Throughout the Scriptures, the birth and growth of the natural body have been used as examples of the birth and growth of the spiritual nature, and it is essential that each member of the church keep in mind this parallel. Thus it is vital that each member should seek every opportunity for the exercising of those functions and privileges that are within the reach of every member.

          In other chapters of this manual, sections have been devoted to various ordinances and ministries that are essential to healthy spiritual development, but in this chapter, two very vital factors are given particular emphasis.

          Of the means of grace, prayer and the fellowship of worship are most important. PRAYER

          It is well to reflect upon the example set by the Master. He was a man of prayer. This is evidenced again and again throughout the books of the New Testament. There was no occasion of importance in the life of the Saviour that he did not relate to prayer and communion with God. In this, as in other things, we must take him as our pattern and maintain daily communication with the Father.

INDIVIDUAL PRAYER

          Apostle Charles R. Hield pointed Out (Saints' Herald, 1942, page 1033) the purposes of God in relation to prayer:

          "Before we pray, it is well that we meditate upon the great eternal purposes of God. In modern revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 46:23, God says:

          "'This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'

          "God and Christ . . . . have a definite purpose in life. Their object is to build a society here upon earth in which men will, of their own free volition, obey the eternal, everlasting, and beneficent laws of the universe. Our prayer should be sent to God with the conscious purpose that we might better understand his laws, that we might secure his wisdom to aid us in living successfully here upon this earth. When we analyze the prayers of the Bible, we find that they are concerned with the building of this new society-this society dedicated to obeying the righteous laws of eternity."

          We are admonished to make all our affairs, both spiritual and temporal, matters of prayer. This includes the matters of our soul and character development, our relations with others, both in and out of the household of faith, matters of our daily bread and physical needs and in particular all the major and minor decisions of life.

          Prayer is the means by which we determine the will of God. To make vital decisions in life without first seeking the Spirit of God in understanding is to risk making mistakes at the many crossroads of spiritual life. Most of the mistakes of men and women in the church are made because of the failure to remember the injunction of Jesus that "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint."

          Prayer becomes most meaningful when it has been incorporated into the daily life and habit of the Saint. It is wise to make an appointment with God for his daily counsel and to keep that appointment punctiliously. Many persons make a habit of retiring for a brief period each day to some particular corner of the home for private and personal meditation and prayer. To them, this spot, of no significance perhaps to others of the same home, becomes an altar of prayer. It may be a place in one's sleeping room where one may be alone, or to a housewife a corner of the living room where the Three Books of the Scriptures are kept, or some spot kept adorned with the fresh flowers of nature to help draw one near to the Father, but the essential thing is that it provides a focus for the drawing of one's soul to God in definite communion with his Spirit. It may be beside one's bed at morning or at evening that one may choose to seek the Father in counsel and wisdom, but wherever and whenever it is, it is of major importance in the saintly development.

          Prayer is of particular help in the matters of human relationships. In another place methods are given by which one may adjust difficulties that arise among brethren, but if the habit of true prayer is cultivated, these difficulties need never rise. Prayer for the brethren and sisters of the church produces harmony among them and within them. It has been truly said that when one is praying for someone, thoughts of bitterness cannot grow towards him.

          One should then pray at all times, when in sorrow, when in doubt, when in need and when one is blessed, when one is experiencing joy, when alone and when with the brethren.

          The hymns of the church are invaluable as aids to prayer and worship in the personal and private way with which this section deals. A large proportion of the hymns of the church are the outpourings of a needy soul and can be fittingly used to direct one's needs in prayer and meditation. Members should use the sacred books also in this way.

PUBLIC PRAYER

          Prayer need not be a matter of private and personal devotion alone. In fact, we are commanded to practice both private and public prayer. Many opportunities are offered in the services of the church for participation in prayer. Prayer meetings are held in all branches of the church, and a good church member will be particular to keep this group appointment. One should endeavor to share in these prayer meetings, and it will be found that the necessary ability and courage required to do so will grow with consequent benefit to the individual and the group.

          The Communion service, as some branches arrange it, offers opportunities for both personal and public prayer. If the section on the Communion service is studied with care, it will be realized just what an important place prayer has in this very important service.

          Many persons coming from churches where individual prayer is not a feature of public worship, find difficulty in personal participation.

          There are very few occasions in this church where formal printed prayers are used as in some denominations. Our principal printed prayers are the Lord's Prayer, and the prayers for the blessing of the emblems in the Communion service. Formal prayers previously prepared by someone other than the individual worshiper have the disadvantage of lacking spontaneity and particular direction, although where the worshiper can enter in in the full spirit of that prayer good is obtained. However, there is no prayer more acceptable to God than that which emanates from a full heart, though it be but a few words as one of old prayed, Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.

