I learned in church today

[hostile]

Holy cow. That is nuts.

Yeah. Our stake is going through the sabbath day stuff as well. Only thing that has been discussed is avoiding use of electronic devices during sacrament. That may be tough as we have a member of the 70 who is known to peruse his iPad during sacrament when he attends.

[OceanBlue]

Sounds like my experience a couple of months ago. Someone fairly high up is trying to lock everything down.

SandYFan, just read your link. We got same message word for word plus what I shared.
We broke into groups and the bishopric's counseler's and YM leaders were given stats on those active before age of 18 versus 18 and older and the lack of males serving missions. The numbers weren't pretty and we are to do more to get youth to stay active and serve missions. You assign prayers you never ask for volunteers. No more asking others to teach your class on Facebook. In person or by phone. I'll stop.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

We are to listen to the music to get us in the spirit after the announcement at five till. No more announcements at the beginning of sacrament. At the beginning of third hour when asking for reports all who give them should be sitting in front row ready to give reports. No more travel logs etc. during F&T meetings, just testimonies and we need to coach them if they need help. Bishopric must be seated by seven of at the latest. There is no meeting more important then second hour. Everyone is to be in Sunday school supporting the class...especially the bishopric. We are to clear the hallways in between classes for all three hours. There is probably more this was shared at Priesthood meeting then some at the late session. Also hammered the point of studying scripture on Sunday's after church at home. No fishing, swimming or other activities that break the sabbath. We have gotten lax we were told. No such thing as opening or closing prayer,it's benediction and something else. Formality is your friend. Learn how to pray, thee, thou, etc.
No more counting money during third hour. Any meeting can wait till after the three hour block. The youth leaders need to learn to have agendas. I didn't make it Sunday so I have no idea what was said.

Good hell. So now Sunday school is the most important meeting of the day? It's hard to take this seriously. Was there any mention of how many steps we can take before breaking the Sabbath? Or maybe more talks/lessons about Christ? Is this the new version of Trek? Instead of living like the pioneers to get a better appreciation, we're giving the Scribes a go?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Good hell. So now Sunday school is the most important meeting of the day? It's hard to take this seriously. Was there any mention of how many steps we can take before breaking the Sabbath? Or maybe more talks/lessons about Christ? Is this the new version of Trek? Instead of living like the pioneers to get a better appreciation, we're giving the Scribes a go?

No kidding.

This is all in response to the recent sabbath day initiative. Leaders were given a general charge to improve the sabbath, esp. sac meeting and some leaders are going waaaaay overboard in response.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

SandYFan, just read your link. We got same message word for word plus what I shared.
We broke into groups and the bishopric's counseler's and YM leaders were given stats on those active before age of 18 versus 18 and older and the lack of males serving missions. The numbers weren't pretty and we are to do more to get youth to stay active and serve missions. You assign prayers you never ask for volunteers. No more asking others to teach your class on Facebook. In person or by phone. I'll stop.

Lucky for them, I would suspect that any seventeen year old would totally eat this new stuff right up.

[pellegrino]

We are to listen to the music to get us in the spirit after the announcement at five till. No more announcements at the beginning of sacrament. At the beginning of third hour when asking for reports all who give them should be sitting in front row ready to give reports. No more travel logs etc. during F&T meetings, just testimonies and we need to coach them if they need help. Bishopric must be seated by seven of at the latest. There is no meeting more important then second hour. Everyone is to be in Sunday school supporting the class...especially the bishopric. We are to clear the hallways in between classes for all three hours. There is probably more this was shared at Priesthood meeting then some at the late session. Also hammered the point of studying scripture on Sunday's after church at home. No fishing, swimming or other activities that break the sabbath. We have gotten lax we were told. No such thing as opening or closing prayer,it's benediction and something else. Formality is your friend. Learn how to pray, thee, thou, etc.
No more counting money during third hour. Any meeting can wait till after the three hour block. The youth leaders need to learn to have agendas. I didn't make it Sunday so I have no idea what was said.

Oh Baby! I do love myself a good Mormon Reformation!

[Moliere]

No, don't stop. I love a good train wreck

In our ward we decided to ask members to make a better effort to be on time ( and to avoid distractions (phones) during sacrament meeting. The consensus in wars council was that in spite of those things, our sacrament meetings were already awesome.

Our bishop also asked the families to discuss their own sabbath day worship in their own family councils. He decided it was too personal and individual to discuss as a ward and he didn't want anyone telling others what they should or shouldn't do...but mostly I just think he didn't want anyone to find out he watches a lot of football on Sunday.

[TripletDaddy]

No kidding.

This is all in response to the recent sabbath day initiative. Leaders were given a general charge to improve the sabbath, esp. sac meeting and some leaders are going waaaaay overboard in response.

There are some easy ways to make the sabbath much much better. None of the things described above will do that, however.

[falafel]

Most wards invite the RS to PEC.

Show us your random sample!

[LVAllen]

Our stake president spoke at our ward some time back, with some ideas for trying to improve our sacrament meetings. Electronic devices were only mentioned as an afterthought, when, as he was sitting down, someone's phone started to ring. He popped back up to the microphone and humorously said, "oh, and put your phones on silent. That's a given." But maybe he didn't have a list of sabbath restrictions because he's a pretty decent guy.

[LVAllen]

You assign prayers you never ask for volunteers.

And if you end up humiliating someone whom the Bishop has been quietly counseling, and who has been placed on informal probation or otherwise forbidden from offering prayers in church, I guess that's just too damn bad, right?

[clackamascoug]

Our stake president spoke at our ward some time back, with some ideas for trying to improve our sacrament meetings. Electronic devices were only mentioned as an afterthought, when, as he was sitting down, someone's phone started to ring. He popped back up to the microphone and humorously said, "oh, and put your phones on silent. That's a given." But maybe he didn't have a list of sabbath restrictions because he's a pretty decent guy.

Reminds me of a time when a custom ring tone of "stairway to heaven" happened during the Sacrament. The SP reached for his phone and turned it off.

[SandYFan]

No kidding.

This is all in response to the recent sabbath day initiative. Leaders were given a general charge to improve the sabbath, esp. sac meeting and some leaders are going waaaaay overboard in response.

I'm glad to see people don't think I'm a liar anymore.

In other news, my ward does not invite the YW president, RS president or Primary president to PEC. Somehow PEC still goes at least an hour every time.

And the Sabbath-day observance crackdown is also a thing. Based on my interactions with members when I drop by reimbursement checks on Sunday afternoons, I don't think many in my ward are doing what the stake would like us to do on Sunday.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

I'm glad to see people don't think I'm a liar anymore.

In other news, my ward does not invite the YW president, RS president or Primary president to PEC. Somehow PEC still goes at least an hour every time.

And the Sabbath-day observance crackdown is also a thing. Based on my interactions with members when I drop by reimbursement checks on Sunday afternoons, I don't think many in my ward are doing what the stake would like us to do on Sunday.

I don't remember if I had publicly questioned your original report. If I did, I'd like to also issue you a public apology. It wasn't that I felt that you personally lacked credibility, it's that the measures were just that ridiculous. I wish you luck and good fortune that this madness ends quickly.

[LVAllen]

No more counting money during third hour.

I was a finance clerk for many years. We never counted money during the third hour. Seriously, why would you do that? Seems like it would just be begging for someone to come up to a member of the bishopric right after church and hand him an envelope. We just did it right after church, and it was never a problem. Took maybe 30 minutes, 40 on a heavy day. Plus, you could immediately take it to the bank in double custody, like you're supposed to.