Pastor's FIRST TIME Inside Mormon Meeting House
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- What's inside a Latter-day Saint ward house? Pastor Jeff goes inside for the first time and explores what is similar and what is different from a protestant church building.
Support this effort: www.HelloCreative.life
Get exclusive access to bonus content on Patreon: www.patreon.com/hellosaints
Hello Saints! My name is Jeff McCullough and I'm a Christian Pastor.
This channel is devoted to fighting criticism with curiosity as I invite dialogue between Christians and Latter-day Saints. Are Mormons christians? What do christians and Latter-day Saints agree and disagree about? Join me as I compare and contrast the lifestyle, culture and beliefs of Mormonism and the rest of the Christian community.
If you enjoyed this video, you might enjoy a similar video I made exploring a Latter-day Saint bookstore for the first time: • Pastor Explores Latter...
#LatterDaySaints #ldschurch #mormonism
Ok, now that I've been inside an LDS church building for the first time, what can I expect when I actually visit on a Sunday morning for the first time?
Hopefully you'll be greeted by several members and they can kinda walk you through the general flow. Sacrament meeting is usually first. Then you'll have a second hour of classes.
Expect there to be hymn singing and an organ. Also to partake of the sacrament which we use bread and water
I hope you can make it to a testimony meeting your first time (1st week of the month)
First Sunday of the month is an open pulpit for the congregation to speak(fast and testimony meeting) the other 3-4 weeks have assigned speakers.
Generally, a church meeting is split into two parts. Before the meeting, people will congregate in the foyer and the chapel to chat and connect. The first hour of the meeting is set in the chapel, where you will listen to the bishopric, or leadership, announce activities for their ward and introduce the speakers for that week. You'll sing 3 or 4 hymns in between speakers, you'll see priesthood holders pass the sacrament, and other very specific things may take place depending on what meeting you go to.
There's usually a second hour dedicated to classes. You'll either split up into adults, youth, and primary children; or the adult men and women will seperate, as well as the female and male youth. Generally, there is a teacher selected beforehand who discusses a topic with their brethren.
I just wanted to thank you for the kind and respectful way you shared and presented one of our buildings.
I am a Sunday School President, amen Bishop
Hopefully you’ll run from that cult asap. You’re life & your eternity are at stake.
@@themanstan0785 That's a pretty harsh judgement. How did you come to that conclusion?
@@jessekoeven3757 Thanks brother. Have a wonderful day.
@@TheRealDaveRiddle cause you don’t believe the correct things about salvation unfortunately.
I'm giggling at every turn! "I wonder what's behind this curtain... Oh, it's just a stage. This Member's closet must be important... Oh, it's just cleaning supplies." Lol!!! I love your enthusiasm, curiosity, and slight sense of relief when you find it's just normal stuff for normal people who attend a normal church.
Hopefully a peculiar people 😉
It’s not normal when you follow a drinking Polygamist.
Great video, Jeff! The term "youth battalion" actually isn't an official name for the youth, but President Nelson called the youth the Lord's "battalion " in a message given several years ago, meaning a faithful force for good, engaged in God's work. We also have the equivalent of youth pastors ("youth leaders") who meet with them every Sunday after the main service and also one weeknight each week for activities. High school-aged youth also attend the equivalent of a daily Bible study class called "seminary" either before school or during a regular school period. There are also annual youth camps and other special activities throughout the year. One of my favorite Church assignments is working with our awesome youth!
Thank you for explaining - "Seminary" - as the high school teachings, some others might confuse that with a person going to a college to being a professional Pastoral and/or minister for a profession.
Great description! Yes, the youth are generally called "the youth" or young men and young women. Like you said, Youth Battalion is probably just a fun title that congregation came up with for their bulletin board for the youth
@@audrieking7109 Back in the day we used to be called "Mutual" when Young Women and Young Men combined. Today's youth don't even know what that means. Sigh.
@@brettmajeske3525 When I was a youth in the 00’s we still called it “mutual.” I believe that was a carryover from the old “Mutual Improvement Association” (MIA), and if I’m not mistaken, that’s where we derived the term for the 14-15 year-old young women, MIA-Maids, which is no longer in use.
Ya gotta love the militarization of fundamentalist youth organizations. Super "cool".
10 days after I got back from my mission I started university in a different city where I didn't know anyone. The whole first week on campus was filled with frosh week activities that often focused on getting us to drink as much beer as they could push us into drinking, so it wasn't a fun time for me. By Saturday I felt pretty off center. I decided to do a trial run of taking the city bus to the church to make sure I knew the way correctly and knew how long it would take to get there. As soon as I stepped on the church property I felt this weight lift, like I had just walked into the front door of my home. To me the church building, each of them, is an extension of my home.
Brigham Young stole a wife and mother from her family, impregnated her, sent her real husband away on missions, and after destroying the family, he ignored her. Brigham also taught slavery is a divine institution in his Horace Greeley interview.
@@wellsaidgoodheadfred9843 Greeley said in his record of the interview "Such is, as nearly as I can recollect, the substance of nearly two hours' conversation" so that would make it hearsay and there is reason to suspect the recorded interview is an imperfect record. I know of no other place Young said such a thing so it is suspect. The interview also records Young saying that slavery is a curse to the masters, and that if Utah were to join the Union it would do so as a free state, not a slave state which is inconsistent with the part you dwell on Even if you take it all as accurate, he was expressing his own views. Joseph Smith clearly had a different view. When he ran for POTUS his platform included a plan to end slavery.
Also, your account of Brigham's wife Zina Young is inaccurate. Her first husband was frequently away on missions even before they married. She took shelter in the Young household when her father died while her husband was away on a mission. When her husband returned he was excommunicated for some things he did on his mission and she choose to become Brigham's wife. It was 6 months or so after that she became pregnant with Brigham's child. She raised all her children from both marriages as well as the children from another wife of Brigham's who died. Brigham also did not ignore her, she lived in his home till her death but she did find she feel lonely at times from having less time with her husband than she would like due to the size of the family.
Recently, I traveled out of state to a big city that was a very stressfilled environment for me, by the third day there I was feeling so much frustration and lack of patience. I traveled to the local Temple in that city just to walk around the property and the visit was so calming and healed me. It completely changed my attitude and from my viewpoint made it safe again for me to even travel back home.
@@davidjanbaz7728 But this was in Missouri, it was a deeply unpopular position for him to take and it helped to fuel more violence against Mormons. He meant it.
@@incogneato790 you need to read more about your church, just read the journal of discourses. If you're okay with what you read there, then may God have mercy on your soul.
When you go to church I recommend you go 2 times. One should be on a first Sunday of the month so you can experience a testimony meeting. Also we meet differently the second hour on the 1st & 3rd weeks than we do on the 2nd & 4th weeks.
We used to call i " nutter Sunday".
@@heathermcdougall8023 who’s we?
Great thought!
This is a great idea because the experience for sacrament meeting is quite different between a fast Sunday and a normal one.
@@brianbown7332 I mean tbf what 3 year old isn't indoctrinated with whatever their parents say?
