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| - Sunday services for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) consist of a three-hour block of time divided into three segments. The primary Sunday service is Sacrament Meeting, which is slightly more than an hour in length, and is attended by the combined congregation. Sacrament Meeting services consist of the Aaronic Priesthood blessing and passing the sacrament--consecrated bread and water in remembrance of the body and blood of Christ--to members of the Church. The service usually also consists of "talks" or lay sermons prepared and delivered by members of the congregation. There is also hymn singing and other forms of worship through music. During the other two segments, the congregation divides into smaller groups based on age and/or sex. The Church publishes manuals for each type of class, usually including both a teacher's manual and a student booklet. Sunday School classes are grouped by age and sometimes by background. The most common adult Sunday School class is "Gospel Doctrine," which meets each week and consists of a teacher presenting a gospel message drawn from the scriptures, with participation from class members. A second adult class that meets most weeks is "Gospel Essentials" which is designed for new members and non-members who are interested in learning more about the Church (the latter are often referred to as investigators). Additional adult classes are held at various times, depending on the specific needs of each congregation. These classes include topics such as "Family Relations," "Family History," "Teacher Preparation," "Mission Preparation," and "Temple Preparation." Youth Sunday School classes are divided by age (12-13, 14-15, 16-18). These classes are sometimes combined if class sizes are small. In addition to Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School, a third block of Mormon meetings is held where attendance is based on age and sex. Men and boys 12 years and older attend priesthood classes, women attend Relief Society, and girls ages 12-18 attend Young Women. The Young Women group is further divided into Beehive (ages 12-13), Mia Maid (ages 14-15), and Laurel (ages 16-18) classes. All men and boys meet together briefly at the beginning of the hour for a prayer, hymn, and announcements, they then separate into classes. The men separate by priesthood office to attend Elder's Quorum or High Priest's Quorum, the latter usually being older men and/or those who have held leadership positions in the Church. Youth are likewise divided into priesthood quorums: Deacons (ages 12-13), Teachers (ages 14-15), and Priests (ages 16-18). Classes may be combined if the class sizes are small. Children younger than 12 attend Primary, which spans the latter two time blocks described above. Young children from 18 months to 3 years of age attend a nursery class. Primary classes generally consist of all the children who were born in the same year. Usually one half of the Primary meets in separate classes while the other half meets together in sharing and singing time, and at the end of the hour, the two are reversed. For More Information about LDS Sunday Services see "What to Expect at Sunday Meetings"
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