Sacrament meeting is the weekly worship service held on Sunday in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Sacrament meetings are held in individual wards or branches in the chapel of the meetinghouse. The bishop or branch president of the ward or branch presides, unless a higher authority is present, such as the stake president or a general authority. Anyone is invited to attend, whether they are a member of the church or not. Sacrament meetings are not held during stake or district conferences, or during the church's general conference. Those attending sacrament meeting generally wear "Sunday formal" dress. Men wear suits and ties, and women wear modest dresses or skirts. Children are encouraged to attend, but when they become unruly, the parents generally escort them into the lobby. History The first occurrence of a similar meeting to the current sacrament meeting occurred on April 6, 1830. This coincided with the organization of the Church of Christ, the forerunner of the LDS Church. This meeting included the administration of the Lord's Supper and the ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as the "First Elder" and "Second Elder" of the church. For much of the history of the church, sacrament meeting was held separately from other church meetings, often held on weekdays or on Sunday mornings. Sacrament meeting was the last meeting of the day on Sunday. In 1980, the First presidency of the church started the current "block" schedule, in which almost all church meetings were held in the space of three hours. In October 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson announced plans to consolidate the Sunday meeting schedule for the church. As a part of these plans, sacrament meeting was shortened from seventy to sixty minutes in length, and local church leaders were instructed to limit the announcements at the beginning of the meeting. Sequence Preparation Shortly before the start of the meeting, the bread and water – which constitute the sacrament – are prepared by one or more young men, generally teachers in the church's Aaronic priesthood. After the bread and water are readied, they are covered with a formal shroud, which resembles a tablecloth. Invitations to give prayers are generally extended by members of the bishopric or branch presidency. Meeting First, the conducting officer (usually a member of the bishopric or branch presidency) welcomes those in attendance. An opening hymn is sung by