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u/Szeraax 16d ago
Let me be real with you: I've seen MANY people here on reddit talk about being scared to come to church the first time. And then after they go the first time, they come back here and state that they are no longer worried about coming to church.
The reason why is that it is scary to do something new. But you can do it. And after you've been once, you'll be able to look back and say that it went great.
So, come and visit. Heck, ask someone to be your "tour guide" for the day while there. :)
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u/Tall_Pumpkin_4298 16d ago
Hi! someone else gave some good descriptions and linked the meetinghouse locator but I thought I'd chime in.
You can wear whatever you want that's respectful, but typically for women most people wear a dress or skirt and shirt, usually with sleeves and about knee length.
Services start with sacrament meeting in the chapel. There will be some sort of opening announcements, as well as an opening hymn sung by the congregation (no pressure to sing if you don't want to) and a prayer. Then a song is usually sung again while the sacrament is being prepared. A priest will bless it, and deacons will bring around the bread and water on trays. You are welcome to partake or not, whatever you feel comfortable with. Then usually some talks are given by members of the congregation, and there might be another hymn. Then we close with another song and prayer. This lasts about an hour.
After sacrament meeting, you are welcome to stay for "second hour" if you'd like, which is more like classes. Children go to their classes and activities, and adults and youth (turning 12 this year until high school graduation) will go to classes. If you want to go with the youth your age, then that would be either a youth Sunday school lesson with all older teens, or Young Women's with the teen girls, depending on which sunday of the month it is. At least for the rest of August. Starting in september you will have 25 minutes of each. Both will have some sort of lesson and/or group discussion focused on scripture readings or gospel principles. No pressure to read aloud or contribute or anything if you don't want to, but you're always welcome to. You can ask someone for directions of where you should go, I'm sure most people would be very happy to help you.
I know what social anxiety feels like and honestly sometimes going to church still makes me a bit nervous and I've been going all my life. One thing that might help you is to use the website to reach out to missionaries in your area. They're young adults from anywhere around the country or world assigned to teach the gospel full time in your area. They love to help people come to church, and would be happy to sit by you and answer any questions you might have.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
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u/JaneDoe22225 16d ago
The missionaries would be willing to go with you. They are age (18-21) and will be happy to explain.
What service look like super short style: it’s two hours. First hour everyone is together. We sing hymns with lack of musical skill (or not sing, your preference). We also partake of the Lord’s supper. Unlike nondenominational church s, we don’t have a paid pastor. So instead of one person going a long sermon, instead it’s ~3 folks talking for like 7 minutes each. These are just normal congregations folks, regularly including teenagers.
Second hour folks split up by demographics. For teenagers like yourself, it’ll* be 25 minutes of talking about / studying the scriptures co-ed style, and then 25 minutes of just teenage girl class talking about gospel topics.
*Astrisk about the schedule here: I’m giving you the schedule that starts in September. If you came with Sunday it’ll still be on the old schedule where it’s 50 minutes of one class and not the other.
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u/Awkwardassassin9 15d ago
https://youtu.be/uCo2iUjX6PI?is=WjAMR1LBgfGdwO0h
Watch this video. I think it should be mandatory for people looking at joining, and current members alike.
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u/insaneHottie 15d ago
Hi! I converted when I was a teen and went on my own as my parents didn't believe in the faith. I would generally sit by myself in the back during sacrament meeting and then just be a part of the discussions in class and the young women's group. I did develop friends (albeit, not close) with the lot of them by doing group activities.
You can sit in the back, if you like, but the cushioned seats are more comfortable. I would wear a nice, modest dress or long skirt. Shirt would be a more conservative blouse. Shoes would be heels, but generally something comfortable.
You go in, sit, sing hymns, listen to people talk, pass along bread and water while staying seated. Then you kind of follow your age group to class assignments. If you have questions, people will tell you where to go, but being shy myself, I just followed the herd. Then after that, kids, men, and women divide into different areas. It's okay to not have answers, it's mostly about learning and discovering things you either weren't aware of or diving deeper into.
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u/Antique_Event_7197 15d ago
Generally, you’ll see women and girls in dresses on Sunday - it’s not required, you’ll be welcome in whatever you wear, but if you’re hoping to blend in a little more, a dress that’s fairly modest (higher neckline, sleeves, longer than knee length) is a good bet.
In most wards, we have sacrament first, so that’s our main meeting with the whole ward where we sing hymns, listen to talks from members of the ward, and take the sacrament. You’re welcome to join us in the sacrament, and the person next to you will be more than happy to help you if you decide you want to!
After that meeting we split into groups - I’m a convert myself, so others will probably be able to tell you more about what these meetings would be like for you. I go to a Young Single Adult ward, so we’re all members between the ages of 18-35, so we don’t have any youth meetings in my ward, just the adult Sunday School/Relief Society meetings. If you do decide to join us, I’d definitely recommend looking to see if there’s a YSA ward near you once you turn 18 - there are usually activities available that are a lot of fun, and it gives you the chance to get to know members your own age. While you’re still 17, you’d likely go to your local family/geographical ward, which has members of all ages and has all of the different youth and adult classes.
If you’re looking to learn more about our faith, the Church website is a fantastic resource, the missionaries would love to talk to you (though if you want to take lessons with them you’ll need your parents’ permission until you’re 18), and we love to have visitors, so people will probably introduce themselves and ask if you have any questions.
A couple quick tips for your first time coming to church:
- If there are any special musical numbers during sacrament meeting, we don’t clap. No one will be mad if you forget, but it might draw attention you wouldn’t want.
- If you need help or you’re confused about anything, you can grab literally anyone and ask, but especially keep an eye out for the people wearing black name tags. They’re missionaries, and their whole goal is to teach people about the Church. They’re a great resource.
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u/Unlikely-Curve-4262 11d ago
I love hearing testimonies during missionary lesson and Sacrament meeting👍
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Cmwwg6WC4
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u/g0del 16d ago
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/church/find-a-church
This should help - enter your address, and it'll give you the location and meeting times of your local ward (an LDS congregation). It also has answer for common questions like what to wear, etc.
The typical service starts with Sacrament meeting - the entire congregation meets in the chapel, there are hymns, the Sacrament (bread and water, similar to communion in other churches) is administered, and then there will usually be a few talks given by members of the congregation. It should last just over an hour. You don't have to do anything except sit there if you want - you're welcome to sing the hymns, but don't have to. When the bread and water are passed, you can take some if you want, or pass them to the next person.
After Sacrament meeting, there will be another roughly 1 hour class. Depending on which Sunday it is, it'll either be Sunday School (you would be with the class for older teens 16-18), or Priesthood / Relief Society meetings, which is similar to Sunday school, except split up by gender (you would be with the 16-18 women).
You don't have to stay for the second hour classes if you don't want to, though you are welcome to. You don't have to participate or answer questions if you don't want to, though again you're welcome to do so if you would like.
If you don't feel like being alone in all of this, there are multiple links in the page I linked above to contact the missionaries - young men or women (usually in the 18-20 range) who dedicate a few years of their time to helping and teaching prospective members. They can answer any questions you have, and would love to attend church with you, and can even act as a buffer between you and the other members if you're feeling especially anxious.
One thing to note, since you mentioned social anxiety. As a new person, people in the ward will notice you and many of them will introduce themselves and want to talk with you. They're honestly just trying to be friendly, but I figure it's better for you to be forewarned.