Sacrament meeting program designs

Hi, I'm interested in seeing how people organize their sacrament meeting programs/bulletins – is anyone willing to upload a sample of their sacrament meeting program (make sure you replace sensitive info like contact information with fake data)?

– What "blocks" of content does your program include? (front cover, directory, calendar, class schedules, etc.)
– How is the content in your program organized?
– What features do you like best in your program? Do you see anything as being especially "innovative"?
– Has your program design worked well; or what are some ways you feel your program could be improved?

What is your philosophy of the purpose of sacrament meeting programs?

Attached is an example of our ward program. It's a half sheet of paper printed on both sides.

I never pick up the program (for this, I emailed the person who makes it and asked for an e-copy). The same thing happens in Sacrament meeting every week, only some of the people change. Knowing in advance who will speak, pray, and/or perform doesn't do anything for me (it's not like I can change them), and the hymns are listed on the wall...

On the other side, we have announcements (most, if not all, of that can be obtained in LDS Tools - if not all, it should be all), Gospel Doctrine Lesson Schedule (I determine this at the start of the year when I get the RS schedule (by request), and it's easily determined even without that), the contact information is in LDS Tools.

So, there's nothing on this paper that I need that I can't get elsewhere, without generating paper that's just going to go in the garbage.

The person who makes the program said the only change request she's ever gotten was to add a coloring page, or games for kids to play! (Fortunately, she decided that wasn't her job.)

Now to the more interesting part of your question... I think the general purpose of a bulletin is filled by the above items, and it's good for visitors, new people, and people who don't want to use the electronic tools (or who don't know they exist).

I would love to see an easy way for the specialist to post an electronic version that people like me could download on Sunday morning, if we wanted. Having it in LDS Tools (even just the current week's) would be cool, although I don't know why. Most information is already electronic, or knowing ahead of time doesn't really add value (though many seem to want it) and expires as soon as the meeting is under way...

I've seen programs which included a scripture or quote from a general authority (changed each week); I rather liked that.

I'm googling as I write, and here are some interesting things I'm seeing:
* Class room assignments - this would be especially helpful for visitors and new members (and really, isn't that mostly who needs the program anyway?)
* Missionary names and contact info (since the names, at least, can change so frequently, this seems like a good idea)
* Missionaries serving from our ward, with contact info (I like that too, makes it easy to send them letters, or whatever)
* Next week's hymns (families were encouraged to practice these with children during the week so children are more likely to sing in Sacrament - the commenter said this had worked with his family)

FYI, my googling indicates there are pages here discussing this subject, in case you want to look for those... http://tech.lds.org/wiki/Meeting_Bulletin_Application

My own ideas:
* How about a monthly challenge / idea / suggestion related to ward goals (missionary work, indexing, reading lessons before Sunday classes, etc.); I can see reasons this would be good, and reasons it wouldn't.
* How about a suggested topic for pondering during the Sacrament (more a reminder to do some pondering)
* The more I ponder this, and it's been about 2 hours, the more I think an e-program would be better replaced by training on and use of the existing tools, and a paper program should be provided and designed for new members (new converts and new to the ward), visitors, and those who don't / can't use the electronic tools.

FWIW,

Liz

I should have gone to bed sooner, since all good ideas come _after_ you've given your answer. The following would get me to pick up the paper program:

* Our stake has a goal for each member to read all of the conference addresses before next conference. We could add a quote from conference to the program and invite members of the ward to submit conference quotes they like.

* There could be a brief "Gospel Living" type quote, and again, members could be invited to submit their idea (a brief explanation of something which helps them / their family live the gospel). I'm thinking of ideas like keeping a family gratitude basket (or personal gratitude journal); family "service tokens" game; having a family "missionary moment"; scripture study ideas, etc.

These would make the program sort of "interactive". I would recommend these be anonymous since the quote or idea is the thing that will benefit, not the recognition.

