The fourth volume of Saints contains this quote in chapter 29:

In Panguipulli, the Saints had treated their meetinghouse like their home, keeping it clean and well maintained. But when Veronica stepped into the meetinghouse in Santiago, she was surprised to find that the floors and walls were scuffed with shoe marks and tire skids from children riding their bicycles through the halls.

This quote is specific to Chile and during a distinct time period, but is it unique? I don’t think so.

It reminds me of a comment I heard from a lady in my ward who remarked she was concerned about how some of the kids were behaving in the building. She was appalled because she wanted to emphasize to them, “This is a place of worship!”

But is it?

I don’t think so. Our meetinghouses are places of fun, especially for children and youth. So, how can we criticize them for treating them like a place of entertainment and recreation?

When kids and youth attend anything at church we generally ask them, “Did you have fun?” This is the perennial question for everything. We take snacks and toys to church to “keep the kids entertained.” All our church events and activities are typically social events where we socialize and have fun.

Did you have fun?

Did you have fun?

Did you have fun?

It’s the same question, over and over and over again.

This is also true for adults. Laughing and chatting before, during, and after any supposed worship service is pervasive and endemic.

Actual worship rarely enters the picture, despite the scriptural, counsel and Handbook guidance that everything we do should build faith and commitment in Jesus Christ.

Again, I’ll remind my readers what Elder Soares said:

The goal of every activity in the Church should be to help members build faith in the Savior. “We do not operate entertainment centers,”

Just a few weeks before I was called as a Ward Building Representative, I was adjusting the curtains in the chapel after having cleaned everything. I wanted to adjust them so they looked nice. I got a distinct impression. This is MY house and this is important work. It made it much easier to accept the call as a Ward Building Representative.

It IS the Lord’s house. It IS a place of worship, at least it SHOULD be. We need to treat it as such, as well as the activities conducted within it.