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am so grateful to you for not being afraid to explore our doctrine and culture, and for reporting on it so respectfully
When you were talking about drums and larger sound systems in certain chapels it made me think back to when I attended my first LDS sacrament meeting just a few years ago. There was one particular speaker that I was really moved by. When he finished I felt like clapping. And then there was a musical number by three teenage sisters. They sang like nothing I had ever heard before. When they finished I almost started to clap and looked around and realized no one else was going to clap. I’ve been to plenty of Christian denominations, I’ve heard the drums, tambourines and electric guitars, but overall I would describe an LDS sacrament meeting as “reverence”. There are the occasional outbursts of babies and small children but then again the Lord welcomes all people and families.
I remember being at a non-religious event at BYU where President Hinckley spoke (I think it was when they gave Margaret Thatcher an honorary degree) and I heard someone comment, "It feels so weird to be able to clap for the prophet!"
When I first converted a close friend who also happened to be Bishop knew of my upbringing with family members of different religions, he said something that has always stuck with me for almost 27 years he said always remember what you were taught and let the Holy Spirit be your guide, so one major difference is when I feel the Spirit I cry openly and raise my hands during hymns, its just what I do, its reverent but its me.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg Challenge accepted
@S M thanks for your caring invitation. ❤️🙏
@PSmith As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I second that invitation! Reading the Bible will only further testify of what our church teaches. The Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ) and Bible go hand and hand, and we study from both, as the stick of Joseph and Judah, one in hand, just as it talks about in Ezekiel 37:16 to the end of the chapter. I'm excited for your journey! ❤️
When I was very young, living in Los Angeles California, our family went to different churches looking for a church to be part of. I remember going to a church with lots of dark stained wood, and many wooden benches, but not a lot of people. Then we went to a church that was not like the LDS church you visited, but I later found out it was a chappal for the church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints. It was smaller, and the chappal was packed with families , mostly children. Lots of interaction among the children between the different families, and themselves. There was a feeling there. It was a feeling that I wanted to be a part of these families, and they wanted me to be a part of them. That is the church we joined.
I went to an LDS church service once when I was in high school in the late 80's (and it happened to be on Easter). My memory was that it was 3 hours broken up into 3 1-hours parts: the full church body, the youth, and the high schoolers. In the full church service I remember EVERYONE was in the service. They didn't take the children or babies away to a nursery or cry room. It was much louder than I normally experienced church. I distinctly remember a mother playing Squares with her young boy to keep him occupied. Even though I'm not a Latter Day Saint or ascribe to their beliefs, I appreciated their effort to keep the whole family together during the church service and fully tolerated the random baby cry.
Correct, it used to be 3 hours long. Recently (past 4 or 5 years) they changed it to two hours. The first hours is always Sacrament meeting. The second hour is either Sunday School (1st and 3rd weeks) or Priesthood (includes young men groups), Relief Society, and young women groups (2nd and 4th weeks). For the occasional 5th Sunday, the groups fall under the direction of the Bishop.
For the 2nd hour, there is a nursery for 18 months to 2 years. After that the children then go into Primary until they are 12. They then advance into the young men/women groups until 18 (and graduated from high school usually). After that they join the adults.
Regarding noisy kids in the first meeting, if a child is being overly disruptive (ie crying, screaming) parents should take the child out into the foyer until they calm down. There are speakers out there so that the parent can continue to listen to the talks that are being given.
Yes, it does get a bit noisy at times. The weekly mtgs have been changed to 2 hrs just about 3 yrs ago.
My old Catholic parish had a “cry room” to hold the parents with little ones. Plexiglass sealed room with speakers to hear the service. The intent was to keep the mass solemn and reverent. No clapping. Organ music. Once in a while guitar. No drums.
It is true that it can be noisy sometimes. Parents do normally take heir children out when they cry or act out but maybe it was different years ago, I am not sure.
@Tee Zee there is an Lds chapel in Japan I attended that had the same sort of plexiglass wall in a connecting room. I really liked that. 👍
I love how you’re respectful and curious you are and how you’ve been learning and using vernacular that Latter-Day Saints use to describe everything, I appreciate the work you’ve put into really understanding a religion different from your own and supporting other Christians in their journey toward Christ.
Use to be all in for LDS not so much now, I think there to much information against it.
But I do find myself still getting drawn to it.
@kylethedalek please read the Book of Mormon. There’s a reason you’re drawn to the LDS Church! It is of God.
One of the things I love about our LDS Church is the familiarity of the meeting houses throughout the world. They all have the same basic floorplan, so as you were giving the tour, I felt right at home!! They also look very similar on the outside. Wherever I have been in the world I can always spot an LDS Church!! The Church is the same throughout the world. No matter what Sunday it is, you know that all Latter-day Saints are discussing the same lesson, and we have the same lesson manuals for the children, the youth, and the adults!! Every year the Church focuses on a different book of Scripture, this year is The New Testament, last year was The Old Testament. In 2024 will be The Book of Mormon, and The Doctrine & Covenants will be the year after that. It just continually rotates!! I love that I can walk into any LDS Church and I will feel the love from my fellow saints, and I will feel the Spirit from The Holy Ghost. I also know that I will be learning the exact same Gospel as if I were in my own home Ward!! I hope you noticed all the pictures of Jesus Christ as you entered the foyer of that Church building, because it is His house and His Gospel!! It is: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!
You really are brainwashed . other Christians have the Holy Spirit too, and we recognise our Cathedrals and Churches too. Morons really suffer from the true evil of "spiritual pride".
It depends what era the building was built in. Mine was built back in the late 70's or early 80's so it is a lot different in terms of décor and floor plan, but they are all variations on a theme. When I was a kid the branch I was in was using a building the church bought so it was very different. In that one the font really was inside the floor at the font of the chapel. There was this big trap door you had to lift to access it after moving all the chairs out of the way.
Your area must be different from mine. I have been in multiple buildings and no 2 are the same
@@leilettesartoga7276 I was in a ward once that met in the 7th Day Adventist Church building (they weren't using it on Sunday after all) while the Ward building was being constructed.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
I was giggling to see your reaction of the "member closet" and "behind the curtain" 🤣
You made this tour more exciting than it is. Hahaha.
I am not LDS but I have good memories at a LDS church because growing up my violin teacher and I would participate in a Handle Messiah concert at a LDS church. It was conjoined with a Protestant and LDS church and everyone was welcome. All the people were really kind and I always remember one of the LDS members would give me cookies after rehearsal which as a kid was pretty awesome. 😂 Honestly the lay out it’s pretty much the same where the whole building is like a circle. Also the gymnasium brings back a lot of performance memories ❤
Could we have a tour of your church? I've never been in a protestant church and would love to get a tour from you.
💯love this idea!
@@HelloSaints I would also love this idea. I am wanting to try out some protestant churches in my area (born and raised LDS) but I'm kind of intimidated.
You may want to visit Matt Whitman's channel (formerly named Ten Minute Bible Hour) too. He's done tours of all kinds of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches. As a Protestant, it's helped me understand various denominations better.
I agree with one of the comments below. Just go. Go to an Episcopal church, an assembly of God church, a Mennonite. People commenting on the simple nature of an LDS church sound like they have never been in other churches. Most churches are simple. Episcopal and Catholic churches will likely seem more ornate, but that also depends on era of construction and location. I am a Mennonite, with LDS friends, and have also been to synagogues, and many different churches. While ornate can be impressive, simplicity is common.
