Change in Recording Sacrament Meeting Attendance

[drepouille]

Just leave that week blank and move on. You don't want to include 0 values in your average.

[xanderblake]

There is no guidance, nor ability to add Stake Conf to the attendance date?
We had Stake Conf in the 26th, and it's still just hanging out there with a zero, if I post a Zero it will affect the average.
When we have Stake Conf in the month under the previous guidelines, you just remove that date and average the number of actual sacrament meeting days, and report that number.
How do I report it now??

[drepouille]

Just leave that week blank and move on. You don't want to include 0 values in your average.

[chriswoodut]

I hope the programmers drop all zeros from their formula when they calculate the average for the quarterly report. I'm trying to think of a scenario where a 0 would be a legitimate number to include the calculation for budget purposes....

[scgallafent]

I hope the programmers drop all zeros from their formula when they calculate the average for the quarterly report. I'm trying to think of a scenario where a 0 would be a legitimate number to include the calculation for budget purposes....

They do drop the zeros.

[mrteater]

Recently we were asked to track specific families and names who partook of the sacrament. Does any know where in the handbooks it speaks to or against such a request?

[russellhltn]

Recently we were asked to track specific families and names who partook of the sacrament. Does any know where in the handbooks it speaks to or against such a request?

It rubs me the wrong way, but I can't find anything about that.

Given that currently there are no meetings, this might be a desire to make sure everyone has been visited. Another factors is that bishops usually are able to take mental note of who is and isn't taking the sacrament from the stand. With so much of it being done via visits, they're no longer able to do that.

[chriswoodut]

Recently we were asked to track specific families and names who partook of the sacrament. Does any know where in the handbooks it speaks to or against such a request?

Do you mean you were asked to track this while church has been cancelled due to COVID-19? It sounds like a ton of work. The church does seem to avoid tracking really specific things at the ward level like temple attendance, etc.

[jdlessley]

Recently we were asked to track specific families and names who partook of the sacrament. Does any know where in the handbooks it speaks to or against such a request?

Local leaders can ask for any data they desire. There is no mention of a requirement to track this particular set of data. Nor is there any prohibition against it. If you are concerned there is a desire to use this data to enter into the weekly sacrament meeting attendance then take a look at the General Handbook, 29.2.2, and more specifically 29.2.2.10. There is additional instruction for quarterly report sacrament meeting attendance here: Notice, 1 November 2019: Recording Sacrament Meeting Attendance. There is also an MLS email message dated 23 Mar, 2020, that states:

Beginning in April 2020, the Quarterly Report will automatically calculate the average quarterly sacrament meeting attendance based on what has been recorded in LCR. In weeks where no meetings are held, enter 0 in LCR (these weeks are not calculated in the quarterly average). The Quarterly Report requires that sacrament meeting attendance be recorded in LCR for at least four weeks during the quarter. If fewer than four meetings were held during the quarter, enter the average attendance from the 4th quarter of 2019 in at least four weeks of the 1st quarter of 2020.

[BrianEdwards]

This request may be part of the "return and report" principle, based off what's in GHB 18.9.1, which contains much instruction including "All who participate in preparing, blessing, and passing the sacrament must receive approval from him or someone under his direction." I can imagine a Bishop or Stake feeling that even though blanket approval might be given beforehand to their ward members, a Bishop's stewardship also includes the "return and report" aspect where he desires to know who actually did receive the sacrament based on his prior approval. Although not explicitly stated in the Handbook specific to the administration of the sacrament, the reporting back of assignments or approval to perform ordinances shouldn't be a new concept, and a leader may feel inspired that this is appropriate.