Worship Services

Sunday worship services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are open to all individuals and families. Visitors are welcome to attend any services of the Church, regardless of their religious background or faith.

Latter-day Saint worship services are three hours long and are roughly divided into three one-hour segments. The first hour is the sacrament service. This meeting is the most important of the three and is centered on the taking of the sacrament. This sacrament (or communion) is the eating of bread (representing Jesus' body) and drinking of water (representing Jesus' blood) to remember the sacrifice and atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Following the partaking of the sacrament, speakers from the congregation address the audience on specific doctrinal topics that were previously assigned to them. There are only lay ministers in the Church. Therefore, there is no paid clergy that regularly address the congregation. Every member of the Church is expected to help contribute to the services.

The second hour is Sunday School services. Sunday School classes for youth and adults focus on teaching from the scriptures. Teachers are "called" to assist in leading the conversations. Members of the Church share experiences, insights, and testimony to uplift and teach one another.

The third hour is divided between the Relief Society and Priesthood meetings. The Relief Society is the womens organization of the Church. It is focused on serving others and building charity, love, and sisterhood. The Priesthood meetings are for all adult and youth males of the Church. Priesthood groups focus on service to promote love, self-reliance, and assiting men on becoming better husbands and fathers. During the third hour, the men and women separate to attend their respective meetings. These meetings discuss how the organizations can serve others in need and on discussing the teachings of the modern-day prophets.

For children, Primary and Nursery classes are held during the second and third hours of church services. In these classes, children sing, play, learn about Jesus, and conduct fun activities.

Members and visitors dress in their "Sunday best" when attending church services. This typically means suits for the men and dresses or skirts for the women. Although everyone is welcome to attend regardless of their apparel.

In addition, music is an integral part of our worship. Hymns are frequently sung by the congregation to help us remember and feel of the love of God and to remind us of our obligation to love others and to obey God's commandments.

To locate a Latter-day Saint worship service near you, click on the link here. My family and I have been greatly blessed from our church attendance. We love the feeling of unity within the congregation and the feelings of peace and love that come from worshipping God and His Son with fellow members of the Church and visitors in attendance. I invite everyone to "come and see" Latter-day Saint worship services for themselves.

To learn more about what to expect at LDS worship services, click here. The photo used in this post is of the Cambridge Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cambridge, MA. Courtesy of http://www.lds.org/.