As for art, I find it interesting that homes and churches have the same pictures hanging on the walls, white, long haired Jesus, and what seems to represent North America Zion.
As for service, not so unlike what might experienced in other churches. Talks instead sermons, hymns and prayers.
@@valeried7210 Great idea. Thanks.
The sound system in the chapel is usually well integrated into the building. The mic and organ are wired directly into it. We don't make use of electric guitars or drums in worship services, but there are often musical numbers performed by members of the ward that are usually played on a piano, organ, violin, harp, acoustic guitar, flutes, woodwinds etc. There are lots of places to add a mic when they are needed, including in the cultural hall.
I heard they recently change that and now they are using electric guitars and such. Or are allowed to anyway
@@ToolFan68 They relaxed the rules so there are more options, but my understanding is still nothing that requires an amp. I supposed the Bishopric could approve an exception but I have a hard time picturing something played on an electric guitar that would fit with the tone a sacrament meeting should have.
I grew up in the LDS church and know that about the sound system in the chapel is hard wired into the building. The reason for no drums and "rock" in the chapel, is because the chapel is set aside to be treated like a sacred place where the sacrament is done to "renew" the baptismal covenant and where an individual's holy retrospect can feel the peace and calm of the Holy Ghost in that "sanctuary". The cultural hall is meant for plays, games, dances, concerts, and ward (or congregation) dinners and parties. Occasionally larger sound equipment is used in the Cultural Hall (or gymn) for those purposes.
That's why such a polar contrast between the two areas.
When there are LARGE groups--several wards-- the accordion doors at the back of the chapel are opened up into the gymn area to make room for more members to listen to the meeting. I must thank you for your lovely video of your tour of an LDS chapel. Thank you.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg I am no stranger to the Bible. When I was going to serve as an LDS missionary I did an especially deep dive into the New Testament. My biggest takeaway was how a lot of 'unique' LDS doctrines are there in the passages. It strengthened my testimony that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. I studied much in both the OT and NT in the years since. Have you given a serious reading to the Book of Mormon?
Thank you for filming and displaying our church in such a respectful manner. We always love visitors, and wish more people would personally come and see. So many people are so quick to believe a false rumor rather than come straight to the source and see personally.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am very grateful that you were so respectful and had a sense of reverence as you were walking through the church, and that you were just stating the differences and similarities, rather than being negative towards our faith. I love that you are learning as much as you can about our church and gospel so that you can be educated and know more about what we do and what we teach. I have learned a lot about other religions/churches and it only makes me appreciate them and their teachings and to help me understand them more. Even when we don't always agree on things, we can always show respect towards one another. Thanks for a great video, I look forward to watching several more.
Every ward (congregation) has a Bishop which is essentially a pastor. He doesn’t necessarily speak every single Sunday with a lengthy sermon but he will often address everyone. He presides over the meetings and is meant to act as the shepherd of the ward so to speak. To make sure everyone feels welcome and loved and spiritually and even financially taken care of in some cases.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg I recognize your concern, but can I challenge you to only read the Book of Mormon for 30 days? I can testify of the goodness and truthfulness of that book and that it is the word of Christ as well as is the Bible. By reading the book of Mormon with real intent to know if it's true, the Spirit can give you a witness of the truth of it. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and can testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ.
I’m 45 years old and maybe missed less than 10 Sundays in my life. I never knew the cleaning room was called the members closet. I’m laughing out loud! Thanks for teaching me something. 😂
Me too! 😁😁
Sometimes they say Custodial Closet haha 😂
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg To put that verse into perspective, imagine you're a follower of a protestant church breaking from Catholicism at the advent of the protestant faith... the same thing would have been said to you. Jesus never said to read only the Bible, he said that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. We happen to believe that god continues to speak to His prophets and Apostles, and that the cannon of scripture is not closed.
Cheers, and believe in Christ.
Thank you Pastor Jeff for that very respectful tour of one of our chapels. We dedicate them to the Lord when they are completed and they become a focal point of our community. We learn and grow in our faith by the sharing of our lives and we care for these sacred places to the best of our ability. Again, thank you.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg Hey:) I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints (mormon). I am very willing to accept your challenge of reading the bible. But, I want to ask a favor in return. I would ask you to read the Book of Mormon for those 30 days too, and at the end I would ask you, to ask god with an open mind if its true. As I will do the same with the bible.
I love LDS buildings. As a Catholic I fell in love with the LDS Church and all of its ways. Went to Mass and LDS services equally in college.
That's great. As a member of the LDS Church, my family has made a habit of going to Christmas Mass at either the Catholic or Episcopalian churches every year. I love it.
@@MegaIndecisive That is awesome! It is great to do this sort of cross religion cultural stuff. My wife is a Buddhist from China. We attend a Buddhist Temple every year to celebrate the new year. Fun to share in her traditions.
I envied Catholic music as a teen. I love going to the local cathedral's Sunday evening service.
So what Jesus do you follow now? The real Christian Jesus or the false mormon jesus?
@@toycharger That question has a lot of bitterness. Anyway, do you like Mario Kart?
“Rogue pianos” 😂😂😂. As someone who spends both church hours playing them, I appreciated this characterization.
It looks like a Stake Center. This is usually larger than other building because it houses the offices of the Stake. A Stake is compirsed of 8 - 10 congregations (called Wards). Twice a year, each Stake has a conference similar to General Conference, but just for the Stake. Opening the moveable partition between the chapel (you might call the sancturary) and cultural hall allows all the congregations to fit in the building for said Stake Conference. Two or three Wards (congregations) usually meet at the Stake Center. Wards are geographical divisions based on membership numbers in that area, usually about 350 members.
I wrote the above before the end of the video when he indicates it is a Stake Center.
Yes. My daughter was baptized at my mother's pool. It was the height of the pandemic, and we were able gather close family members to witness her baptism. An investigator of my husband loves the ocean, and my husband baptized him in the sound of Long Island while he was on his mission.
I don’t think it’s a stake Center. He would have seen that whole section. The buildings where I live are large like this
It definitely looks like the new type of stake center. I have seen them around. Vicki must live out West where there are more congregations. I live in an area where the church is not strong or large in number and we don't have any building that large but we are building one to make a stake center.
It's like our dioceses in the Roman Catholic Church.
I love your wonderful example of building on common beliefs and values (curiosity over criticism). The bit where you stopped to play the piano is particularly meaningful. Music is a big part of becoming accustomed to the promptings of the spirit. Thanks again for sharing your talents and experiences in life
The buildings are designed in such a way to not just meet the needs of a church but are designed for other activities that can go on in a meeting house they also can be quickly set up as disaster centers in the event of national events or man made crisis they all have the kitchen restrooms and amenities that could provide other helpful things if a area in witch they set are hit with disasters not something you would see on a regular basis but the design of the LDS meeting house goes well beyond just church attendance
@@crazyaboutcards wow I might join or visit Latter Sanit Day chruch one day I'm an Exjw and I'm looking to start over with God but it's been really hard
@@nancia24
The Prophet Joseph Smith once said for those thinking about joining with the Saints: "We do not ask you to give up any good that you have, but we invite you to come and recieve more."