Here's a copy of the Microsoft Word template which I created and use in our ward. You need to have a good knowledge of tables in order to use as you will need to be able to manipulate. I do an offset fold so the Sacrament Meeting Bulletin text on the right side shows up on the outside of the program. It's just an extra touch that makes your program look a little better than the normal fold that everyone does. If it's a special program (Primary Program, Easter Program, Christmas Program), I change the text. Let me know if you have any questions.

Am I the only one that doesn't do a Sacrament meeting program?

Nope.

We don't either.

Thanks for your ideas! Here's the program template we used last semester in my YSA ward; we will be revamping it again this semester.

I started a couple of weeks ago putting the topics of each talk, in addition to the speakers' names. I think it makes the program more classy and useful (see attached).

I like it!

Liz

Interesting reminder about silencing phones. If I put that on a program, I am not sure I would limit the request to just during the sacrament. [grin]

I think people would skip over and not notice it if you put it in at the top. In the middle of the program it makes people think about it a little more. It also does help emphasize that the reason the meeting is so important is because of the sacrament.

Nice design on the sacrament meeting program. I've seen these as a tri-fold also but that made the type smaller and there was a lot of info crammed onto it.

One thing I had to deal when I used to live in N. Utah was a bishop that did not allow members phone numbers to be printed on the programs. I think he was worried that personal information was going to leak out into public hands (stalkers or bombers maybe?). For that same reason, he would not allow printed ward directories fearing member anonymity.
I assume this is up to the discretion of each bishopric, but is it a valid concern to consider overall?

BTW: If you needed a number, he wanted you to go online to get it, problem was not everyone had internet, let alone a computer.
Just my 2 cents.

photoray wrote:I assume this is up to the discretion of each bishopric, but is it a valid concern to consider overall?

IMO, it may be valid for a small percentage of individuals who actually are under some direct threat. If I were one of those people, I would discuss confidentiality / privacy at the time I accepted a calling that would otherwise put my name and/or contact information on printed material. (Of course, if the threat knows where you go to church (so they can show up and get the printed material), I'm not sure keeping your contact information off the program or out of the newsletter is going to do you any good.)

However, for the vast majority of us, whenever I hear about people trying to keep their contact information from members of their own ward, my thoughts run along these lines:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mos ... lang=eng#7
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testa ... ang=eng#45
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testa ... ang=eng#80

...and whatever other record-keeping and helping-each-other scriptures you care to add. In the modern world, hiding our contact information from each other is contrary to the covenant to help each other.

FWIW,

Liz

I have been working with our Ward Bulletin Specialists for a while now on various bulletin templates. We created for them the attached Microsoft Word document that is a fairly simple template to use.

In addition to the paper program that is printed each week, we have been emailing a PDF version of the bulletin on Saturday evening for anyone who wants to have it on their phone/tablet. This has cut down on the number of paper programs we have to print each week -by about half - as well as being convenient for the ward members.

However, this creates a couple of challenges:

1. The paper program needs to be a folded paper booklet - two pages per sheet - where the PDF works best as single pages
2. There is not an easy way to convert from one to the other.
3. The dimensions of a tablet are not proportional to a half-sheet of paper
4. The skillset required to do the PDF conversion has been beyond the ability of our ward bulletin specialists. They are able to handle entering the updated information into a Word document, but that is about it.

What we have been doing for the past couple of years is having the ward bulletin specialist email me a copy of the finished word document so I can convert it to PDF. I then have to Print to PDF the pages in this order: Front, Back, Back, Front, then use a PDF editor (I just use Preview on my Mac) to crop the appropriate left/right sides, and then again print to PDF - using the A5 paper size. A5 seems to match fairly closely to most tablets/phones (see attached sample)

I have been attempting lately to reverse the process: have a 4 page template that can then be printed out two sheets per page so it becomes the booklet. My efforts at this have been focused on using Google Docs for the template as it would allow for better collaboration as well as defaulting to a PDF format

Some limitations of using Google Docs are:

1. I am having an issue when I save as PDF that it inserts an extra blank page after each page. I can remove them easily with Preview or a PDF editor
2. After downloading the PDF, I have to resequence my pages in the PDF editor 4,1,2,3 to do a proper booklet print
3. No dot-leaders - That’s just a preference thing for me.

