2 hour meeting

[dahlia]

I think it would help with missionary efforts. I hear a lot of investigators (either directly or through other people) complaining and having a hard time adjusting from going to church casually to going for three hours every week.

I wouldn't mind a shorter time if everything gets attended to. In our ward, we seem to get out of Sacrament Meeting and in our other seats in 5 minutes or less, so I think it can be done unless people spend all their time between sessions visiting instead of going where they're supposed to go.

As an investigator, I gotta say that the prospect of 3 hours was intimidating. Once I went through it, however, I was fine with it. I need Gospel Principles and I will need the regular lessons when I get to that point. I don't know if I *need* RS, but I certainly enjoy it. I think some sisters struggle with a long lesson and if our time was shortened there, it might be OK, but I wouldn't knock off much time.

That said, I would never want the Church to shorten the time to kowtow to investigators who have difficulties with the current arrangement. Considering what others have said about the previous meetings spread all over the week, that seems much more problematic (especially for working women) and intimidating to the investigator than a 1 block of time that can be planned for. No one's splitting the atom in their basement on Sunday mornings; they might as well come to church.

[pam]

I love your attitude dahlia.

[Just_A_Guy]

One thing that interests me is that a lot of the people who really aggressively advocate the two-hour schedule are the same people who complain that we don't teach our membership enough "real history".

If the Church doesn't have time to teach solid gospel doctrine plus obscure-yet-controversial historical facts in three hours per week, how are they supposed to do it in two?

[slamjet]

I truly believe that if the two hour schedule is adopted, we would never get past opening exercise. Why plan a lesson?

[slamjet]

I remember when the meetings were all on different days too.

I guess that does make me old.. yes...

So, you were born the same year as Pam?

[mnn727]

3 hours, boy I wish I could go for only 3 hours on a Sunday:

My schedule today:

8:30 Bishopric Meeting

10:00 Ward Council

11:30 BYC

1-4 Regular meetings

4:30 - 6 Home teaching

I can;t wait to get back to work Monday's so I can get some rest!

[slamjet]

3 hours, boy I wish I could go for only 3 hours on a Sunday:

My schedule today:

8:30 Bishopric Meeting

10:00 Ward Council

11:30 BYC

1-4 Regular meetings

4:30 - 6 Home teaching

I can;t wait to get back to work Monday's so I can get some rest!

It's all your fault. You're the one who said "Yes" to the Bishop

[pam]

It's all your fault. You're the one who said "Yes" to the Bishop

Unless he IS the Bishop. :)

[pam]

Never mind. I just read on another thread that he is the Ward Executive Secretary.

[carlimac]

I'm old! I vividly remember the two meetings on Sun, the sacrament being passed in both morning and afternoon meetings, my mom fixing our big Sunday meal in between the two meetings, coming out of the second meeting in the dark, eating a simple supper of soup after and going right to bed. I remember walking to the church after school for Primary (yes this was Utah), the boys throwing crabapples at the girls on the way, and the time I missed my turn to say the opening prayer in Primary opening exercises cause I had to stay after school for extra math help. I started to cry but my teacher wasn't a member of the church and had no idea what I was so upset about. We went to mutual from 7:30-9 on Wed. night.

My two bits on a two hour meeting...it would be so welcome for parents of babies and toddlers!!! And after working in Primary sooooooo many years, I've often wondered who thought up the three hour plan in the first place. The little kids usually hit the wall after the second hour and it's totally unproductive time for teachers and kids alike, especially the 1-4 PM time slot. And I've heard there are 2-5 and 3-6 PM times for really crowded meeting houses. I can't even imagine how stressful that would be for young families.

I would suggest keeping sacrament meeting the same (but maybe a tiny bit shorter) 45 min at most- sacrament, choir song and one speaker. Then alternating Sunday school/ Priesthood or Relief Society every other week. Or maybe even Sunday school every week except maybe the last week of the month where the men and women divide up. I love relief Society but today (the lesson on fasting) seemed to just drone on and on. All that needed to be said could have been wrapped up in about 10 min.

Anyway, my guess is that it's just rumor- nothing of substance to it anyway.

Edited January 17, 2011 by carlimac

[PV2004]

I don't know why this rumor gets started. My ward was on a two hour block one time for a few months a few years ago and the only reason was because the stake building was being renovated and 4 wards or so had to meet in one building. There wasn't enough time to fit all four wards in one building and have a three hour block and so they cut it down to two. Once the building was finished it was back to a 3 hour block I believe that is the same reason in Arizona as well. I have a sister down there and had a bishop with a son done there as well. The bishops son said the wards were growing faster than they had buildings for and so to accomodate everyone they had to go to a two hour block until enough buildings were built. I can't say for sure that is still the same reason now, becuase that was a few years ago, but I can't image the church going to a 3 hour block. Just no reason for it.

[Iggy]

That is really odd about Arizona. I just moved from Casa Grande AZ, which is growing as fast as toadstools grow in the grass in Western Oregon!! We had 4 wards in each meeting house (two meeting houses and one stake building). We did NOT do 2 hours, we did three hours. What they did was overlap; there were two to three wards in the building at once, overlapping. Parking was a real problem, so the Stake Presidency asked that members car pool as much as possible.