God knows you are struggling and is anxious to bless you, as well as the rest of his children. He leaves it up to us to choose whether or not we are ready and willing to revieve those blessings. He will never force us to do anything, and neither should we force others to choose.
All we ask, as your brothers and sisters around the world, is that you take the time you need to decide your path. If you choose something else, then we wish you luck on that path, but if you join the Lord's church in the Latter-days, you will be welcomed with open arms.
Father in Heaven is Loving and Kind, and the Savior Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and Leader of our Church.
@@TacoBlend thank you so much for this encouragement I really appreciate it God bless you and I hope one day I can join the church it's seems interesting! 😊❤️🙏🏽
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg thank you so much for the tips I'll try reading the Bible for 30 days I've not been reading it thanks 👍🏽
THANK YOU for teaching us about love, the beauty of progression through learning about others. Most of all, we love the amazing spiritual gift God gave you in inspiring others through this journey. Much respect 🙏 from Idaho.
Would love to see a tour of your church building! I’m really interested in seeing the sound equipment you speak of! Thanks for stopping by one of our meeting houses 😊
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
@@SM-xl3eg Thanks for the challenge! I’m currently reading the New Testament as well as The Book of Mormon ❤️
One of my favorite videos, yet. Good to see you openly exploring, without overthinking or filtering your experience in a way that can sometimes impede it. I am enjoying more and more this journey you are on, and your sharing it with us all.
Really enjoyed the video. The sound controls are a tiny panel next to the seat where the ward leader sits. And "Youth battalion" is not the name of our youth programs, it's just a catchphrase Pres. Nelson used to describe the youth in 2018 as kind of a cool rallying cry.
Also, if you're ever in the Nashville area, I'm a Latter-day Saint podcaster and blogger and would love to grab lunch with you and chat. :)
Jeff, thank you so much for your extremely respectful investigation of our religion. May God continue to bless you.
Thank you for being so respectful and for sharing the similarities with your faith. A few years ago, I was serving as an LDS missionary in Russia, and it was my first Sunday in the country. I had been feeling scared and stressed all week--it was my first time outside of the US, I was technically still a teenager, and missionary work isn't easy. In the city I was serving in, the branch (a small ward) met in a building that used to be a business, so it looked very, very different from the church buildings I grew up with that are similar to the one in this video. But when I went inside that building, I suddenly felt more peace than I had in weeks. Even though the building was extremely different, inside and out, the feeling in there was like home. It was one of those experiences where I knew that God was reminding me that He loves me, that He was watching out for me, and that He was glad that I was there.
Increases hardbass volume with religious intent
@@relaxed_boi_tv Help me out because I don't understand your comment in relationship to the comment you are commenting on :)
There is much to expect. Your visit will likely be different from the normal because you are known. In a good normal visit, you should expect the following.
1. To be greeted. Usually accompanied with a handshake.
2. If the members are on their game, be introduced to the missionaries, Bishopric, and in your case, the elders quorum president.
3. Sacrament meeting
- opening welcome and ward/stake business.
- opening prayer and hymn.
- a briefing of how the meeting will proceed.
- the blessing and passing of the sacrament. Please feel free to partake.
- one or two talks.
- another hymn.
- another talk.
- closing hymn and prayer.
This is a regular Sunday sacrament meeting. If you visit on the first Sunday of the month, it will be the same. Except instead of people giving talks, it will be multiple bearing testimonies about Jesus Christ .
4. Sunday school or, in your case, elders quorum.
- Sunday school is the adult class where there will be a lesson on the New Testament (what is being studied this year).
- Elders quorum. This is the men's class. Here, it is usually a group lesson/discussion on a talk given from the most recent general conference.
I hope this will be helpful. Also, feel free to come and visit with your family. As family is important in the gospel and teachings of our faith.
I would, and will, say thank you for your honest and respectful search about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Jared.
I should add both meetings will take 2 hours.
I am a Christian, and what I have learned is that Faith, Love, Kindness, are principals of all believers in a higher power, so I respect people and love them no matter what their beliefs.
The problem is Mormons don't respect non Mormons. They are going to the celestial kingdom and all Mormons cast to a less pleasant place.
As an lds, i gotta say this melts my heart. There is so much hate on the internet. Thank you, love you too brother/sister!
Mormons are not born again believers, they are actually in grave eternal danger. Pray for them
@@SM-xl3eg I understand you have good intensions, and i appreciate that! But i dont like this very much... Why hate, when we can all come together for a common cause, Jesus!
I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but you missed the most important part of the chapel which is the sacrament table. This is where the bread and water is blessed in remembrance of the atonement of Christ. This is done weekly as part of church service. Great video. Keep up the good work.
I suppose someone with a Catholic background would have been looking for an altar and would be more likely to locate the sacrament table. They would likely be looking for a Sacristy, lectern, celebrant’s seat, which they would have found but with unusual names, i.e. preparation area, podium, the stand. The tabernacle would be missing.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
Hi Pastor Jeff! 👋🏻 I am really enjoying walking through the various aspects of the LDS church with you from an outside perspective, and even more so from someone who is well acquainted with religious doctrine and practices. I really enjoyed this video in particular and hearing your perspectives. This is a very engaging channel. Thank you. ❤
I received the Aronic Priesthood today. My journey began a few months after you started this channel. I was new to christ. And met with missionaries to learn more about christ. I never intended to join the church. I'm excited to see where your journey goes. Because, you can't really experience the temple without a temple recommend. And you know what that means
Edit: 3 weeks in the future from this comment, I have received a calling to be a Ward Missionary
Welcome Brither
SADNESS . YOU SHOULD RUN OUT OF THAT CULT AS FAST AS YOU CAN..........OUT OF LOVE DO I SAY THIS......RUN AND RECIEVE THE TRUE CHRIST .....CHRIST DOESNT HAVE A BROTHER NAMED SATAN HE CREATED SATAN RUN
Only those from the tribe of Levi have any right to the Aaronic priesthood. Not even Jesus Christ, the apostles or the people in the Book of Mormon had the Aaronic priesthood.
Only Jesus Christ has any right to the Melchizedek priesthood. Hebrews 7
Please read your Bible and learn the truth. "God desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
Where did Christ require a temple recommend or collect 10% of your income?
Monthly (gouge) optional, generous fast offering..
To Mormons, what the Pastor is talking about at the 5:12 mark is a space in a protestant chapel where audio and video equipment is controlled by at least one dedicated silent person. When it is time to sing a hymn, the lyrics to the hymn are often projected on the wall by this person as sequential large presentation slides behind the podium for all seated in the pews to see. I am describing a slide projector operated from the sound booth that the pastor refers to. The protestant service is often recorded on video by way of a digital video camera in this space, and then posted on the protestant church's website. The "crows nest" the pastor refers to in this video is thus a perch for the video camera, slide projector, and possibly spot lights.
