A Sacred Place
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a religious Mormon church. Members of the church congregate each Sunday to discuss their beliefs with one another and participate in Sunday school classes and sacrament meeting. Members spend their time in the church understanding their religion and becoming closer to God.
A formally dressed, kind gentleman opens the door for members as they enter the building, they are then met with a greeting by the missionaries. The missionaries are young adults who dress in suits and ties and wear nametags saying their last name with the word "Elder" in front of it. The missionaries share their beliefs, and invite others to come to church on Sundays, with the goal of growing the church population. Members are then directed to the chapel where the meeting takes place.
The meeting begins at exactly 9:30 and it starts off with a hymn. A feeling of holiness presents itself as members sing along to the music. Following the hymn, a member from the congregation stands and says a prayer into the microphone. A man sitting in the front of the room then stands up and announces the beginning of the sacrament. He wears a gray suit with a white buttoned shirt and a black and white striped tie. He seems delighted to see all of the members together in the church.
The most important part of the meeting begins after the opening prayer known as the sacrament. Members take the sacrament each Sunday in order to repent of their sins and renew their covenant with God. It begins with a hymn, and while the hymn is being sung, 2 gentlemen at the sacrament table remove a cloth revealing bread in trays and they begin to break it into small bits. after the hymn ends, 4 young men dressed in a white shirt and tie stand up and walk towards the sacrament table. 1 of the gentlemen on the other side of the table then kneels down and says a prayer into the microphone for everyone to hear. the bread trays are then handed out to the young men, and they pass the bread to each member of the congregation. The entire congregation is completely silent, and members can be seen praying which creates an overwhelming feeling of sacredness and holiness. Once the young men finish, they repeat the process with trays of small cups of water. The man in charge of the meeting then stands up and advises the members of the sacrament to return to their families, and they each walk down the aisle to their family.
After the sacrament concludes, members from the audience individually go up to the microphone and talk about their experiences, and beliefs within the church until the meeting concludes with a hymn and prayer, similarly to the beginning of the meeting.
One Member stood out to me during this meeting when she decided to talk about her beliefs within the church. As she went up to the microphone to speak, she took with her a laptop which contained the things she wanted to talk about on it. She seemed well prepared, and she spoke clearly and confidently. She talked about how the members of the church should try to develop Christ-like attributes in order to grow closer to God. she listed attributed such as Obedience, patience, meekness, compassion, service and love. She finished her speech saying, "You are defined by the hands that created you, you are created in the image of god". The members of the church listened closely and attentively throughout the full speech. This is just one of the members who decided to share their beliefs in one particular meeting, I believe that anyone who decides to attend these church meetings will be met with a similar experience as there seem to be lots of members who are eager to share their beliefs with others.
Attending a church gathering at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will certainly make you feel peaceful and will fill you with the stories and experiences of other members. Attending the church gives you the opportunity to meet new people, feel closer to God, and partake of the sacrament.
A formally dressed, kind gentleman opens the door for members as they enter the building, they are then met with a greeting by the missionaries. The missionaries are young adults who dress in suits and ties and wear nametags saying their last name with the word "Elder" in front of it. The missionaries share their beliefs, and invite others to come to church on Sundays, with the goal of growing the church population. Members are then directed to the chapel where the meeting takes place.
Before the meeting begins, everybody gathers in the chapel. The chapel is made up of rows of cushioned seats, and just above the seats are very large bright lights that illuminate the entire room. At the front of the chapel, individual cushioned chairs face towards the audience. A piano player plays hymns on one side while young men prepare sacrament on the other. The church gym is exposed behind the chapel in order to ensure all members will have a place to sit when the meeting begins.
Hymns being played on the piano creates a feeling of calmness, and sacredness within the chapel. The members dress in their own form of formal attire and they all seem to have a designated place to sit as they enter. Young men in the front of the chapel prepare the sacrament. They make sure everything is done correctly; however, their sense of urgency to finish preparation grows as the time approaches 9:30. As members fill in, the sound of chatter grows heavily. The chapel itself doesn't have a distinct smell but as each member passes by it's likely you will get a whiff of their cologne or perfume.
Hymns being played on the piano creates a feeling of calmness, and sacredness within the chapel. The members dress in their own form of formal attire and they all seem to have a designated place to sit as they enter. Young men in the front of the chapel prepare the sacrament. They make sure everything is done correctly; however, their sense of urgency to finish preparation grows as the time approaches 9:30. As members fill in, the sound of chatter grows heavily. The chapel itself doesn't have a distinct smell but as each member passes by it's likely you will get a whiff of their cologne or perfume.
The meeting begins at exactly 9:30 and it starts off with a hymn. A feeling of holiness presents itself as members sing along to the music. Following the hymn, a member from the congregation stands and says a prayer into the microphone. A man sitting in the front of the room then stands up and announces the beginning of the sacrament. He wears a gray suit with a white buttoned shirt and a black and white striped tie. He seems delighted to see all of the members together in the church.
The most important part of the meeting begins after the opening prayer known as the sacrament. Members take the sacrament each Sunday in order to repent of their sins and renew their covenant with God. It begins with a hymn, and while the hymn is being sung, 2 gentlemen at the sacrament table remove a cloth revealing bread in trays and they begin to break it into small bits. after the hymn ends, 4 young men dressed in a white shirt and tie stand up and walk towards the sacrament table. 1 of the gentlemen on the other side of the table then kneels down and says a prayer into the microphone for everyone to hear. the bread trays are then handed out to the young men, and they pass the bread to each member of the congregation. The entire congregation is completely silent, and members can be seen praying which creates an overwhelming feeling of sacredness and holiness. Once the young men finish, they repeat the process with trays of small cups of water. The man in charge of the meeting then stands up and advises the members of the sacrament to return to their families, and they each walk down the aisle to their family.After the sacrament concludes, members from the audience individually go up to the microphone and talk about their experiences, and beliefs within the church until the meeting concludes with a hymn and prayer, similarly to the beginning of the meeting.
One Member stood out to me during this meeting when she decided to talk about her beliefs within the church. As she went up to the microphone to speak, she took with her a laptop which contained the things she wanted to talk about on it. She seemed well prepared, and she spoke clearly and confidently. She talked about how the members of the church should try to develop Christ-like attributes in order to grow closer to God. she listed attributed such as Obedience, patience, meekness, compassion, service and love. She finished her speech saying, "You are defined by the hands that created you, you are created in the image of god". The members of the church listened closely and attentively throughout the full speech. This is just one of the members who decided to share their beliefs in one particular meeting, I believe that anyone who decides to attend these church meetings will be met with a similar experience as there seem to be lots of members who are eager to share their beliefs with others.
Attending a church gathering at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will certainly make you feel peaceful and will fill you with the stories and experiences of other members. Attending the church gives you the opportunity to meet new people, feel closer to God, and partake of the sacrament.
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