Mormon was an ancient prophet who lived on the American continent. He compiled scriptures onto a set of metal plates. These are the Golden Plates that Joseph Smith translated into The Book of Mormon. The term Mormon became a nickname for the Church and its members. Church members are better known as "Latter-day Saints" or LDS. A more appropriate abbreviation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "the Church" or "the Church of Jesus Christ" but if you call Church members "Mormons" they won't be offended.

You probably see and talk to Mormons every day and don't know it because we don't all dress alike. The guys (and sometimes girls) you see on bikes are full-time missionaries. They dedicate up to two years of their life spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. They're not paid for their service and not all missionaries ride bikes. Some drive cars or use public transportation. Some older missionaries are married couples who use their own vehicle (usually retirees).

There are other members who do missionary work on a part-time basis (Ward Missionaries). Unlike full-time missionaries, they do missionary work in their home town. Since most have jobs during the day they usually assist full-time missionaries in the evenings or on weekends.

You might think Mormon Missionaries are for recruiting new members but their main focus is teaching. True conversion happens through Christ and the Holy Spirit of God. This is what you'll feel when you invite missionaries into your home or attend a church service. If you've never invited a missionary couple into your home you should try it. Don't worry, they won't try to sell you anything or ask for a donation and they don't bite . . . unless they're really hungry :-)

Church congregations are divided up geographically. Local congregations are called wards. Branches are congregations where there are not enough active members to facilitate all basic auxiliaries normally found in a ward. Stakes are collections of wards and branches. Wards are lead by a Bishop. Branches are lead by a Branch President and a stake is lead by a Stake President.

Mormons follow a, kind of, health code called the Word of Wisdom. Along with other things, it teaches us to abstain from using tobacco, alcohol or "hot drinks" like coffee and tea. Nowadays it's not uncommon for people to abstain from tobacco and at least limit consumption of alcohol and caffeine because of known health benefits. But in the 19th century people didn't know how harmful these substances were. Back then, even though they were promised better health, faithful members kicked the habit out of obedience.

Today the Word of Wisdom is considered a commandment and prerequisite to baptism and other ordinances. Although Church leaders teach us to abstain from all addictive substances, the Word of Wisdom is a minimum standard. Unfortunately this commandment seems to be one of the hardest for some people to embrace. But it's great when you can kick the habit are and no longer a slave to addictive substances.

The Church relies on volunteer service from local congregations. Everyone from Stake Presidents to piano players receive no monetary compensation for sharing their time and talents. However, most members feel they are greatly rewarded for their service beyond any amount of money. General Authorities do get a living allowance since their callings require permanent full-time service. The Church also employs professionals for non-ecclesiastical work such as facilities maintenance, finance, education, information technology, etc.

The buildings where Mormons meet are called Meetinghouses. This is because more than just worship services happen there. Technically the "Chapel" is the main room in the building but there are many other rooms like classrooms, offices, a gymnasium, and kitchen. Most meetinghouses are functional and nicely furnished inside but if you're expecting an elaborately decorated building you might be disappointed. You can take a virtual tour of a Mormon meetinghouse but the best way to see one is to visit in person. While church-related functions are the primary purpose, a meeting house may also be used for wedding receptions, polling places or emergency shelters.

The cross is used in many Christian churches as a symbol of the Savior's death and Resurrection and as a sincere expression of faith. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we also remember with reverence the suffering of the Savior. But because the Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of His death as the symbol of our faith. The only members of the Church who wear the symbol of the cross are Latter-day Saint chaplains, who wear it on their military uniforms to show that they are Christian chaplains. More Information

Sunday services are a three-hour block of meetings:

Sacrament Meeting is the main meeting and usually the first meeting of the block but it might also be the last depending on which ward you attend. The Bishop or one of his counselors conducts the meeting, welcomes the congregation and makes announcements before the congregation sings a hymn followed by an invocation (opening prayer). Ward business is conducted which may include sustaining members who've accepted a calling (like a teacher or leader of an auxiliary). They do this by raising their hand when asked to sustain or oppose. Only members of the ward are expected to participate in this process since visitors probably don't know the person(s) being sustained.