Thanks for explaining 🙂👍
Thanks for the explanation, we do have some audio equipment such as floating microphones, mic stands, and satellite equipment stored in smaller meeting houses and stake centers generally just off the podium on the opposite from the sacrament preparation room. These are generally used for broadcasts from Church headquarters like General Conference and larger gatherings. Behind the choir seats is a drop-down white projector screen that can be utilized for special occasions as well. If additional speakers and other audio equipment are necessary for a special event for members of the congregation like wedding receptions or dances, those members or youth leaders are responsible for supplying their own high wattage speakers, subwoofers, Etc.
If you watched the Conference video of Pastor Jeff you may not see it but the Church as all that stuff in the Conference Center.
@@geralddavis3326
Conference Center ? Do you mean Cultural Hall (basketball gym)?
@@jessekoeven3757
In 30 years, I never heard of a dance, party, or wedding reception in the chapel.
Good morning Pastor Jeff! I'm so glad you were able to walk through one of our meeting houses--from the size and the inclusion of a FHC, I would surmise this is a stake center. Our buildings come in all sizes, depending on what is needed.
Temples are where we are baptized for our dead. Baptisms of living persons take place in meetinghouses such as you saw. (And sometimes other venues; we are not opposed to using lakes, swimming pools, etc., as occasion may warrant.)
The accidental pun "stake house" was funny. Yes, it is a stake center. I live half a mile away from the Caldwell New Jersey Stake Center, which I have visited to employ the Family History Center. I did not see the chapel, which would be interesting. Other LDS meetinghouses in my area are smaller ward houses.
When I was a kid, the Caldwell New Jersey Stake Center (which is actually in North Caldwell, NJ), designed to look look a tent, was whitewashed with a row porcelain tiles between the roof ridge and the foundation. It has long since been given a more tasteful off-yellow stucco facade. The newer ward houses in the area are much nicer with their brick facades.
I agree we have no pastors, but we have Bishops who preside and conduct meetings. They or their counselors call members to give prayers or talks on gospel topics. Also as you walked the hallways you failed to mention the Bishop's office, the Stake Presidencies' office and the clerk's offices. I think it is important to point these offices out so others know we are ministered to by priesthood leaders. Thanks for your interest in sharing your honest perspective of our meeting houses.
Interesting thing about the family history centers is that many people who use them are not Latter-Day Saints. I used to live in an area where they held a small family history conference at our meetinghouse, and more than half of those in attendance were not of our faith. While genealogy is certainly important to us, many people outside our faith have a growing desire to learn about their ancestors.
Fun fact, over 50% of county level genealogical societies in America meet in LDS churches. All resources, including the building and meeting room, are provided at no cost. Back when the LDS Church had a partnership with the BSA, 90% of the Roundtables and Order of the Arrow meetings in Michigan took place in LDS Chapels, even when there was no LDS in attendance, for the same reason. Most other churches and schools would charge a usage fee for such meetings.
The spirit of Elijah...
My grandma did massive amounts of genealogy before the age of the internet and even went to salt lake city for 10 days to access the big family history library there and she wasn't a member of the LDS church.
I have not been in the Latter Day Saint Church, but I have been in the Temple outside of Washington DC. This church looks somewhat similar to a scaled down version. Very interesting how similar this is to protestant churches I’ve been in. Thank you very much for this tour.
You're essentially right on about it. The building Jeff went in is for more routine, weekly services for all members (and visitors); whereas temples or for specific services and - except for the open houses before officially being dedicated - are closed off to the general public.
I actually choose to not receive notifications from many UA-cam channels. I can't wait to see your take on 2 Nephi, my favorite book in the Book of Mormon. I had to turn on notifications. I really appreciate your honest approach. I've often tried to engage Protestant friends in open and honest discussion, unfortunately, either I prove to not be as open and honest as I think I am or my friends are told by their pastors to never speak to me again, but my Protestant friends almost always decide not to continue our friendships. I understand it can be an uncomfortable discussion. I'm learning so much from you and your example. As always I have a ton to say and my written words aren't as good at summarizing my thoughts as I wish they were. Peace and thank you.
@@niroms8199nteresting that you would say that seeing as how the whole LDS religion was created by a man who claimed to have dug up some gold plates in his backyard and allegedly translated an entirely new book of the Bible with magic goggles, and so many have put their trust in *that*.
@@niroms8199 I don’t care if you’re bothered by them or not. I’m not accusing anyone of anything except putting their faith in false prophets. Every person that holds a high office in the LDS church is a false prophet. None of them have a direct line to God or whatever else Joseph Smith (another false prophet) made up. But you do you and believe whatever you want. Just be careful.
Evangelical here and I was in my local ward this past Christmas morning as part of their special music. It wasn't the same one you visited here, but it could have been, exactly the same layout and artwork, only the pews were a different color. The hymnals have some of the same hymns and some are different or rewritten for their own theology. What I'm surprised you didn't mention is that an obvious difference is that the LDS meeting houses have no crosses anywhere, and tho they do pray in Jesus' name, and take their sacraments to renew their personal vows during the service, there is not the same experience of worshipping Jesus during their services and all that He has done to set us free from the law of sin and religious obligation to perform for the promise to receive an eternal reward for which sphere of heaven they believe in. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences in such a thoughtful way.
I love to watch this channel, i am Indonesian and not really good an English language but i learn with listening this video. The Holy Spirit will teach me to understand. Good luck,Peace to all whose watched this video.
One thing I love about our church is you can find the same church all over the world. Same doctrine and teachings everywhere!
This is so true! I’m away from home but I find comfort when I go to church or to the temple. Even if it’s just sitting on temple grounds! The peace I feel is amazing. I never feel homesick, because I’m closer to Heavenly Father😁
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
We are actually studying the Old Testament this whole year! I read the Book of Mormon nightly as well!
Those particular paintings I've never thought of as "Latter-day Saint imagery", since of the four on the walls when you first walked in, one was painted by Carl Bloch, and two others by Harry Andersen, a Seventh-Day Adventist.
The pastor would benefit from tours of Catholic, Adventist, and JW buildings as well. He is still a younger guy so he has time. 😊
The most important feature in the chapel is the sacrament table. An ordinance where we renew our baptismal covenants weekly, we commit to following Christ and understand the importance of his atonement. This is central to everything we do in the church.
Just so you know. There are different-sized meeting houses. The size you encounter depends on the number of members in the area. The smallest I know of is the Branch. This usually is found in fairly remote locations with very small populations. The number of members usually is around 10-20. The building has a chapel that is less than a quarter of the size you showed. The elected leader of the Branch is called the Branch President. He functions similarly to the Bishop of a Ward. The building also only tends to have 2 or 3 small classrooms.
The next size up is the Ward. These serve a specific geographical area (usually part of a city unless there aren't very many members) and are usually about half the size of what you visited. Most of the rooms are about half the size of the Stake rooms. Sometimes the cultural halls are carpeted. The cultural hall is the communal social gathering room. Generally, we hold dances, potlucks, and seasonal celebrations (Christmas parties, 4th of July breakfasts, etc.) These are the most common type of meeting houses. Many are used by a single group, but there are also many that are used by multiple Wards that stagger their meeting times throughout the day.
Stake centers, the building you visited, tend to serve a large area and most of the time is used for the same services that a Ward building is used for. However, they are also used for larger gatherings where we want to allow larger groups of people to mingle. These include, but are not limited to, dances for the youth (14-18 years old), Stake conferences (a meeting where we handle Stake level business that everyone is invited to attend), etc.
