Unique to My Ward

[MustardSeed]

I’ve mentioned before that I travel the US a lot.  I attend church when possible when I’m on the road.  It’s fun to see how different wards do things with some variation- 

Last Sunday the Utah ward I attended had each counselor walk off the stand during the last hymn and each take a door before the prayer so that all who exited could have a hand to shake.  I really liked that! 
 

Our ward speaking assignments are always conference talks.  Safe, but pretty dull.  My friends ward every Sunday has the topic “how I gained my testimony “.  She reports that it’s real, raw, and terrifically testimony building.  Every week! 
 

Im curious what your wards do that might be unique. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by MustardSeed

[Hamba Tuhan]

We have a Christmas Day church service every year. It's very informal, and we throw the doors wide open because often we have people join us from off the street. Others on this board have told me they've never heard of this before, but it's a tradition that predates my arrival 17 years ago.

We currently have the Best Stake President Ever, and one of the things I've been able to do the past few months is introduce him to some of the people I know because of my job. So right before Christmas, the two of us had dinner with the imam and one other at their temporary mosque. Then this past Sunday I attended a public event by this Muslim community where the first speaker was our stake president. I hope this also becomes a tradition!

[Duncan]

One thing our ward does that others find blasphemous but  the person conducting, if they need to clarify something, will just ask the person in the congregation and get the information needed and it's done! I think it's smart 😄

[Calm]

In a past ward, the hymnbook was gone through from beginning to end (sections such as sacrament songs were done the same way) so that no song was favored, every song got a chance to be enjoyed or not, and making up the bulletin or knowing what song needed to be practiced was easy.  

[JAHS]

One thing different in wards is how the deacons pass the sacrament; how and where they line up and if they march in single file from the back of the chapel up to the table, etc.

[Hamba Tuhan]

24 minutes ago, JAHS said:

That person looks a bit old to be the deacons quorum president ...

[Amulek]

13 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

Last Sunday the Utah ward I attended had each counselor walk off the stand during the last hymn and each take a door before the prayer so that all who exited could have a hand to shake.  I really liked that! 

We do this in our ward as well - only it's whoever isn't conducting who leaves during the last verse of the closing hymn.

We have exit doors on each side of the rostrum, so we are able to sneak out without causing much of a disturbance. 

 

Quote

I'm curious what your wards do that might be unique. 

One thing our ward does which might be unique is that, for fifth Sundays, we have the youth take over teaching all of the primary classes so that all of the adults in the ward can meet together during the second hour. 

 

 

[pogi]

Once a year in my last ward we would have a hymn Sunday.  No speakers.  It was sort of like a testimony meeting where anybody who wanted to could get up and tell about their favorite hymn and share why it is meaningful to them.  The congregation would then sing one or two verses from that hymn.  That was always one of my favorite weeks to attend sacrament meeting.   

[mfbukowski]

17 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I’ve mentioned before that I travel the US a lot.  I attend church when possible when I’m on the road.  It’s fun to see how different wards do things with some variation- 

Last Sunday the Utah ward I attended had each counselor walk off the stand during the last hymn and each take a door before the prayer so that all who exited could have a hand to shake.  I really liked that! 
 

Our ward speaking assignments are always conference talks.  Safe, but pretty dull.  My friends ward every Sunday has the topic “how I gained my testimony “.  She reports that it’s real, raw, and terrifically testimony building.  Every week! 
 

Im curious what your wards do that might be unique. 

We did the door thing and it worked very well in finding folks with problems, questions, and issues that can come up in a casual conversation that one might not bother to take to the bishop formally

Plus you can catch that certain person you want to speak with easily, just tell the counselors who to watch out for.

[JAHS]

16 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

17 hours ago, JAHS said:

That person looks a bit old to be the deacons quorum president ...

He must be the Bishop or Deacon's quorum adviser. 

[Hamba Tuhan]

6 hours ago, JAHS said:

He must be the Bishop or Deacon's quorum adviser. 

I know, but it should be the quorum president. This is where we keep getting things wrong in the Church.

[JLHPROF]

16 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I know, but it should be the quorum president. This is where we keep getting things wrong in the Church.

 things in the Church can be wrong?