I have shared out my Google-Docs template. Anyone can view it, but you have to log on with a Google account to be able to copy it to your own Google Documents
Sacrament Meeting Program Template

Not sure if you've already considered this, but couldn't you design the MS Word doc to have 4 pages, each 5.5 x 8.5, with blanks for the specialist to fill out? Then the "conversion" to PDF is as simple as printing, and printing to paper is as simple as printing 2 pages per sheet - MS Word print settings makes it pretty easy to do that.

FWIW,

Liz

Yes, I had tried doing that - it is essentially what I am doing with the google doc. Unfortunately, the bulletin people have never been able to figure out the 2 page per sheet printing. I walked them through it, but it never worked for them once i left them alone.

I wish Google Docs allowed leader dots. I've experimented some with HTML/CSS for programs – different CSS styles switch around the order of the pages if you are printing (at least in Chrome). You could also have different CSS for displaying it in a digital format.
http://bradshawfamily.net/~samuel/zzz/meeting2/
For it to really be practical, you'd want a back-end database, user accounts, and various templates to choose from. And you can't store membership data in the cloud, so phone numbers are out and some of the other information might be a grey area, too. As it is, you can edit the fields, but you can't save your changes, and you can't change the number of talks, etc.

Hello, I am a the designer of our singles ward programs every week. I just wanted to add my own template to those shown on here, so anyone new to this calling and searching the web can find another template they might like. I will upload a PDF and Microsoft Word file version. Other file versions for Wordperfect available.

I hope this simple and clean template can be of use to you!

Br. Tom Buhler

Q's or want a different file format? E-mail the listed e-mail on my flyer with subject 'LDS Sunday Program' please
P.S. If you want a free word search maker for something for the kids to do, or primary lessons, I can get you an Excel based word-search maker I programmed, e-mail me with the same subject as listed previously.

Looks really nice – the fonts you chose help communicate that sacrament meeting is an important event.

I am the Bulletin Specialist for our ward. This is what I use. I made it myself. The announcements vary from week to week, so I need to put in some "filler" from time to time.

Can I get one of those PDF versions in Word or Excel Format? I'd even take a Publisher Format.

I have been preparing our ward bulletin since 2006, so I may have a thing or two to say about this.

There are a LOT of folks in our ward and stake who wish to put info in the bulletin, so I have to lay it out like so... (See attached). If, on occasion, I don't have enough info, I use General Conference quotes as "fillers."

bcjbcj wrote:I have been preparing our ward bulletin since 2006, so I may have a thing or two to say about this.

There are a LOT of folks in our ward and stake who wish to put info in the bulletin, so I have to lay it out like so... (See attached). If, on occasion, I don't have enough info, I use General Conference quotes as "fillers."

I hope that's not a "live" program that shows real people's phone numbers.

russellhltn wrote:I hope that's not a "live" program that shows real people's phone numbers.

It was. I have removed the attachment.

Please remember that this is a public forum and anything you post is visible to anyone in the world.

Does anyone have wording ideas or layout examples for fast and testimony meeting program designs?

hotardkatie wrote:Does anyone have wording ideas or layout examples for fast and testimony meeting program designs?

The programs I've seen are standard sacrament programs with the speakers/interlude hymn section removed and replaced with "bearing of testimonies".

Is that text typically centered or does it have a dot leader like speakers line?

hotardkatie wrote:Is that text typically centered or does it have a dot leader like speakers line?

I think I'd copy the style used for "Administering the sacrament". In the case of the template used a few posts up in this thread, I'd center it.