The most important thing that I did not see you cover, is that all three of these buildings are open to the general public. You do not have to have special permission to come to any of these buildings. There just has to be someone there to unlock the building, generally only on Sundays. There will be other times during the week, but usually only when an activity is happening a the building.
As for what to expect when you go for services, be prepared for reverence. People try to wear the best that they have and act on their best behavior, but as others have pointed out, we are centered around the family, so children are not separated from the general congregation. The parents teach their children about proper behavior, but children are children and can be loud. If a child is being persistently noisy, a parent will usually take the child out into the foyer. There is also a mother's nursing room. This is exactly as it sounds, a room for nursing mothers to relax in while they are feeding a baby. Both the foyer and the mother's room are wired into the sound system from the chapel. This allows them to hear the lessons that are being given in the chapel.
Watching your videos from Republic of Congo, where I serve as Bishop for LDS Church...
Honestly, if your family is up to it, have them come with you so they may attend primary (basically Sunday school for children.. They get to sing songs and learn about Jesus and the scriptures), and the young men/young women classes. (If they are of age. It starts at age 11). It might be nice to have that perspective. Otherwise I would encourage you to come a few times to attend Sunday school, then priesthood (men)/relief society (women) classes, and finally primary and the youth groups. Just to get the full picture. 😊 Also, the cultural hall is used as overflow for our sacrament meetings (the main meeting in the chapel). Most wards do not fit in the chapel and need the extra space, so chairs will be set up.
Also, of you can, maybe attend a Stake Conference. It's for all the wards in that particular Stake and is held twice a year. You don't take the sacrament in those meetings. You hear from members and leaders of the stake, lasts about 2 hours.
What?!! No Book of Mormon video this week! I’ve been waiting two weeks for your 2nd Nephi walk through. And now I have to wait two more weeks!! Way to build the anticipation. Haha!! Great video, btw!
Haha, i know, right?
I love seeing your perspective! It helps me teach my children too that people worship in places different from what they know. :)
The Cultural Hall is named that, because as you guessed, many cultural events happen there, such as parties, dinners, and even wedding receptions.
In the chapel there is a built-in sound system, but mostly for the people talking from the pulpit. We do have music, but it doesn't require a sound board or amps. It is often much more tame - piano, choral, strings, and sometimes woodwinds or brass, but never drums or electric guitar.
As mentioned by others, our youth groups are actually called the "youth" or "young women" and "young men". They range from ages 12-18 and are guided in their activities by adult members (youth leaders) called to Young Men/Women's presidencies. There is also "Primary" for children aged 3-11. The "youth battalion" references a talk by Pres. Nelson encouraging them to fight for the cause of Christ in their lives.
The pipes on the hymnal are from the salt lake tabernacle organ. Used to be the largest pipe organ in the US I believe.
I'm really enjoying seeing the church through fresh eyes. I've been a member since I was 12, and a convert since I as 18, which is a long story. Suffice it to say that not all members are converts in that they have not had the conversion of experience. I saw this a lot in Utah, where I served my mission (yup, there are missionaries sharing the gospel in Utah), and they grew up in the church as a social experience. Because I've been a member for 45 years, and had a different conversion experience than most converts, it's fascinating to see the church the eyes of one where all this is new. Thanks for sharing.
I'm praying for you, my heart is just full! 💕 Thank you for sharing your journey!
"I wonder if it's fine to look behind the curtain" I distinctly remember being a kid and going back cuz I thought I wasn't supposed to be there XD
I was literally about to say the same thing 🤣
You don’t see a lot of speakers because our worship services aren’t a show (for lack of a better word). It’s a simple worship. One where the message is amplified for people to hear but not for people to be entertained.
I know you didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but to imply that more sound equipment means putting on a ‘show’ or ‘entertainment’ comes across as condescending. The Catholic Church doesn’t have a lot of extra sound equipment either, it’s just a matter of what is required for the style of worship a church uses.
I agree with @Kim Hunt . There was a time when pianos and organs were considered luxurious, unneeded, and even worldly. And both have always been expensive, especially pipe organs. But they became culturally acceptable within most churches, and it was thought that God was worthy of the “technology,” if you will. The same thing basically has happened with more modern instrumentation. Drums (especially), guitars, basses, etc. initially were thought to be worldly by most churches. But most of the music you hear today, both good and bad, have at least an element of such instrumentation. Yes, it's expensive. Although most of those instruments in the churches are owned by the musicians, the sound system and acoustics aren’t cheap; but again, many churches feel that God is worthy of it. And yes, in some churches it turns out to be a matter of show and entertainment, but by all means not all of them. The Psalms talk about making a joyful noise with all sorts of instruments. The instruments don’t make it right or wrong; it’s the heart of the worshiper. It’s just as easy to simply mouth the words rather than actually worship with the mind with a piano and organ as it is with a contemporary worship band. I’m an older evangelical and have experienced it all.
@Hello Saints Pastor Jeff, thank you for your sincere effort to create interfaith dialogue.
If Jesus said to LOVE your enemy, how much more are we who hold Christ as central to our faith to love one another.
You are doing the Master’s work.
Hi pastor Jeff! LDS youth here, I would say that the “youth battalion” is a phrase more commonly used to refer to the youth in terms of doing God’s work or the gathering or Israel. Normally the group of youth in a ward are just called “the youth” so fancy haha
wow, I've been a latter-day saint member my whole life and this video made me emotional. There is such a purity to your curiosity and there is no judgement. Thank you for this sweet video, I will look around my meetinghouse and see it through new eyes because of you.
You missed the nursery and primary rooms, so when you visit, peek inside to see what they do and hear the children singing 😀
There is also a library for checking out chalk, scriptures, pictures, books getting copies of a lesson etc.
There is also a media room where we broadcast the sacrament for people who are home bound. My hubby has that responsibility.
Bishop's office for 1 on 1s. And a ward clerk who sets Bishop's appointments. TTFN 🌻
The baptismal font was in the primary room.
Pastor Jeff, I know I am way down on your list of comments, so I understand if you never see this. But I have watch a couple of your videos now and even subscribed to your channel, and I just want to thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for how kind and respectful you are when learning about and sharing things regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It really means a lot. Thank you and God Bless you and your family.
I was impressed by your piano playing.
I've had this comment in my head all week and apparently had to share it so last week was fast and testimony meeting and no joke someone from the congregation got up and bought her testimony and mentioned hello Saints I just liked it cuz I love watching his content
I love watching you explore the LDS church. To me, the chapel is all about reverence and feeling calm quiet peace. I appreciate not having drums, loud music etc. Nothing wrong with having that though! I have dear friends who feel close to God when they worship through song. For me, I love the simplicity of the organ or piano.
Thank you for your perspective and desire to learn. I'm learning a lot from you as well about your faith.
coming from a new convert to the LDS faith, i absolutely love watching your journey to understanding the church !! i first had the same thought processes like, “am i going to be baptized at the temple?!” and “STEAK? HOUSE?… oh, stake house!” haha 😂 🧡🙌🏼
It still makes me hungry though
@@DannyAGray especially on fast sundays 😉
The fact that there is a baptismal font at that chapel makes it a Stake Center. There are ward chapels, that are smaller, and usually have 2 wards meeting there on Sunday, and usually 5 (I believe) wards make up a Stake.
