Have you ever wondered what the inside of a church building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints looks like or what goes on inside? Well wonder no more! I've created a virtual church tour just for you! So let me give you a little tour of one of our church buildings. Not all church buildings are exactly the same, but each of our buildings have the same functions, purposes, and properties. So are you ready? Let's GO!
1. We'll start off our tour with a little tour around the grounds. First we begin in the parking lot. Here you may park your car in whatever space you'd like.
No seriously, just pick one! As members of the church we are all equal, so that goes with everything. No one is paid, popularized, or praised. We all share everything!
No seriously, just pick one! As members of the church we are all equal, so that goes with everything. No one is paid, popularized, or praised. We all share everything!2. This is the way we normally enter the church even though this is the backside of the church. The big front doors are on the other side (see below). This is mainly for convenience. This side of the building is adjacent to the parking lot.
3. Have you ever wondered if the top of our church buildings are missing something? I mean, most church's have a cross at the top of the steeple. So what's up with steeple if there's nothing there; no cross, no bells to ring, no tower to look over the city? 
As Latter-Day Saints we like to point our focus to the risen Lord. Christ's death was and is very important to us, but we also know that He lives. The steeple is a physical reminder to look upward; to continue to progress and set our sights towards heaven. One of our apostles, Elder Dallin H. Oaks once said that "When we have a vision of who we can become, our power to act increases". I feel that this is the purpose of the steeple. To remind us that to have that vision of who we are trying to become like: our Savior Jesus Christ. So are you ready to go inside? Let's Go!
4. Alright so welcome to the inside of the building! This is the foyer area. We are to be reverent everywhere in the building, but it is ok to mingle and chat here in the foyer and most other places in the church. After all, one of the purposes of going to church is to fellowship with others and strengthen each other's faith.5.This is the chapel (below). It is the most sacred room in the building because it is where we go to partake of the sacrament (see #6). This first meeting is probably a lot similar to other church services you may have been too. We sing hymns, offer prayers, and partake of the sacrament. Some things that may be different are the sacrament and that there will be more than one speaker. Each speaker is a member that has been preassigned to speak on a particular topic such as faith, Jesus Christ, prophets, etc. These are for the "perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12).
6. This is the sacrament table (front left table in the picture above). Men that hold the priesthood authority bless the sacrament and pass it just as Christ did (Matthew 26:26-28 and 3 Nephi 18). This is to remember what Christ did for us. It also renews our commitment to Christ to keep His commandments. Sacrament meeting is the most important meeting in the church because of this ordinance (sacred ritual). When we partake of the sacrament we renew the covenants we made at baptism. This means that we can be purified every week!
7. Fussy babies? Don't worry! We have a Mother's room where you can take them to calm them down. You can sit here and take care of them, while still listening to the speakers in the chapel.
8. Yup, A gymnasium. Here we can play basketball (or other games), hold activities and socials, or hold service projects (many of the ladies in our ward do quilting to send to humanitarian aid).
9. The Relief Society is one of the world's oldest and largest women's organizations. They play a huge role in the church as mother's, leaders, and homemaker's. They meet during the 3rd hour of our meetings in this room (adjecent to the gymnasium) where they have their own classes. They learn the same things that the men learn, but in a way that will best suit their learning styles and needs.10. The church has many classrooms for our different classes. Classes are divided by age for the second hour of our meetings, and by gender the 3rd hour. The room on the left is where the young men meet and the room to the right is where we hold a Gospel Principle's class during the second hour of church (Gospel Principle's is a class where we go over the basic doctrines of the church and have discussion). It's an awesome class! You should come!
11. These are the clerks' office and the bishop's office. Records are kept, interviews are conducted, etc.
12. Gather around boys and girls! It's time for Primary! During the 2nd and 3rd hours the kids (ages 3-11) come to this room and then to different classrooms where they have lessons, sing songs, and have fun! Kids love coming to primary to learn about Jesus and have fun singing the songs. Good times!
13. Have kids younger than 3? Well there's a place for them in the Nursery. Here kids ages 18 months to 3 years can come to play, learn, and sing, while you go to your classes.
14. (Note: This is not in the same building as all the previous pictures or in the next picture. It's in a different church building in Napa). The Baptismal font! Jesus Christ taught us that we must be baptized (John 3:5). We know that we must be baptized just as He was (by immersion). The baptismal font serves that purpose. Here, those who choose to follow the example of Jesus Christ enter the waters of baptism and are baptized just as Christ was. Someone holding the authority to act in the name of God takes them by the hand and, after saying a special prayer, immerses them completely in the water. "And [Christ] said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?"
Well, Hope you enjoyed the tour! Do you have any questions? Feel free to comment or send me an email! I'd love to hear from you! We hope to see you at a church service near you soon! Just like our sign says, Visitors are always welcome! If you do have questions or you're still a little unsure about what to expect you can visit http://mormon.org/worship/ to learn more about our worship services.
To find the nearest chapel to you please follow this link
and then fill out the information and it will show you the map, address, and meeting times.
Thanks again for coming and we hope to see you soon!
