Churches cancelling church services on Sunday because it's Christmas Day

[Scott Lloyd]

On 12/24/2022 at 2:45 PM, bluebell said:

I’m out of town so I’m not sure I’ll know. But I did find it interesting that they are advertising the meeting as a Christmas program and not a sacrament meeting.

Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised if they administered the sacrament, I just couldn’t remember if they normally did or not. 

Maybe you could ask one of the ward members at church next week what happened. Again, if sacrament was administered as usual, no need to report back; I’ll just assume that’s what happened. 

[bluebell]

3 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Maybe you could ask one of the ward members at church next week what happened. Again, if sacrament was administered as usual, no need to report back; I’ll just assume that’s what happened. 

I don't know what happened at my ward but in my parents ward sacrament was administered.  Interestingly though, some members remember past Christmas programs not including the sacrament.  So perhaps that's why I was confused if it normally happened or not.

[Scott Lloyd]

On 12/26/2022 at 6:34 PM, bluebell said:

I don't know what happened at my ward but in my parents ward sacrament was administered.  Interestingly though, some members remember past Christmas programs not including the sacrament.  So perhaps that's why I was confused if it normally happened or not.

Memories can be quirky. Perhaps these members were remembering these occasions as being sacrament meetings when they actually were something else, perhaps Christmas devotionals held at another time in the day or week. 
 

Or it’s quite possible that some local leaders in the past have done what is not authorized. I say not authorized, because the instruction in the General Handbook is quite clear and unequivocal. From Section 29.9: 

”Sacrament hymn and administration of the sacrament.
“The sacrament is the main focus of the meeting. Other parts of the meeting should not detract from it. This ordinance is an opportunity for members to direct their thoughts toward the Savior and His sacrifice for them. It should be a sacred time of spiritual renewal.”

Edited December 28, 2022 by Scott Lloyd

[Scott Lloyd]

For all the talk of meeting schedules on New Year’s Day, our ward ended up canceling meetings yesterday when an unusually heavy winter storm left driving conditions so hazardous that our bishop, after counseling with his counselors and in consultation with stake leadership, determined it would be in the best interest of us all. 
 

This is the first time in my memory when a ward to which I belong has canceled Sabbath Day meetings due to weather conditions. 

Edited January 2, 2023 by Scott Lloyd

[Rain]

31 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

For all the talk of meeting schedules on New Year’s Day, our ward ended up canceling meetings yesterday when an unusually heavy winter storm left driving conditions so hazardous that our bishop, after counseling with his counselors and in consultation with stake leadership, determined it would be in the best interest of us all. 
 

This is the first time in my memory when a ward to which I belong has canceled Sabbath Day meetings due to weather conditions. 

Weather in the Salt Lake Valley amazes me sometimes.  My parents didn't say anything about a storm and we have talked a lot since then so I think they would tell me if it was bad, but back when I lived in Kearns just 3 miles from them what a storm could do was totally different.  At the time we lived in an area where we got lots of lake effect so we would get tons of snow and sometimes that awful stink.  One time it was so bad that I called my husband and warned him to be careful coming home from work. He didn't have any idea of what I was talking about till he drove into our neighborhood and was pounded with snow. 

[Scott Lloyd]

13 hours ago, Rain said:

Weather in the Salt Lake Valley amazes me sometimes.  My parents didn't say anything about a storm and we have talked a lot since then so I think they would tell me if it was bad, but back when I lived in Kearns just 3 miles from them what a storm could do was totally different.  At the time we lived in an area where we got lots of lake effect so we would get tons of snow and sometimes that awful stink.  One time it was so bad that I called my husband and warned him to be careful coming home from work. He didn't have any idea of what I was talking about till he drove into our neighborhood and was pounded with snow. 

I don’t know whether cancelation of meetings was stake-wide; I have no reason to believe it was. Our stake president left it to the discretion of individual bishops. But I believe we were in unusual circumstances, as we share a building with two other units, each of us in a different stake than the other two. When I arrived for bishopric meeting (which unbeknownst to me had already been canceled) I encountered members of a ward with an earlier meeting time leaving because their sacrament meeting had already been dismissed after the administration of the sacrament, this because of sparse attendance and hazardous conditions. The other ward that meets before us canceled their meetings. The storm hit us so quickly that no one had had time to shovel the walks or plow the parking lot. We got word that the singles ward that meets up the road from us canceled their meeting (they have attendees that come from all over the valley). 
 

I live just across the street and down the road a short distance from the meetinghouse, but after making my way across the busy street in the treacherous conditions, and after shoveling out heavy snow at my home a second and third time by Monday morning, I was convinced of the wisdom of the bishop’s decision. 
 

The bishop did direct that the youth and others in the ward spend part of the day helping needy folks in the neighborhood clear their driveways and walks. 
 

[Calm]

4 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

The bishop did direct that the youth and others in the ward spend part of the day helping needy folks in the neighborhood clear their driveways and walks. 

Wonderful idea.

[HappyJackWagon]

20 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

For all the talk of meeting schedules on New Year’s Day, our ward ended up canceling meetings yesterday when an unusually heavy winter storm left driving conditions so hazardous that our bishop, after counseling with his counselors and in consultation with stake leadership, determined it would be in the best interest of us all. 
 

This is the first time in my memory when a ward to which I belong has canceled Sabbath Day meetings due to weather conditions. 

We probably have 1-2 church cancellations per year due to weather. Not common but not unusual either.

[bluebell]

2 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

We probably have 1-2 church cancellations per year due to weather. Not common but not unusual either.

This was true for us when we lived in North Dakota, mostly because people had to travel 30+ miles to get to the church building and snow storms could be formidable.  I've also lived in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah, but I've never had a church serviced cancelled any of those places because of an ongoing storm that I can remember.  Probably because in the specific areas I lived travel times were much shorter and most people in those places can drive in normal snowstorms just fine.  

Once we had one cancelled here in Utah because a mega wind storm had happened the night before and there were trees down everywhere.  But the call was for members to spend the day helping clean things up rather than stay home.

[JAHS]

20 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

We probably have 1-2 church cancellations per year due to weather. Not common but not unusual either.

When the Flood of 1983 hit us while I was in Bountiful., the ward met to just have the sacrament and then everyone went out and helped clean houses that were filling up with water and mud.

[HappyJackWagon]

43 minutes ago, JAHS said:

When the Flood of 1983 hit us while I was in Bountiful., the ward met to just have the sacrament and then everyone went out and helped clean houses that were filling up with water and mud.

Utah people are hard core

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

This was true for us when we lived in North Dakota, mostly because people had to travel 30+ miles to get to the church building and snow storms could be formidable.  I've also lived in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah, but I've never had a church serviced cancelled any of those places because of an ongoing storm that I can remember.  Probably because in the specific areas I lived travel times were much shorter and most people in those places can drive in normal snowstorms just fine.  

Once we had one cancelled here in Utah because a mega wind storm had happened the night before and there were trees down everywhere.  But the call was for members to spend the day helping clean things up rather than stay home.

We definitely don't have churches on every corner where I live. Some people drive 30+ minutes each way.