I suppose you could use a "dot leader" and then say "members of the ward" for the "who".

hotardkatie wrote:Is that text typically centered or does it have a dot leader like speakers line?

I always centered it when I did the program.

We have a question about using the official masthead of the CHurch of J>C of latter Day Saints as it is on this website and everything. I have been told that it is not to be used on weekly ward bulletins and such. It is only for official use as general leaders are to put out. Does anyone want to clarify this?

Chuckmil wrote:I have been told that it is not to be used on weekly ward bulletins and such. It is only for official use as general leaders are to put out.

That is correct. Details can be found in Handbook 2: 21.1.10.

This is in Excell then printer on 11x13 to Trifold program.

There is some debate about who gets a sunday programme..some say all members do and others say only the bishopbric ..and members dont need a programmme


Can anyone resolve this

A quick look under 29.2.1 - Sacrament Meeting doesn't seem to indicate anything about programs.

However, it does say this:

Announcements. These should be kept to a minimum. Most can be printed, shared electronically, or shared in other meetings.

I can understand wanting to limit printed programs to one per family to minimize costs, but to say it's leadership only seems like it defeats the purpose, in my opinion.

Programs became a problem in our Sacrament meeting. It isn't just the expense. Often announcements are received as I walk up to the stand. "No choir practice today," for example. So it seems you never get them all in before the meeting starts. And there is the "clean up" after the meeting. They get left on benches, on the floor and in hymn books. And, one Sunday, a paper airplane flew from the far north wall to almost the south wall of the chapel! (Most impressive by the way...) We still print an announcement sheet, (not a program. We figure people can look on the stand and figure out who is speaking, and the hymns are posted on the placard in front.) That announcement sheet is handed out in Relief Society/Priesthood, or in the Adult Gospel Doctrine classes. Solved a lot of problems.

What I've seen some wards do is place a QR code in the foyer and/or in the Hymnbook slots that links to a digital version of the program. They may also have a limited amount of paper copies for those less familiar with technology.

Cmanrogers wrote: Fri Apr 26, 2024 1:36 pm What I've seen some wards do is place a QR code in the foyer and/or in the Hymnbook slots that links to a digital version of the program. They may also have a limited amount of paper copies for those less familiar with technology.

With a QR code you do have to be careful, as someone could tape a new QR code on top of the old one that goes to an unrelated or inappropriate website.

Cmanrogers wrote: Fri Apr 26, 2024 1:36 pm What I've seen some wards do is place a QR code in the foyer and/or in the Hymnbook slots that links to a digital version of the program.

I've seen that as well, however I wonder about privacy. That's putting people's names (and sometimes contact information) out on the internet. Once a visitor has a link, they can keep coming back to collect new names without having to re-visit the building.

It wouldn't be so bad if the link changed every week, but I don't think anyone does that.

catherinemurray wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 3:28 pm There is some debate about who gets a sunday programme..some say all members do and others say only the bishopbric ..and members dont need a programmme. Can anyone resolve this

It sounds like your ward is having a good conversation about this. Using @russellhltn's Handbook references as a starting point, I'd suggest your ward council should determine what is the underlying goal you are trying to resolve. Do leaders feel their members are not receiving needed information if they don't hear or read the sacrament meeting announcements? What is the most effective way for your ward members to receive that information? What information is required to be shared in-person on Sunday, and can that be shared at the beginning of second hour instead of from the pulpit in sacrament meeting, or instead of printed programs? Are printed programs helping a subset of members feel connected when they attend church?

The Handbook provides a lot of flexibility for this specific issue, allowing for different wards to identify what works best for them. But if there's ongoing differences of opinions in your ward, the Bishop will likely have to make a decision based on his own inspiration (GHB 0.4)

Do you have this program design in Spanish?

I made an interactive version of our program with clickable links (and some notes).

yall can find an example here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qZ_ ... ue&sd=true