@@lvsluggo007 this may be true in Utah, but it isn’t outside of Utah.
Most of the church buildings in my stake have a baptismal font since our boundaries are larger.
I only want to say this because I care about your eternal salvation.. Hell is real, I want to warn you.. Jesus told us to watch out for false teachers. I challenge you to only read the Bible for 30 days and see if your perspective changes. God Bless
Pastor Jeff,
I'm a fan.
I truly respect your perspective as a Christian pastor as I find you very evenhanded and fair.
I think I've watched most if not all of your video's thus far and am a subscriber.
I grew up in an area of Phoenix AZ where the LDS population in my neighborhood was very modest. My father was not LDS for much of my life and my mother was a devout Christ like lady and active member of the LDS faith. She insured my brothers and I's activity in the church with three of us serving full time 2 year missions to Oregon, England and Texas respectively.
My best friends growing up were of many religious affiliations but mostly Catholic, Protestant and Jewish. Some of my friends, to my knowledge, did not identify with any particular religion. Those facts blessed my life in that I understood the goodness of people of all faiths. I learned to respect character and form great friendships with people of many backgrounds
Of my brothers, noted above, I served my mission in Texas for two years as a 19 & 20 year old. That area of our country, as most would know is populated with a high percentage of Baptists denominations of various types as well as multitudes of other protestant Christian denominations both small and large. I found people for the most part to be warm and gracious. Although not necessarily wanting to hear our message about a "restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these the latter-days" they were again, for the most part very respectful and kind.
We had solid success with many truth seekers of all ages and stations in life. These wonderful people, who almost always struggle to put away their prejudice and pre-conceived notions of what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon's) was all about joined with us and became active members of the Church, many to this day as I've kept in touch with some of them.
It was gratifying to see the sometimes abrupt changes and course corrections they made in their lives as they adopted seeking to live a Christ like life, repenting of sin and seeking to help and lift others. Let alone adopting the practices of the "word of wisdom" giving up smoking, alcohol, un-prescribed harmful drugs, and even coffee. It was not easy, but these wonderful people we taught did it! Teaching unmarried couples about the Lord's law of chastity was a sensitive subject where we saw many people, who had planned to marry, speed up the process dramatically. People's lives were changed as they listen to and incorporated the truths we were teaching in our discussions with them. As they would read from the scriptures and earnestly pray to know for themselves the truthfulness of our message, amazing transformations would happen.
I'm certain that you as a minister are gratified when you see lives changed from the good work you do with your flock or people you minister to.
Bless you for the personal time and energy you invest in bringing the facts of the LDS church and its members, as you honestly see them, to a wide Christian audience that would not otherwise not know many of the details of our faith, for multitudes of reasons.
I am also sincerely appreciative of the thousands of LDS people who follow your channel. I know from now living in a predominantly LDS area of southwest Utah, St. George, the great benefit of seeing an honest young man who is principled and clearly loves his Savior clearly and without overt prejudice present the facts as you see them.
ALSO, a very rare opportunity is available if it fits with your travel schedule. The historic St. George Temple, the 1st LDS temple built in Utah and the oldest continuously used LDS temple has been very extensively remodeled so an open house is in the planning. I would be very happy to facilitate providing you with tickets for admission during the open house as well as escort you through the temple and grounds if you have interest.
Bless you for your efforts!
Love to see your success on You Tube!
Bill Hobson 435-619-7400
bill@wdhobson.com
My family moved to St. George, Ut over 20 years ago. We always went to the Church of the Nazarene until we moved here. We go to a non-denominational church now. I know what you mean about a LDS Church everywhere. I can see 3 from my house alone. It's seems like there's one every 6 blocks. I've gone to a few things at the LDS Church like ward meetings and a relief society. I've been asked countless times to go with different friends to the services and I haven't done that. I probably won't do that. Our church would have visitor's a few times a year. Every year a couple of missionaries would come to the services and see how Christian Churches worship the Lord. I was use to seeing them visiting and everyone would be nice and welcoming. Most of the people who goes to my church doesn't realize that they are missionaries. They don't come in with their brother or sister name tag. They try to fit in. I enjoy learning about other belief systems . Before I enter certain churches, I feel like I'm going through the lions den. I will always pray before going in. I didn't feel like the LDS Church's was a lions den. I prayed anyhow. Back to the missionaries. The last time I saw 2 of the sister missionaries come in, they sat behind us and they were pretty rude and was trying to keep quiet. I passed them a note asking them to either write things down on paper or discuss it later. I have no problems with people from different faiths checking out other churches. I lost my cool with them since they were whispering between them. When the pastor asked if anyone had any prayer requests or answers to prayers that they want to share what the prayers are, they will be prayed for during that time. The people sitting by them was getting upset. One of the things I wrote in note was asking them how they would feel if I went to their church and started snickering and talking while others are trying to listen. I let them know if they want to look around or talk to anyone, they are more that welcome. I was the team leader of the Missions and Outreach Team so I would also talk to them and show them around. They left after the sermon was finished. We have a time of prayer after the message and that's when they left. I wish they would have come the Sunday before. That's when Adams Road Ministry came to our church. If you haven't heard of them, they are a Mormon family who left the LDS Church after one of the boys that was on a mission and he met a pastor. It's hard to give a good description of them. It's amazing how awesome God is. This is a link to Adams Road. Their testimonies blew me away. ua-cam.com/users/adamsroad6
You’re awesome. I’m a member of the LDS faith and I watch your videos because it’s informative, respectful and I like that you share your faith, thoughts and impressions.
This was such a fun video! Yes, most meetinghouses are pretty much the same, maybe a little different in the wall and for colors. The most unique stake center I've seen was the one I grew up in, close to downtown Salt Lake. It actually had 2 chapels in the building, separated by a huge cultural hall, and the gym was a completely separate building in the parking lot, complete with locker rooms and bleachers, etc. My in-laws still attend that building.
Thanks for your feedback. I'm a Convert to the LDS church coming up 35 yrs. We are very BLESSED🙏 to have our Church's and have your feedback. We all have the same beliefs in our Heavy Father & our Savior Jesus Christ. 💕
One of the nice things about our chapels is that there is no charge to use them for a wedding or funeral, family gathering etc. There are rules for those using them (like stick to the Word of Wisdom restrictions, no smoking in the building or even on the church grounds etc.) but they are free to use. Our local Scouting area has used our building for Woodbadge 1 training, there are blood donor clinics there now and then, interfaith events etc. Nothing commercial or political of course. We had a Christmas where all my kids and grandkids were able to gather with us and it was too big a group for us to have dinner together in our home, so we gathered at the church on Christmas Day in the Cultural Hall.
That is inaccurate. Weddings and family parties are required to pay a security deposit. If you haven't paid that along with signing an "Alternate Use Waiver" you are not following the established policy.
