Deb Visits 50 Churches in 52 Weeks: #43 Covenants, Commandments, and Calls

WHERE I WENT AND WHY
When I was listing churches I wanted to attend and learn more about, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or Mormons was on my very first list. Luckily I met Amee Roome through MeckMin and she agreed to be my "worship buddy" there.

WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO
I attended the Providence Ward Sacrament meeting at 1 pm. The church is located at 5897 Hemby Road in Weddington near the Providence Road exit off 485. Amee explained to me that there are several meeting times for different groups. They intentionally assign families to different times to keep the congregational meeting small. They have groups of 150-250.
Dress is "church dressy", with women wearing dresses or skirts, and men wearing ties. Parking was plentiful and even 485 wasn't busy at that time of day on Sunday.

REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP

MOOD

The church was very family centered and friendly. Young children stayed with their families during worship, so there was a constant background "song" of cooing and crying. Amee introduced me to several folks nearby, including her husband and son who spoke. I sat with her and her 7 year old daughter Audrey who drew a terrific picture for me during worship. She asked me what was my favorite thing to do, and when I replied I liked to read she drew a Book of Mormon for me! The Sanctuary is very plain by design with no art or symbols.

MUSIC

When I entered the Sanctuary a few minutes early, a small choir was practicing, but they did not sing at the service. Music consisted of 4 hymns sung from a hymnbook in the pew. We were accompanied by an organist and a director. While the hymns were not familiar to me, they were very traditional. There was no standing for the hymns or any other part of the service.

MESSAGE

Amee explained to me that there are no "ordained" clergy in their church and that the members of the congregation take on all of the roles of service as a call. Even the Bishop, who spoke briefly at the end is a dentist. The message today was presented by three speakers. Amee's young son Aaron, 12, spoke along with a college student and Amee's husband. The Bishop had given them topics to research and prepare their talk. This was young Aaron's first time speaking and though he was very nervous, he did just fine!

Young Aaron spoke about why we take the Sacraments of Bread and Wine. He sees it as a reflection of his Baptism and a way to draw us closer to God. He related a story of a friend of his who was mistakenly passed over for the Sacrament and when the Elders realized it, they invited her into an empty classroom after worship and knelt and gave her the emblems personally. This made her realize that the Sacrament is truly a personal event even within corporate worship and "Just for me." Though this experience, she personally felt God's love and became closer to the Savior.

The college student spoke without notes and did not make a good use of the microphone. I had a hard time hearing and understanding her. I think she was talking about encountering different folks in college, both believers and non-believers.

Amee's husband Aaron spoke about the importance of covenants with God. He cited verses from both the Book of Mormon and the King James Bible to make his points. In keeping our Covenants with God we become empowered to control our lives, access God's authority, and receive the Holy Ghost. This should be done joyfully and cheerfully. He quoted an Elder that said the best way to teach our children is by example. And that they should see us taking on our holy tasks not as drudgery, but with joy and cheer.

OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS

Amee explained to me that this is just the first hour of their Sunday worship. This was the "Sacrament Meeting" for everyone. During "Second Hour" they gather in study groups, what I would traditionally call Sunday School. The "Third Hour" is divided by gender and ages. The men and women meet separately for specialized study.
No social outreach was highlighted in the announcements, however in the bulletin they talked about a backpack ministry and asked for food donations.
During the announcements, several people were "released from their call" or had "accepted a call" to serve in various capacities (lead scout group, teach, etc.) Each of these calls was sustained on by a show of hands (to show the congregation supported their call).
The Sacrament was served to the congregation with one very short prayer by 6 young men. They passed trays of torn regular sliced bread and then small communion cups of water, representing wine. I asked Amee if I was allowed to participate and she said that it is open to everyone, even babies. However it is taken more seriously after children are Baptized at age 8 (by immersion) and Confirmed. They feel that by age 8, children have been taught and should know the difference between right and wrong and are able to choose their own path. The Sacrament is offered every Sunday.
Seminary to them is 4 years of instruction which corresponds with high school where young people are intensely instructed in the faith. They typically attend Seminary from 6-7 AM each morning before high school. I shared with them that this is perhaps a little more intense, but corresponds to our Confirmation when young Lutherans confirm their Baptism, after hopefully intense study, and accept an adult role in the church.
They view a call as a call from God, and trust that He will empower them with the skills to fulfill the task, whether it is speaking, leading, or teaching.
There was no offering. Tithing is expected and paid to the church, either directly in an envelop to the Bishop or on line.
Amee explained to me that the church is divided into "Stakes" (like the stakes of a tent that covers the earth). Each stake is then divided into wards and people living within the ward's geographical boundaries are assigned to meeting times.
Except for touring the public parts of the Tabernacle in Salt Lake, this was the first time I had visited a Mormon church. When I was in graduate school, I had several Mormon classmates as Child and Family Development is an emphasis for many Mormons and Brigham Young is noted for its Child and Family Development department. Several of my colleagues would get their Masters in Child and Family at Brigham Young and then apply to UNC-Greensboro for their PhD or visa versa. So I expected the emphasis on family.
While I know we have many theological differences, there were similarities with my worship traditions as a Lutheran. The weekly offering of the Sacrament, along with the idea of a call from God is similar in both traditions. Having water represent wine was unusual for me. Some Lutheran churches allow infant communion, though most offer instruction for children during primary grades. (My granddaughters will have their First Communion next month!) And while we have strict standards for Ordination (see the blog post entitled Celebrating Two Homecomings) , the idea of the priesthood of all believers is also very "Lutheran".
I appreciated Amee and Aaron answering my questions and their openness to accompany them in worship. After receiving my rough draft they spent time suggesting edits and commenting to help me clarify similarities and differences, and to understand "Mormon-ese"!