1. Sacrament meeting: The whole congregation meets together to sing, pray, partake of the Lord's sacrament (bread and water), and then listen to various speakers, men and women, chosen by the leaders from the congregation. We partake of the sacrament every week in remembrance of the Savior's sacrifice for us. For us, it is a renewal of the covenant we made with Him when we chose to be baptized. We re-promise every week to keep His commandments, always remember Him, and be willing to take His name upon us. In return, He blesses us with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. This has been a huge blessing in my life.
2. Classes: The classes are separated into age groups and all are taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ using a pre-developed lesson outline. Teachers are encouraged to teach with the Spirit and prepare lessons that will be meaningful, relevant, and exciting for the students they teach. No one is paid for their service in the Church. “For the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; ...and they did all labor, every man according to his strength” (Alma 1:26).
3. More classes: This time the classes are split according to gender. All adult women go to a class called Relief Society. Here we learn how to be better wives, mothers, and daughters of God. We teach and learn from each other. The men go to "Elder's quorum", the teenage girls go to "Young Womens", the teenage boys to to "Priesthood", and all children under age 12 go to "Primary" class. Children learn the gospel in this class largely by singing songs and doing activities. They sing, have a short lesson/talk (sometimes by one of the other children), pray, color, and play gospel-related games. The title for this post was inspired by one of those songs:
"I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow Him in faith.
I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I'll honor His name.
I'll do what is right. I'll follow His light. His truth I will proclaim."
Yes, from the time we are little, we are taught that the Lord has a plan for us and that we have a responsibility to tell others about it. We believe that we have the fullness of His gospel and His priesthood authority to perform His work. I have come to know for myself that this is true.
Visitors are always welcome. There is no collection plate. To find LDS services near you, go here.
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