@@kiddtuffy The General Handbook specifies the policies for building usage in section 35. I don't see anything there about a security deposit. I was the Finance Clerk in our ward for 10 years until recently and there were several weddings, funerals, family reunions, blood drives, community events etc. in our building and I never once asked for or handled any security deposit nor is there any mechanism in the finance system that I know of for handling security deposits. There is a requirement for nonprofit organizations to sign a Temporary Use Agreement which is normal, and local laws may required a certificate of insurance, but the general policy of the church does not say anything about any kind of deposit. I've held family events in our building a few times and never had to make any kind of deposit. In theory it might be the case that a Stake somewhere instituted a policy of requiring a security deposit to discourage abuse, or there may be local laws that require one in some places, but even so a deposit is returned when no damages are incurred, so no cost as I said.
I never had to pay a security deposit for any wedding. We just needed to clean it afterwards.
@@incogneato790 There is never a deposit required to utilize a church building, though a TUA may be required which does state that you agree to pay for any damages that may arise as a result of your use of the area - whether by you or people attending the event. If anyone asks you for a deposit, ask to talk to the Stake President.
Thank you for being so respectful and seeing those of different faiths than you as human and deserving of respect and kindness. It's beautiful to see. I also appreciate the style choices you make for your videos. A lot of times when someone portrays something they don't agree with completely, they'll darken the lighting or add moody/dark music. I appreciate that you are truly trying to see our faith from our perspective, portraying it in a way that shows that this faith is positive for many of its members.
Most Latter-Day Saints have fond memories involving cultural halls 😊 We do so many things there...luncheons, basketball practice, play rehearsals, craft nights, movie nights, ward talent shows, ward dinners, and many a wedding reception
Great episode! Seeing this really helped me see and feel how special these buildings are! I have on so many occasions felt the spirit and been taught in these special church buildings. Thanks for highlighting it and doing it with the respect you did!
im a member and i love how you presented the chapel, and most specialy the respect you showed. thank you
Pastor Jeff! All your videos bring me so much joy and I'm super excited to join you on this journey of learning more about The Church!
I served my mission for the church in the Missouri St Louis Mission and this was the meeting house for my first area! Lots of great memories there and all around Missouri and Illinois! I would have loved to meet you while I was serving there, but it's exciting to join through the videos!
Thank you for being respectful. Maybe you could give us a tour of your church? Again thank you for honoring our buildings and being sensitive to our beliefs
It brings me such joy to see all these faiths gather for a common cause: jesus.
I really like this video and loved how respectful you are. I didn't know what to expect but am glad I gave this video a chance. Thanks for showing our church building to your viewers.
First time commenting! I just love how respectful and open-minded you are about exploring all the different aspects of our faith. These videos are so fun to watch! Can't wait for the next one👏
Watching this tour brings back all the old memories of when I was a Mormon and spent most of my time in meeting houses like this one.
I’ve read the Book of Mormon. I am evangelical but I love LDS culture. Genuine people who love the Lord.
That's my home stake center! Lol I actually went to church there every Sunday for several years because that's where the local young single adult branch was when I first graduated high school. So funny that you are going through this journey where I grew up pretty much
Very nice, Pastor Jeff. Thanks for taking the time. I look forward to seeing your experience at a Church service.
this makes me so happy to see you learn about our religion and doing so respectfully!!
welcome to increasing your knowledge, friend!!
You're a good piano player!
Tears are welling in my eyes as I watch this. I'm an LDS convert from.the West Coast who has recently moved to the South, and it has been a pretty big cultural shift to see how we are viewed out here by other Christians. I've had neighbors not let their kids play with mine once they discovered our faith. Others "just" won't let their kids come to our house. The largest church in our area has yearly trips to Utah where the members pray outside LDS temples to "pray for the Mormons." It has been so isolating and disheartening.
This loving openness to our similarities and differences fills me peace. It is so uplifting and kind. Thank you for what you are doing in helping bridge some of the gaps 💛
Similar thing happened to us. Parents moved to Utah. Our next door neighbors were Mormon. We were devout Catholic. They absolutely would never allow their kids to play with us. It was disheartening. Luckily some other Mormon neighbors were very kind to us. We ended up being life long friends 40 years later. Just my experience. Some people are kind some are not. 90% of my experiences with LDS people have been extremely positive. In fact I married an LDS lady.
Thanks for such a great video once again!! It could be super cool for you to go to a temple open house! A temple open house is where anyone can come and visit a temple before it's dedicated, you are basically taken on a tour and given an explanation of what happens inside. I'd love to see your point of view :D
That's a wonderful suggestion! I agree!
I wonder where he could go! He said he was around the St Louis area, so maybe the Columbus Ohio temple open house this spring?
@@tyw7205 That's a great idea!! He could also fly out to utah, there are a few that are almost done I believe.
@@EricHancock Ooh super cool!! Tysm :DD
@@EricHancock that’s a beautiful one as far as architecture goes as well. A little more colonial. I’m exited for that one!
I am LDS. They are also called Youth groups. The "Member Closet" in our area are called Custodial closets. It varies. Family Research Centers in Utah are usually completely separate buildings with a lot of high tech equipment for researching, not usually in the ward building. All ward buildings have libraries for class teaching materials, which includes TVs, used to have video recorders (they are updating), manuals, pictures, portable microphones, crayons and paper for children, copy machine, other teaching materials and aids.
Thank you for the reverence and respect you show in all your episodes when discussing our faith.
Very accurate Thank you!!! I’m a 59 year old and 40 years member of the Church from Chile 🇨🇱 living in Washington State for 31 years!! Previous Catholic and Presbyterian in my youth!! The best decision in my life!! Peace to everyone Love you all ❤️ We are all brothers and sisters under the same sky and the same God!!🇨🇱❤️🇺🇸✨✨
LDS meeting houses also make a great venue for legendary hide-and-seek matches
Edit: I say this having been a primary kid many years ago
When I was a yw we would play a game called ‘army in the bathroom’ after they installed motion sensor lights. The goal was to get under the bathroom sinks without tripping the motion lights.
Yes! he didn't look under the stage. That used to be a favourite hiding spot.
I think for me, my meeting house is a sort of home. When we meet there in our home ward, it was a break from outside life and a place of peace and safety. Thank you so much for the video! Walking in to the meeting house with you just makes me remember home! I never realized that there was such a big testimony of what these churches mean. I can’t wait to watch you’re next one!
I've been eager anticipating your videos. So glad you had the chance to see inside church house.
This is the coolest channel ever!!! I love the attitude of respect, curiosity, and learning. This brings me so much joy!!! Thank you!!!!!
Awesome brother. Glad you gave us a visit!
When I was seven my parents got divorced but they did their best to still try to take me and my siblings to church regularly.. I can recall one Sunday sort of roaming the halls of the LDS church between sunday school classes feeling a really warm loving feeling inside my heart, slowly radiating throughout my body. I believe this was my Heavenly Father showing me His Love and teaching me through His Holy Spirit that even though things weren't perfect at home, I could always count on my family's love and my Father in Heavens perfect love. This I believe was the beginning of my relationship with God. He loved me first. He will love me last and forever. I hope to stand as a witness of His Love.
Looking forward to checking this one out!
I'm a member and thought watching you go through for the first time helps me see what other first timers might ask about. I get a feeling you are an amazing pastor. Thank you for this perspective.