THE SAMPLE PRAYER

          There can be no better guide to the correct practice of prayer than the example commonly known as the Lord's Prayer. A careful study of this prayer reveals that all things needful are included even though in a brief line or two for each particular need. This prayer recognizes our relationship to God, and then makes petition for (a) hallowing of his name by men; (b) for the coming of the kingdom; (c) for the doing of his will on earth; (d) for the daily physical needs of life; (e) for the forgiveness of trespasses according to our willingness to forgive others; (f) for the strength to withstand temptation; (g) for deliverance from evil; (h) for the recognition that all power and glory are resident in the Father and for all time at his disposal as a gift.

          For all these needs one should pray and make continual supplication to God. Each member of the church should endeavor to cultivate and practice the art of prayer that the purposes of God might be fulfilled in us and life of the Spirit be made more fully known to all men.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE

          Church attendance is a vital feature of the true Christian life. The acceptance of regular attendance at church as a major obligation of church members is essential to the purposes of the church and to the needs of the individual soul. To appreciate this obligation and privilege, the nature and origin of the church need to be fully realized.

WHY SHOULD I ATTEND CHURCH?

Because the Church Was Divinely Instituted.

          The church is a divinely commissioned institution owing its existence to an act of God in history. It is the only institution that derives its name from God and draws its nourishment from him. It is the only institution that acts authoritatively for him and gives as its first purpose the fulfillment of his purposes.

Because the Church Is a Mutual Society.

          The church is a community with common ideals, faith, and purposes held together by the "tie that binds." Its members stress fellowship, a sense of togetherness as children of the common Father. It is a fellowship of persons having together in relations of mutual love, obligation, and service. It is a fellowship endeavoring to make real the ideal of brotherhood in small groups first. The prayer of Jesus for his followers in the seventeenth chapter of John gives a scriptural basis for the above statements. Church members will be repaid to study it carefully.

Because the Church Is a Worshiping Community.

          It is dedicated to the fulfilling of God's purposes. It is a place where unity of adoration and actions transforms life into a sacred thing. It is a place where we may share experience and get new insight and inspiration; a place where we may realize together the reality of the divine presence and together dedicate ourselves to his purposes. Such worship is absolutely basic in individual and social life.

Because the Church Is a Community of Love.

          The life of the church is rooted in the love of God. It is a place and relationship where men love because they are objects of God's love," and where fatherhood, sonship, and brotherhood are stressed. It is the home of salvation. Through the church the love of God is not only witnessed but set free to save those whom it touches.

Because the Church Is a Community of Thought.

          We may think of the church as a place where together we strive for a clearer, deeper, and richer understanding of life's meanings; it is a place for thinking things through in terms of God; for growing clarity of thinking in regard to the true ends of life. It is a place where one may meet the "response of thought" as well as the response of love. Church attendance provides this wonderful opportunity for pooling our best thinking for our own good, for the good of others and for the advancement of the collective Christian body.

Because the Church Is a Teaching Community.

           The church is an institution commissioned for and dedicated to the teaching of the profound truths of the revelations of Christ. It is a place where through teaching we may become progressively converted to the mind of Christ-a place for the teaching of the truth that makes men free. In the church we join in the great creative endeavor of building men for God. Here we plan carefully, intelligently, and systematically to so build that the "word" may indeed become flesh.

Because the Church Is a Witnessing Community.

           The church community is a group committed by its own knowledge, beliefs, and convictions to the sharing of such with all others. By the very nature of the truth which it professes to witness it is committed to making these revelations known to all men. It is commissioned to preach the word in all the world. To deny its message to any age or clime, color or race is to deny the message itself. The foremost duty and responsibility of the church is to witness by the very quality of its fellowship for God and Christ.

Because the Church Is a Community of Ministry and Service.

           Christ was willing to apply the acid test to his Messiahship. It was "what ye have seen me do." He clearly indicated that we must apply the same rigid test to our own ministry. It is "to the least of these." The church is a place where acts of ministry and service express and confirm the spoken word. It is a place where members are servants one of another a place of "pastoral care of souls, for the cure of souls." The church above all institutions is alert to human needs and engaged in a sacrificial ministry to meet these needs.

Because To Attend Church Is To --

          Obey divine command.

          Move in the direction of man's greatest need.

          Join in the fellowship of those who would put the service of God and man first.

          Cultivate the presence of the Divine Spirit and the knowledge, conviction, light, and power which it                     brings.
          Join in collective endeavor to witness Christ-to build his kingdom.

          Make available to oneself and to others that salvation which is the essence of divine and human love and                     fellowship.

          Keep spiritually alive.

