Area Seventy Just Drops By?

There could be any number of reasons why. It could be a surprise inspection or he may have found himself in the area.

Sometimes, they just want to have a normal-ish sacrament meeting.

I thought of the this. But if that was the case, why not just sit in the audience with everyone else?

The minute 3 special leaders are sitting on the stand, the meeting energy changes. Everyone is a little stiffer, the small jokes are forced. Then we all sort of relax when he walks out the door.

The other part that made me laugh, was that it was Memorial Day. A third of our ward was gone. The entire middle 4 rows were empty. I sit in the back and I had clear view all the way to the pulpit.

No matter how you slice it, it wasn’t a normal day.

Our AA Seventy only lives in our neighboring stake about an hour and a half from our stake center, but he lives on the edge of his stake – for our more northern ward he lives about 35 minutes away and even closer to our littlest branch. That’s not to say he drops in on them, I’m just pointing that our because he has to go to church somewhere, and I think it likely our current SP could be an AA Seventy someday (and would fully sustain him as such, I’m actually not crazy about the current guy).

On a regular basis, I don’t think monthly but maybe more often than every other month, the area SPs meet with the AA for the “coordinating council.” This tends to be a day long affair, sometimes Saturday and sometimes Sunday. Much of the training our SP passes along to us comes from those meetings. I think they usually meet in the AA’s home stake because it is actually more central. Anyway, a possibility is that they were having one of these meetings in your area and they were stopping in to have the sacrament. On the other hand, I don’t know that they need a reason to visit. Our AA visited our ward once, but it was announced in advance.

Just a side note, and I’m not disputing anything Nibbler said because I think he’s right. Yesterday I was speaking in the SP’s home ward. I was very surprised to see him sitting in the audience, and even commented about it (that I liked it so I wouldn’t report him and who would I report him to anyway?). Apparently his wife was out of town and he brought his youngest daughter to church and didn’t want her to sit alone or with someone else. He was not announced as presiding and did not take the sacrament first, although it was acknowledged he was present. I think it was a perfect bending of the rules.

What’s a “high priests group leader

But DJ – there is no “High Priest Group Leader” anymore. So then it should say, “Elder’s Quorum President” – me thinks.

On a regular basis, I don’t think monthly but maybe more often than every other month, the area SPs meet with the AA for the “coordinating council.” This tends to be a day long affair, sometimes Saturday and sometimes Sunday. Much of the training our SP passes along to us comes from those meetings. I think they usually meet in the AA’s home stake because it is actually more central. Anyway, a possibility is that they were having one of these meetings in your area and they were stopping in to have the sacrament. On the other hand, I don’t know that they need a reason to visit. Our AA visited our ward once, but it was announced in advance.

Possibly. The only funny kink in it, is that my ward doesn’t meet in the Stake Center. We are only 15 min. away, buy still. Double that the SP family meets in a completely different building. So why choose the least likely place to attend. Especially if nothing is really happening. Go with SP to his ward. Sit on that stand. Do your dog and pony show (which was really just telling us how amazing Ministering is going to be) and call it good.

Again, it was just weird. I have been in the church all my life and never had this happen. He seemed chill enough. Party line type guy. Nothing offensive.

The bishop oversees ward meetings. He presides at these meetings unless a member of the stake presidency, an Area Seventy, or a General Authority attends. His counselors may conduct ward meetings and may preside if he is absent. Presiding authorities and visiting high councilors should be invited to sit on the stand. High councilors do not preside when attending ward meetings.

First off, it says they should be invited to sit on the stand, not that they must. I’d also say it doesn’t really require that a Seventy or GA preside, only makes it clear that if they wish to it will override the bishop. I mean, what happens if an Apostle is just passing through on his way home from something else and stops in a couple minutes after SM starts? Would they have to have a handoff from the bishop to the GA in the middle of the meeting, even though he just wanted to sneak in for the potluck afterward so he wouldn’t have to buy lunch on the road?

In the handbooks should is generally interpreted as will or must. I remember our former SP saying once that “should” means they have to unless there is some compelling reason not to. As the handbooks have evolved over the years I have noticed there are fewer shoulds and they have tended to become more direct.

Once when I was bishop I got a call Sunday morning from my SP. He said Elder XXX of the 1st Q70 was visiting the area and wanted to attend a sacrament meeting, and he was coming to my ward! He sat on the stand next to me, and was the concluding speaker in the meeting. He was kind of stuck up, and complained to my SP after that I should not be telling jokes! When I introduced him, I had looked up his Bio and saw he had been a MP in Siberia. So in the introduction I said something to the effect that he got sent to Siberia for a job well done as a Stake President. He told my SP that it was ok for the Prophet to tell jokes, but not me. Every time he speaks in GC I leave the room now!

Sent to Siberia… good gravy!