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Why is it that in every Ward that I go to, the reverence is so atrocious before Sacrament meeting that I have to leave the chapel and sit in the hallway to prepare myself for the sacrament? It is so disheartening that I wish I could go to another church and enjoy the solitude. I try and teach my young daughters to sit and listen to the music, but it’s absolutely a waste of time. Everyone is milling around, talking or shouting loudly and not paying attention to the music or sitting quietly saying their prayers. I have complained to my wife about this (She plays the organ and she doesn’t understand why the members are so disrespectful). I’ve spoken up in my EQ meeting, but to no avail, since the majority of these guys could care less about such rubbish. The Primary has offered “Reverence Children”, but our Stake has nixed the idea. If anyone has any good ideas on how to implement I would like any suggestions as to better our church. I’ve even hinted as to change wards (30 miles away) just to have the chance to have a better experience. I was going to suggest a singles ward, but you said that the next ward is 30 miles away, so I guess you don’t live in Utah or anywhere that has a high enough density of mormon populous to provide a singles ward. I shouldn’t even recommend them anyways, since I don’t believe singles wards to be a divinely inspired program. That all being said, I don’t know how loud or distracting it really is in your ward, but I find that if I close my eyes and try to put myself in a proper mood, then all the distractions don’t seem to bother me as much and I can better relax and enjoy whatever situation I am in. I guess some people call this meditation. Apart from that, I think you are just going to have to make the best of it, but a little creativity couldn’t hurt. I’m sure there are some people on here that have far better ideas on how to change the ward than I do. You might want to remind your bishop about a couple things that are in the church handbook.
Quote:The bishopric and the speakers should be in their seats at least five minutes before the meeting begins.
The bishopric encourages families to arrive on time and sit together. Members should be reverent before and during sacrament meeting.
I have noticed this in the past, although not recently. One of the more annoying things is people texting on their phones.
I am still puzzled by the water in the sacrament (that for another time), but I did notice that after some people have taken the water that they just throw the empties back into the tray in a very blasé way.
Yes, It does sound like you have a major reverence problem in your ward, as do many. My only advice for you is to try your best to stop focusing on the irreverence of others. The more you look for it, the more you will find. I practice both yoga and meditation in my home. I also have 5 little kids running around who make a lot of noise. I am constantly amazed at the ability I have to inwardly find my meditative state and feel a high level of peace, despite what could be distractions all around me. It is definitely a learned skill that took a little time to develop.
Church is one of the few places that you can go, were you should EXPECT a reverent environment. But unfortunately, it to can fall short. Sometimes all you can do is find and focus on the reverence within yourself.
I really think the responsibility relies on the leaders. Our Stake started cracking down on this problem a few years ago (not that it was all that terrible) and it’s made a big difference. The Bishopric worked hard at reminding us to come early. They would thank the organist for the prelude music at the beginning of the meeting mentioning how nice it is to sit and listen to it as we prepare for the meeting to start. It was discussed in PEC and WC and that helped that the leaders all around were collectively working on it. Yes there are still some people chatting but most are sitting in their seats 5 mins before hand listening to the prelude music. We try to get to church early and allow our kids to “get their wiggles out” before entering the chapel to sit down. We don’t make them sit for that 5 mins as it’s difficult for them at their age and with a child challenged with attention and energy issues. One parent just quietly goes to get them a couple minutes before we start. For the most part it works. I remember being in a ward where no one would leave at the end of the meeting until the aaronic priesthood dismissed their row. People were then greeted at the door as they left and thanked for coming. I thought it was a bit ridged but it worked to solve reverence issues. It really does depend on the ward and I would think that the bigger the ward is the harder it is to maintain reverence.
If you really want to do something about it I would suggest asking if you could give a talk on reverence.
It’s a precious thing to delight in others. I try to remember that reverence is an inward attitude, not an outward silence. I also try to respect the worship desires of others. They’re OK and I’m OK. Enjoy! Love,
Tom
Tom Haws wrote:It’s a precious thing to delight in others. I try to remember that reverence is an inward attitude, not an outward silence. I also try to respect the worship desires of others. They’re OK and I’m OK. Enjoy!
I like that!Personally, I am sooooooooo stressed during Sacrament meeting, TRYING to keep my kids quiet. Despite all the efforts we make to help them keep quiet (giving them quiet acitivities, even food), they insist on making sound effects, bugging each other, crying, etc. I recently read a book about the difference of boys & girls. Most boys, especially, cannot realistically be expected to be still for 3 hours.
I do cherish solitude & quiet, believe me!
You could be referring to adults, though. When I went to single wards (without any children) it was so quiet – almost too quiet.
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