The main purpose of the meeting is participation in the sacrament ordinance. This is similar to communion in the Catholic church. The congregation sings another hymn while the Priesthood prepares the sacrament. The sacrament prayers must be said word-for-word. After the Sacrament is the "sermon" portion of the meeting. This is when assigned members of the ward give prepared talks. The meeting ends with a benediction (closing prayer). Fast Sundays (usually the 1st Sunday of the month) are when members fast by skipping two meals. On these days, instead of prepared talks, it's kind of like an "open mic" session when people share their testimonies of Jesus Christ and his gospel. With the exception of fussy children, Sacrament Meetings are very reverent and peaceful. With different people speaking you'll never get bored hearing from the same old preacher every week.
One thing you won't see is "passing the plate" or any other solicitation for donations at church meetings.

Primary is for young children which lasts the remainder of the block. They learn songs, and participate in classes and activities geared for their particular age groups.

Sunday School is just like it sounds -- where people attend classes, but only for about 40 minutes. Classes are generally divided up by age group and adults often have a couple of options of classes to attend: Gospel Doctrine or Gospel Essentials. Some wards may also have additional classes for adults like Family History or Teacher Development.

The next three meetings all occur at the same time:
Priesthood meeting is when the men and boys meet together and have an opening exercise that begins with a hymn and a prayer. After they conduct business for the general group they divide up into different quorums such as Deacons, Teachers, Priests, Elders and High Priest Group.
Relief Society meeting is when women meet together. Like Priesthood meeting, they also have an opening exercise but they stay together in the same room afterwards. And at the end of their prayers they say "awomen" instead of amen (just kidding).
Young Women also meet together for an opening exercise and then divide into classes by age groups (Beehives, Mia Maids and Laurels).

Temples are special places where worthy members perform sacred ordinances for themselves and for the dead. These ordinances include baptisms, confirmations, endowments, eternal marriages, and sealings of couples and of families. Regular worship services are done in LDS meetinghouses, not temples. In fact temples aren't even open on Sunday so that members who work there can attend services at their own ward.

Members don't discuss temple ceremonies in detail outside the temple because they make a covenant with God not to. Only worthy members in good standing with the Church and God are allowed to enter the temple. Since people tend to mock and demean things they don't understand it only makes sense that God restricts His most sacred ceremonies to those who understand them and keep them sacred.

Fear of the unknown sometimes causes the spread of false rumors about what happens in the temple. I've heard accusations from satanic rituals to people running around in the nude. Having participated in all ceremonies in the temple I can tell you that nothing lives up to the sensational rumors on the street. Participants change into all white clothing (in separate men and women dressing rooms) but that's as close to any form of "nudity" you'd find. In fact you'll see more skin at a sacrament meeting than in the temple. Temple patrons do learn about Lucifer and his dealings with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but that's as close as you'd get to anything "satanic" in temple ceremonies.

For a glimpse of what is taught in the endowment ceremony you can read from the book of Moses, chapters 2 - 4 in the Pearl of Great Price.

More information about temples

Food storage is just part of self-reliance taught by the Church. Food and fuel storage comes in handy after natural disasters, hard economic times, etc. Just think about what happens when a hurricane or blizzard is predicted. People in the area run to the grocery store to stock up on food and supplies. Usually the shelves are picked clean and there is not enough to go around. Wouldn't it make more sense to stock up before there is a big demand? That's the logic behind food storage.

Mormons are also taught to be self-reliant by staying out of debt, planting gardens, gaining an education and, thus, good employment. Mormons also help others through welfare and humanitarian service. See the Church's Provident Living website for more information.

The easiest way to find an LDS church is the meetinghouse locator. Just enter information about your location and it will show a map of the closest meetinghouses along with the time services begin for each ward that meets there.