Because To Fail To Attend Church Is To --

          Violate the commandments of God.

          Violate the commands of one's own soul.

          Slip back into the lower levels of life.

          Deprive others and the church of that which you could contribute.

          Fail to resist the drag-down of your own impulses.

          Fail to attain salvation in the true sense of that term.

          Retard the work of the church on all fronts. Close the door to life's highest values.

          Those who do not attend regularly are likely to neglect as well all other means of systematic cultivation of their spiritual lives. They will gradually find themselves separated from that fellowship which is so characteristic of and necessary in Christian action. They will fail to make any special endeavor to witness for Christ. They will fail to support the church in other ways-in time, means, and talent. They will fail to engage in those lines of service to humanity which are a basic source of spiritual light and power. They will tend to take on the characteristics of life about them and devote themselves to its purpose, not going higher, but going lower, and finally drifting down and out of the religious fellowship entirely.

When We Attend Church.

          We go to worship God and to receive his blessing. There are people who say they can worship God better in the beauty of nature than in a church. They may, but the chances are they do not. One can worship God anywhere, and should do so. But a church is for a particular quality of worship that goes on nowhere else.

          We go to receive benefit of the company of the best people we know. Their fellowship and friendship strengthen us. We are happy in their presence.

          We go for inspiration received in thoughtful sermons, in testimonies, in prayer, and in the beauty of music.

          We are reminded of our duty, of our obligation to the moral order of the universe.

          We receive all these benefits. They are important to us. They constitute not only sufficient but compelling reasons for going to church.

          The great sacramental experiences between the member and God are not possible without the church and our regular attendance. They involve social worship. We may pray as an individual, but the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Communion, ordination, administration, marriage, and blessing are not possible unless the church exists as a social organization. The church would not exist but for the need of individuals. It cannot exist without their attendance and support. Neither can people grow in the full experiences of God's love and fatherhood without the church and the sacraments administered by her priesthood.

WHAT IS MY RELATION TO THE CHURCH SCHOOL?

          The church school is best described as the church at school. By this definition it is seen that every member of the church should receive instruction and help through the medium of this department.

          The church school differs from the older conception of the Sunday school in that it provides for and includes other activities on weekdays as well as on Sundays.

          Through the church school, all age groups are given an opportunity to learn the teachings of Christ, to develop intellectually, spiritually, and socially.

          On Sunday, the school meets as a whole for worship and religious study, and every member of the church should participate in these exercises. In most schools of average size, one period of this service is a composite one where the whole family worship together, dividing into groups graded according to age for study and other activities.

          During the week each member has the opportunity of working in a divisional activity suited to his interests and needs. The Church School Plan provides for adult, young people, and children to function in departments, with subsidiary clubs and societies operating in each. All are invited to participate in the respective sections.

          The following divisional activities operate where circumstances and numbers permit:

ADULT DIVISION

          Women's circles and men's clubs and in some places young married groups function within the interests akin to the particular group. These groups participate in study, practical projects, and social activities.

YOUNG PEOPLE'S DIVISION

          The Zion's League is the specific youth organization of the church, and under the auspices of this society the youth are given the opportunity of activity of expressional and developmental nature. General improvement studies are engaged in, while opportunity is provided for worship, public speaking, and dramatic activities. Leadership is developed in this section, and no young person over the age of fifteen years can afford to miss participating with others of his age in this section.

CHILDREN'S DIVISION

          Very special emphasis is placed by the church on the attendance of children at the church school services and activities, and there is very special thought given by the church school department to the training and nurture of the children. Every Latter Day Saint family with children should make it a point of obligation to see that such children are enrolled in the activities and studies of the division.

          Club activities in this age group are as follows:

          Oriole Circle is a club for girls between the ages of 11 and 15 years and caters for such interests both indoor and outdoor while emphasizing cultural and Christian development. Uniforms are worn, thus appealing to this particular section of church membership, according to stages of development. The Boy Scouts is the official church group for boys of this age, namely, the junior high. Under selected and dependable leadership, the boys of the church have the privilege of engaging in this proved activity. Where there are not sufficient numbers of either boys or girls to organize Scouts or Orioles, a Junior Zion's League may be organized to provide expressional activities for this age group.

          For the younger boys and girls, Cubs and Blue Birds are organized and give suitable activity and development.

          Every Saint can make it a matter of progressive spiritual and social development to be linked with his or her appropriate activity carried forward through the church school. This department carries one of the major responsibilities of the church, and every man, woman, and child of the church should hold membership.

          An officer known as the Director of Religious Education or Church School Director is the supervisor of the school and with other leaders and teachers of the department may be looked to for help and guidance which each is only too willing to give.

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