Got pretty noisy I can tell you. The Stake Presidency finally went to each wards Sacrament and told every one to treat the Meeting House as though it was the Temple, and to teach their children from 3 yrs old up to 18 what Temple Voice is and for ALL to USE IT. If members wanted to socialize on Sunday after each block or instead of going to classes, then to take it outdoors!

When we moved, 16 November 2010, they had just dedicated yet another new Meeting house and moved 3 wards into it.

[MarginOfError]

3 hours, boy I wish I could go for only 3 hours on a Sunday:

My schedule today:

8:30 Bishopric Meeting

10:00 Ward Council

11:30 BYC

1-4 Regular meetings

4:30 - 6 Home teaching

I can;t wait to get back to work Monday's so I can get some rest!

I feel your pain. My Sunday was

7:30 Bishopric Meeting

9:00 Regular Meetings (I spent Sacrament shoveling the walkways, Sunday School printing out reports for auxiliary leaders and collecting information for record changes, and instructing others to finish shoveling the walks, and third hour either in nursery, or updating callings, finances, and Sacrament meeting agendas)

12:00 Tithing

1:15 went home, lunch, brief nap

3:00 PLC (Patrol Leader's Council)

4:30 Go home and clean the house to prepare for ward council

7:00 Troop Committee Meeting

8:00 Ward Council

9:30 Put my daughter to bed and then crash myself

The sad thing is, that's a light day compared to what my Sunday schedule was before we switched to the 9:00 AM block.

[MarginOfError]

But to address the topic...a two hour block is something I would consider tragic. It's true that our Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society meetings have developed a reputation of being kind of pointless, but that's because we do a terrible job of teaching our members to be effective teachers.

Our ward is finally (hallelujah) starting the Improving Gospel Teaching course as a part of the Sunday School offerings. With some teacher improvement, I think the three hour block could be very beneficial and uplifting. We just need to take advantage of it and see it for how important it truly is. I think that we generally fail to give our lessons the preparation the deserve.

[pam]

I don't know why this rumor gets started. My ward was on a two hour block one time for a few months a few years ago and the only reason was because the stake building was being renovated and 4 wards or so had to meet in one building. There wasn't enough time to fit all four wards in one building and have a three hour block and so they cut it down to two. Once the building was finished it was back to a 3 hour block I believe that is the same reason in Arizona as well. I have a sister down there and had a bishop with a son done there as well. The bishops son said the wards were growing faster than they had buildings for and so to accomodate everyone they had to go to a two hour block until enough buildings were built. I can't say for sure that is still the same reason now, becuase that was a few years ago, but I can't image the church going to a 3 hour block. Just no reason for it.

Actually that is more plausible to me than them actually cutting back permanently to 2 hours.

Plus I agree with MOE. I think teachers have gotten lackadaisical with teaching. Or perhaps time constraints with family, work etc does not allow them the time to properly prepare. But we need better teachers. We need to teach people how to teach. There are many that would love to do an excellent job but have never done something like this and just need some guidance. Isn't that why someone of us are called to particular callings? So we can learn or strengthen ourselves as well?

[Wingnut]

I don't know why this rumor gets started. My ward was on a two hour block one time for a few months a few years ago and the only reason was because the stake building was being renovated and 4 wards or so had to meet in one building. There wasn't enough time to fit all four wards in one building and have a three hour block and so they cut it down to two. Once the building was finished it was back to a 3 hour block I believe that is the same reason in Arizona as well. I have a sister down there and had a bishop with a son done there as well. The bishops son said the wards were growing faster than they had buildings for and so to accomodate everyone they had to go to a two hour block until enough buildings were built. I can't say for sure that is still the same reason now, becuase that was a few years ago, but I can't image the church going to a 3 hour block. Just no reason for it.

I was in a building that had four wards meeting in it for several years. We met at 8:30, 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30, for three hours each. It was rough, especially for the early and late wards, but it was doable. This was also a stake center, so it was big enough to accommodate that overlap.

[pam]

My brother was in a building once that had to house 5 wards if I remember correctly. His ward met from 4-7 p.m. Or it could have been 3-6. Either way it was very late in the day. That would have been horrible.

Edited January 17, 2011 by pam

[Gwen]

our branch is on a 2 hour schedule. it's not part of a trial program. it's regularly done for very small branches where they don't have the leadership to staff all the necessary callings for a normal schedule. it's to lighten the burden on the members. we do a sacrament and ph/rs. ss is individual study (we chose to print the class member study guide for that week on the back of the program to try and remind ppl that they are responsible for the knowledge even if it's not part church).

[LDSChristian]

I haven't heard this but this doesn't make sense. There's Priesthoold/RS and Sunday School. That needs 2 hours...

And then there's still sacrament meeting.

[pam]

our branch is on a 2 hour schedule. it's not part of a trial program. it's regularly done for very small branches where they don't have the leadership to staff all the necessary callings for a normal schedule. it's to lighten the burden on the members. we do a sacrament and ph/rs. ss is individual study (we chose to print the class member study guide for that week on the back of the program to try and remind ppl that they are responsible for the knowledge even if it's not part church).

Those situations make perfect sense.