A Typical Sunday

Today was a fairly typical Sunday in the Pflugerville Ward of the Austin, TX Stake. I'll briefly describe the flow of events (from my perspective). I doubt we'll do this for each post, but for the reader who is unacquainted with our meetings, this should provide an idea of what's going on. Remember, our worship services are open to the public.

Before the meeting started, I tried to handle some of my calling, as a counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency, handing out home teaching assignments (we are assigned to visit the homes of the families in our ward each month).

First meeting: Sacrament meeting, all family members together in the chapel

1. Welcome by the bishop, opening hymn and prayer.
2. Stake and Ward business. Several people were released and called to various 'callings' (service positions, remember we have no paid ministry).
3. Sacramental hymn and Administration of the Sacrament--bread and water in memory of Jesus Christ. This happens every week (except for Stake and General Conferences) and is the most important part of the meetings since we renew our baptismal covenants.
4. Speakers (previously selected from the congregation). There was a Youth Temple trip yesterday. One of the youth was asked to share a bit about the experience. Then one of the leaders present shared her experience. These first two were both women (referred to as Sisters). The final speaker was a man (referred to as Brother) who talked on the importance of temples and what "House of the Lord. Holiness to the Lord" means and how our own homes should compare with the Spirit felt at the temple.
5. Closing hymn and prayer.

After the first meeting is done, everyone splits up to various classes, separated by age. The teachers are selected from the congregation (i.e. callings). My wife took our two-year old to the nursery where she gets snacks, gets to play with toys and friends, and has a short lesson and song time.

Second meeting: Sunday School

1. Opening prayer.
2. Lesson covering the Book of Alma, chapters 40-42, in The Book of Mormon. These chapters deal mostly with a discussion of the resurrection and the concept of restoration as it relates to the resurrection and spirituality.
   
3. I ended up walking the halls a bit with our 9-month old as well as trying to go to the clerk's office to get a missing home teaching assignment printed.
4. Closing prayer.

After the second meeting is done, everyone from age 12 and above is separated by gender. The women go to Relief Society and the men go to Priesthood meeting.

Third meeting: Priesthood and Elders Quorum

1. Combined priesthood (Aaronic and Melchizedek) holders opening: welcome, song, prayer, business. We had a change in the High Priest Group leadership.
2. Priesthood quorums separate in different groups (deacons, teachers, priests, elders, and high priests).
3. Lesson in Elders Quorum from the manual Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. The chapter covered was called "Establishing the Cause of Zion". The main message was how we need to purify our own lives, our hearts and our minds.
4. Closing prayer.

We then gathered up the family and went home. Later in the afternoon, I took part in some PPIs (Personal Priesthood Interviews) with some members of our quorum to see how they and the families they home teach are doing. After that I did a home teaching visit myself.

Wow. That went on for a bit longer than I anticipated. Again, I don't see us doing this every time, but we'll probably just pick a topic from one of the lessons or something and discuss it.