[Hamba Tuhan]

16 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

 things in the Church can be wrong?

Yep. We insist on doing things according to tradition or personal preference despite what the prophets teach and ask.

As Elder Bednar said near the end of our regional priesthood leadership training meeting nearly six years ago, 'Brethren, there is far, far too much tradition in this room'.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Hamba Tuhan

[JLHPROF]

37 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Yep. We insist on doing things according to tradition or personal preference despite what the prophets teach and ask.

As Elder Bednar said near the end of our regional priesthood leadership training meeting nearly six years ago, 'Brethren, there is far, far too much tradition in this room'.

Tradition is such a fascinating topic.  Scripture is full of traditions we are required to keep in an unchanging form.  It also contains numerous examples of false traditions that needed to be put down.

The danger seems to come from throwing out an important tradition because its misunderstood or clinging to a harmful tradition because we always have.

Really interesting topic.

[cinepro]

On 1/29/2020 at 7:05 PM, Hamba Tuhan said:

As Elder Bednar said near the end of our regional priesthood leadership training meeting nearly six years ago, 'Brethren, there is far, far too much tradition in this room'.

"...now, everyone please don't take off your suit coats unless I do, remain standing until I sit down, and don't stand up until I do."

[The Nehor]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:47 PM, cinepro said:

"...now, everyone please don't take off your suit coats unless I do, remain standing until I sit down, and don't stand up until I do."

Do they still do that at the MTC?

[Stargazer]

On 1/29/2020 at 2:52 AM, JAHS said:

One thing different in wards is how the deacons pass the sacrament; how and where they line up and if they march in single file from the back of the chapel up to the table, etc.

My ward doesn't have more than a few youth AP holders, so frequently it is all MP holders who pass the sacrament. I got to do it last Sunday, for the first time in decades (we had 2 young deacons, extraordinarily), but it was rather random as to organization. I think they do it differently every Sunday. But we usually only have about 90 people in the congregation, so it isn't too random.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Stargazer

[Hamba Tuhan]

2 hours ago, Stargazer said:

I got to do it last Sunday, for the first time in decades (we had 2 young deacons, extraordinarily), but it was rather random as to organization. I think they do it differently every Sunday.

Ideally, the deacons should be instructing the elders whom they ask to assist regarding organisation.

[mnn727]

I have been in Wards where whichever 2  not conducting will leave the stand to shake hands. Its an old Protestant tradition. The one thing I will say, while I like it, it does slow down people leaving for class.

We have "Flash Choirs" where its announced that anyone who wants to come up and sing can do so for a choir number.

Edited February 3, 2020 by mnn727

[mnn727]

31 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Ideally, the deacons should be instructing the elders whom they ask to assist regarding organisation.

That's how it works in my Ward, if we geezers help pass the sacrament we always ask the deacons our assigned areas.

[Hamba Tuhan]

5 minutes ago, mnn727 said:

That's how it works in my Ward, if we geezers help pass the sacrament we always ask the deacons our assigned areas.

Great! One of the things we had to tackle when I was first called as Young Men president was older men just taking over sacrament responsibilities without being assigned or asked. I know they were doing this to try to be helpful when it appeared that the Aaronic Priesthood holders were light on, but it's still not OK. This ordinance belongs to the Aaronic Priesthood.

Unless the entire deacons quorum presidency is missing for some reason, it's their job to ask and orientate helpers. And even if the entire deacons quorum presidency is missing, then the responsibility reverts to the presidency of the Aaronic Priesthood: the bishop and his counsellors.

[Stargazer]

10 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

Ideally, the deacons should be instructing the elders whom they ask to assist regarding organisation.

Yes, ideally. But both deacons were themselves newly ordained.

[2BizE]

On 2/3/2020 at 3:51 PM, mnn727 said:

I have been in Wards where whichever 2  not conducting will leave the stand to shake hands. Its an old Protestant tradition. The one thing I will say, while I like it, it does slow down people leaving for class.

We have "Flash Choirs" where its announced that anyone who wants to come up and sing can do so for a choir number.

I like the flash or instant choir.

[MustardSeed]

14 hours ago, 2BizE said:

I like the flash or instant choir.

My choir SOUNDS like a flash choir...