Jazzing up Sacrament Meeting

[Guest mormonmusic]

Had a rough time with a theme I keep hearing from my childre at different times -- "Church is boring".

I sat in Sacrament trying to dream up ways of making it more interesting within the limits of the new CHI. And have a few ideas that I think might be OK. I'd be interested in hearing more; please take the poll above; you can select more than one option.

Edited December 13, 2010 by mormonmusic

[Maya]

The only way to jazz up is to get more spirituality. How to get that is an other question. For smaller kids adn some yout it is good if they have somethign with them they can do while listening. Meaning that they do somethign that allows them to listen, something that dont take their taughts away... like colouring... Some kids even have with a comicbook.... or snacks like nuts and rasins. I dont think kids need to sit still without anythign to do before they are able to do it.

For older kids you could try to find ONE thing in each speach that was good, interesting or spiritual or somethign you did not understand. Just one thign and record it and then you can see at home if you found anything.

We always have a speach by a youth as first speach. I think everyone speaks with the aboility they ahve andx if they pray they get help and manage to make something worth listening in their speach even if they would be a not so good a speaker.

Music is good and sometimes it is nice to have an extra musicpeace in the meeting... but not like always!

Meetings are what you make of them! And if you think it is dull ... you cant expect so much from the kids, they sence your feelings all too easy.

[rameumptom]

Help your kids. Make a Bingo card for them with words that one might hear in Sacrament talks. Have them circle those words (or count the number of times the specific words are said) and see who wins at the end of Sacrament meeting.

Personally, I tend to rely upon my scriptures a lot when I find the teachings from the pulpit to not be edifying me.

[Backroads]

I love all of these! Especially increasing the musical options. Frankly, I find it silly that all music must come directly from the hymnals when there are such beautiful, spiritual options out there. Now while I think an electric guitar is a bit out there and inappropriate, there is quite a wide variety of musical instruments.

[HEthePrimate]

I chose all options. But why use music by only LDS composers? There is plenty of perfectly good sacred music out there by non-LDS composers.

One thing that puzzles me is the ban on certain instruments. For example, the guitar. After listening to a piece such as the following, I don't see how people can say that the guitar is inherently "irreverent":

[Last_Daze]

Don't know if there are Simpsons fans around, but whenever I see something like this (re: making worship services more interesting) I am reminded of this exchange involving the venerable Reverend Lovejoy, after an energetic sermon by a young, eager, guitar-playing visiting minister:

<Carl> Hey Reverend, you should do that during your sermons. You know, a little more razzle-dazzle, huh?

<Lovejoy> Oh I already do, Carl, if by 'razzle' you mean piety, and by 'dazzle' you mean scriptural accuracy.

<Carl> What a tool.

[dash77]

No matter what a speaker says, you can always learn from another person with the right attitude. I realize some people are more postive, some are better speakers. Some people prepare more. But having an attitude that you can learn can jazz up my Sacrament meeting.

[mnn727]

Perhaps its in how the Bishop chooses topics and assigns speakers.

Our meetings are fine

[mnn727]

I chose all options. But why use music by only LDS composers? There is plenty of perfectly good sacred music out there by non-LDS composers.

Plenty of non-LDS composed songs in the Hymnbook

[Traveler]

The best thing that worked for us when our kids were home was that we bribed them. We would give them a candybar for doing 5 things during sacurment meeting. It became such a tradition that when my oldest returned form his misson - first Sunday home he wanted to know where his candy bar was.

The Traveler

[Wingnut]

Frankly, I find it silly that all music must come directly from the hymnals when there are such beautiful, spiritual options out there.

That is silly. Good thing it's not the guideline. CHI 14.4.2

[pam]

If all the music had to be from the hymn books my singing group would be out of business as far as participating in Sacrament meetings around the Salt Lake Valley.

We get invited to a ward a month and none of our songs are out of the hymn book.