lds church visit
Church of Latter Day Saints
For my first visit report I chose the the Church of Latter Day Saints. Growing up in a primarily catholic area of San Antonio, Mormonism was always something of a mystery to me. I knew it existed and it was derivation of Christianity, but nothing more than that. In 2012 the Religious Congregations and Membership Study showed that in 26 states Mormons have grown in adherents by 50 percent. On top of that, churches have popped up in over 295 counties that were not there a decade ago. The Church of Latter Day Saints is a phenomena within the United States and was the obvious choice for my first report. Upon arriving at the church I was immediately greeted by a man who noticed I was a visitor. He shook my hand and led me to the congregation which was already underway. How, and why, he was able to tell I was a visitor just by looking at my face was a testament to the welcoming atmosphere which was further reinforced throughout the rest of my visit. When I finally sat down a young woman began speaking in front of the congregation. She spoke of her financial and marital troubles and 30 seconds in, she was already in tears. What I began to notice was that there was not a minister leading the sermon. It was led by members of the church. When she finished and began walking down the aisle back to her seat, almost everyone began expressing their sympathies for her situation. Every other step she took was stopped by a hug or handshake.
The Congregation was just one big family.
After the woman finished speaking one of the Elders led the congregation in a hymn before dismissing them into their sunday school classes. Once people began leaving for their classes I made a beeline for one of the elders. I told him what I was there for and he was incredibly enthusiastic in wanting to share his faith with me; everyone was. He led me to Gospels Principals class, a class that teaches the foundations of the Book of Mormon and other Latter Day Saints
For my first visit report I chose the the Church of Latter Day Saints. Growing up in a primarily catholic area of San Antonio, Mormonism was always something of a mystery to me. I knew it existed and it was derivation of Christianity, but nothing more than that. In 2012 the Religious Congregations and Membership Study showed that in 26 states Mormons have grown in adherents by 50 percent. On top of that, churches have popped up in over 295 counties that were not there a decade ago. The Church of Latter Day Saints is a phenomena within the United States and was the obvious choice for my first report. Upon arriving at the church I was immediately greeted by a man who noticed I was a visitor. He shook my hand and led me to the congregation which was already underway. How, and why, he was able to tell I was a visitor just by looking at my face was a testament to the welcoming atmosphere which was further reinforced throughout the rest of my visit. When I finally sat down a young woman began speaking in front of the congregation. She spoke of her financial and marital troubles and 30 seconds in, she was already in tears. What I began to notice was that there was not a minister leading the sermon. It was led by members of the church. When she finished and began walking down the aisle back to her seat, almost everyone began expressing their sympathies for her situation. Every other step she took was stopped by a hug or handshake.
The Congregation was just one big family.
After the woman finished speaking one of the Elders led the congregation in a hymn before dismissing them into their sunday school classes. Once people began leaving for their classes I made a beeline for one of the elders. I told him what I was there for and he was incredibly enthusiastic in wanting to share his faith with me; everyone was. He led me to Gospels Principals class, a class that teaches the foundations of the Book of Mormon and other Latter Day Saints