of all members of any particular Latter Day Saint deno...
 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 BishopricBishop (Mormonism)

    In Mormonism, the Bishop is the leader of a local congregation and an office of the Aaronic Priesthood....
     or Branch PresidencyBranch President

    A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
    ) 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 invocationInvocation

    An invocation is:*A supplication....
    , or opening prayerPrayer

    Prayer is an active effort to communicate with a deity or spirit, including a monotheist God, Saints, gods within a pantheon...
    , 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 ordinancesOrdinance (Mormonism)

    In Mormonism, an ordinance is a religious ritual of special significance, often involving a covenant with God....
    , such as naming and blessing children and the confirmation of recently baptizedBaptism

    Baptism is generally a water purification ritual practiced in many of various religions including Christianity, Mandaeanism,...
     converts.
  • Next, a sacrament hymn is sung by the congregation. After this, the PriestsPriest (Mormonism)

    The office of priest is an office in the Aaronic Priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints....
     of the Aaronic PriesthoodAaronic Priesthood Overview

    The Aaronic Priesthood is the lesser of the two orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism....
     bless the bread. The bread is distributed to the congregation by DeaconsDeacon (Mormonism)

    The office of deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the lowest office in th...
    . 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, ). The bread and water constitute the sacramentSacrament (Mormonism)

    In Mormonism, the Sacrament is the Lord's Supper, in which participants eat bread and drink wine....
     and are prepared before the meeting by one or more teachersTeacher (Mormonism)

    The office of teacher is an office within the Aaronic Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, incl...
    . If sufficient number of Aaronic Priesthood holders are not available, Melchizedek PriesthoodMelchizedek priesthood

    In Mormonism, the Melchizedek priesthood is one of the two or three types, or "orders" of 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 CouncilHigh council (Mormonism)

    In Mormonism, a high council is one of several different governing bodies that have existed in the church hierarchy on many ...
     members or a member of the Stake PresidencyStake (Mormonism)

    A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregrations in sects of the Latter Day Saint movement....
    . Often, congregational hymns or special musical numbers are included before or between talks. If it is Fast SundayFast Sunday

    In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fast Sunday is a Sunday set aside for fasting....
    , instead of prepared talks, the congregation is asked to bear their testimoniesTestimony

    In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ...
     as they feel inspired. (See Fast and testimony meetingFast and testimony meeting Summary

    Fast and testimony meeting is the popular term for the Fast Sunday sacrament meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter...
    .)


  • The meeting closes with another congregational hymn and a benedictionBenediction

    A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually after a church worship service....
    , 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 SocietyRelief Society

The Relief Society is the women's organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints....
 or PriesthoodPriesthood

A priesthood is a body of priests, shamans, or oracles who are thought to have special religious authority or function....
 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.

Significance of Sacrament meeting

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the ordinanceOrdinance (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, an ordinance is a religious ritual of special significance, often involving a covenant with God....
 of the sacramentSacrament (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, the Sacrament is the Lord's Supper, in which participants eat bread and drink wine....
 allows them to renew all of their covenants, such as the covenants they have made in baptismBaptism Summary

Baptism is generally a water purification ritual practiced in many of various religions including Christianity, Mandaeanism,...
 or the priesthoodPriesthood (Mormonism) Summary

In Mormonism, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority to act in the name of God, including the performance of...
 or in the templeTemple (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, a temple is a building dedicated to be a house of God and often reserved for special forms of worship....
. 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.

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