LDS Church News is a newspaper owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members may subscribe to it and receive news on the Internet or in the mail. The Church newspaper is distributed every week.

The newspaper contains news related to the Church or about its members. Information that is in the newspaper on a regular basis includes: new mission presidents that have been called, calendar of events, obituaries of prominent members, messages of inspiration, stories from recent converts to the Church and statistics.

The LDS Church News offices like most of the Church’s offices are located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

LDS Media is a relatively new company that offers members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints an innovative way to study the gospel. They are providing digital Church materials in both audio and text formats for gadgets like MP3 players, cell phones and PDA’s. Members can buy and upload them, then have access to them while they are doing other mundane tasks like commuting or exercising.

Doug Smith the President of LDS Media said that one of the company’s goals was to “make religious content as readily accessible as secular materials both for study and for entertainment.”

This availability of Church material on devices that can go anywhere with them, allows people to get in a few more minutes of study wherever they may be, whether it is reading scripture commentary during a lunch break or listening to recent talks in the doctor’s office. Continue reading →

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have always been encouraged to wear modest clothes. Even anciently in Christ’s Church members were encouraged to “adorn themselves in modest apparel” (see 1 Tim. 2: 9). The Guide to the Scriptures printed by the Church says that modesty is “appearance that is humble, moderate, and decent. A modest person avoids excesses and pretensions.”

The leaders of the Church have given further guidelines on what modesty is, “Prophets of God have always counseled His children to dress modestly. The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act. When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and can exercise a good influence on those around you. Never lower your dress standards for any occasion. Doing so sends the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval and that modesty is important only when it is convenient. Continue reading →

Wards and branches (congregations) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to have activities that involve all of its members. Their purpose is to help members become friends with one another, care for each other and share each other’s burdens.

Those who plan the activities for the ward are encouraged to plan activities that will involve all of the members from young children to the elderly. They are reminded that they should not always employ the youth to provide childcare or serve or clean up. They are also supposed to keep the activity within a reasonable time limit so that those cleaning up afterward do not have to stay up too late.

Many LDS ward activities include an abundance of food and the often joked about LDS food Jell-o, but Church leaders encourage wards not to make refreshments too big of a deal so that everyone can enjoy the activity, instead of half the ward being in the kitchen. Continue reading →

Dances have been a part of the LDS culture from the beginning. When the Saints were crossing the plains to Utah they would form their wagons into circles and dance around the campfire to a fiddle. Brigham Young said, “If you want to dance … do it, and exercise your bodies, and let your minds rest,” and “If you wish to dance, dance; and you are just as much prepared for a prayer meeting after dancing as ever you were, if you are Saints.” (Journal of Discourses, 6:149, 148.)

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to marry someone who is also a member of their faith. This is because only worthy members of the Church are able to enter temples and receive ordinances. One of these ordinances is a sealing. A sealing is a marriage ceremony but instead of being married for time and until death do you part, a sealing makes it possible for a marriage to continue after death. To have this blessing members must marry within the Church. The Church also strongly focuses on the importance of family and involvement in the Church. Many young single adults are not living with their families because they are away at college or are working in a job away from home. The singles activities are provided to help the single adults feel as if they still have a place within the Church numerous activities including dances are organized so that single members of the Church get the opportunity to meet other single members and create friendships that will form a support group for them within the Church. Continue reading →

Young women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are asked to keep their dress modest. Some of the guidelines given are:

• Avoid skirts or dress that are too short (although there is not an exact length given, most LDS family set the standard the dresses should be at the knee).
• Avoid tops that do not cover the stomach.
• Make sure the shoulder is covered.
• The front or back should not be too revealing or low cut.
• Avoid clothing that is very tight.

All of these guidelines are given to help youth prepare for when they will receive their temple endowment, but it certainly can make finding a prom dress difficult. Many of the trendy styles include at least one of the things young women are encouraged to avoid. The biggest problem seems to be in covering the shoulder. Many young women opt for getting a dress that does not have sleeves then also wearing a matching jacket, shawl, or adding sleeves by sewing them on. Continue reading →

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are asked to dress modestly. The guidelines for appropriate dress state, “immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire. Women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner. Men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. All should avoid extremes in clothing, appearance, and hairstyle. Always be neat and clean and avoid being sloppy or inappropriately casual in dress, grooming, and manners. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord’s presence?”

Soon to be brides are also asked to make sure that their wedding gown is modest. They are asked to make sure their gown has sleeves and a higher neckline. The back should not be too low or covered only with sheer material. If there is sheer material in places that Church guidelines require be covered such as the back, sleeves, or neckline, it is easy to fix by adding lining. If a bride wants to wear her dress in the temple, make sure it is white, not cream. Continue reading →

Numerous LDS games have been made and marketed to the ever-growing population of Latter-day Saints. Providing games that the whole family can enjoy is a good idea, since members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to spend quality time with their families. This time is called Family Home Evening, and families are asked to put aside one night each week, usually Mondays, as time to spend with the family.

Not only are LDS board games being sold, but software companies are also selling clean, LDS themed computer games. One example is found on http://www.cleanware.com/lds-games/. The game is called Outpost Zarahemla and the description reads, “In this LDS Game you will join Elder Hero whose mission is to expand the Mormon colonies in space. As you embark on your work, you will find that you are responsible for providing for the three-fold mission of the church on your outpost. You will need to build structures and facilities to help spread the gospel and do family history work, as well as provide for the temporal welfare, social needs, spiritual development of the guests of your outpost.” Continue reading →