How I Attended Two Services at a Mormon Church - Essay Example

?Introduction For this assignment I attended two services at a Mormon church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is most commonly known as the Mormon Church. The name comes from an ancient prophet that made a record of a civilization that lived in the Americas hundreds of years before Jesus lived on earth. According to this prophet, Jesus eventually visited people in the Americas after his death in Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon is a collection of the writings of the prophets from the American continent. After Jesus visited these people, they wrote about their history and hid their stories in the ground. In the 1800’s a man named Joseph Smith was told to dig up these records and to translate them. That is where the Book of Mormon comes from. The Mormon Church is becoming a powerful church all over the world. They actively try to get people to visit their church and to join. There are missionaries all over the world doing this right now. Mitt Romney is trying to get elected as the President of the United States. This has raised interest in the Mormon Church because Mitt Romney is a Mormon. Attending two services of the Mormon Church seemed like the best way to learn about this culture and to understand how Mormons think and view the world. Setting Both of my meetings were held on a Sunday morning. The meetings were actually arranged into a three-hour block of time. The first meeting is referred to as Sacrament Meeting, the second hour is devoted to Sunday School, and the third meeting for men is called Priesthood Meeting while women attend Relief Society. The Chapel was a large, spacious building that was clean and tidy. There was very little ornamentation in the chapel. Typical symbols of Christianity such as a crucifix or statues of Jesus were conspicuously absent from the sanctuary. The building had a very utilitarian feel to it. The sanctuary was no more ornate than the simple classrooms that lined the halls. There were nicely framed paintings on the walls. I was unfamiliar with most of the themes and There was a children’s area and a space referred to as the Cultural Hall that included a basketball court and a stage. The meetings began at 9:00 AM and ended at 12:00 PM. There was a 5-10 minute break that appeared to exist mainly for socializing between each class period. Everything about the setting suggested order and efficiency, from the way the building was constructed and designed, to the way the various meetings were conducted. Participants The people in the congregation were mainly Caucasians. There were a few individuals that appeared to be of Latino descent and only one African American. There were approximately 220 participants in the Sacrament Meeting portion of the worship service. The group that seemed to most dominate the demographics of the congregation was families with children. There were many families with at least three small children and several that appeared to have more than five. Families appeared to sit together for most of the Sacrament Meeting time. There were some elderly women, but only one elderly man was in the congregation. Ethnically and demographically, the congregation was very homogenous. Sacrament Meeting The first meeting of the block each week is Sacrament Meeting. This is the most sacred service for Mormons because they pass bread and water to remember that Jesus died for their sins by giving his body and his blood. The blood is represented by water. The body is represented by bread. The meeting begins with a greeting by a man with the title of Bishop. He is the local leader of the congregation. He started the meeting by announcing changes in the Ward staffing assignments. A Ward is a geographic references to the area assigned to a particular congregation. In the Mormon Church, you are encouraged to attend the Ward that your town or community has been assigned to. Church staffing is all voluntary. The Bishop, the teachers and other participants receive no money for their time and efforts so there is no paid clergy in the Mormon Church. The Bishop manages the Ward and can make changes as he sees fit. On my first visit, the Bishop made changes to the Sunday School teaching staff. One person was “released” meaning they no longer had the responsibility to teach that class. Another person was “called” meaning the responsibility passed on to them. Two missionaries told me that all of these arrangements are made before Sacrament Meeting starts so no one gets “called” by surprise. After this business happens, young men pass the Sacrament. Bread on trays and water in tiny cups circulates through the congregation. It is the quietest part of the meeting. Parents hush their children and many people appeared to be silently praying. After the Sacrament was passed, the meeting became a bit louder, with many whispered conversations surrounding me. The Bishop introduced the speakers for the day. In the Mormon Church, everyone in the congregation takes turns preaching for one Sunday each year. There were three speakers each Sunday I attended services. Some of them read prepared statements, especially the younger speakers. One was a woman that was a gifted speaker. She spoke on the need to follow the example of Jesus by showing charity to all. At the end of the meeting the Bishop announced a hymn and a final prayer was given. Then everyone went to the next meeting. Sunday School The Sunday School class was tortuous the first week and was interesting the second week. The class was held in the back of the sanctuary. The firs week’s teacher had no skill. The topic was food storage and emergency preparedness. Mormons are taught to store food incase there is a famine or disaster. The teacher had no skill and the topic seemed oddly out of place. There was nothing about Jesus or God mentioned. It felt like a workshop in a secular setting. The second week was a discussion on tithing. Mormons give 10% of their income to the church for building temples and buildings. At the end of each lesson, a bell would ring to announce the end of class. We then moved on to the next class. Priesthood/Relief Society The final meeting was another class setting. I went with the men to priesthood. This class seemed like a time to make plans and joke around. The lesson was brief each week. Then plans were made for service and social activities. The one man spent much of the class time on the second week encouraging people to attend a viewing of a university football game at his house. He described the refreshments he was going to offer and wanted to know who was coming. The men laughed a lot but only a few men said they would be there. Plans were also maid to assist some of the older members of the Ward with tasks such as outside work and home repairs. A schedule was passed around and most men signed up to help. Thoughts When thinking about the meetings I attended, it occurred to me that the Mormon Church is full of conflicts. On the one hand, it is highly structured. Every aspect of the meeting is regimented. There is always a teacher in front of the class or a bishop conducting the meeting. There appears to be a very strong top-down governance of the church. On the other hand, the most sacred meeting each week is completely opened up for individuals to share their thoughts about various topics that relate to Jesus and his teachings. In this way, teaching and worship is very decentralized. I also though it interesting that the members of the church give so much of their income to the church, yet they meet in a very simple, utilitarian building. Mormonism is a very structured religion. I did not find the people unfriendly or cold, however. I was welcomed warmly and every question I had was answered immediately and with great affection. The overall experience was very positive. I feel I want to learn more about Mormons and am considering returning for another visit. Read More