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Mormons rejoice at news of shorter Sunday services, but the move will pose challenges to some, especially single members

“Hallelujah!” exulted Ross Trewhella, a Mormon bishop in England, at news that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was reducing its Sunday three-hour block of meetings to two hours.

Though widely rumored to be coming, Saturday’s announcement at the beginning of the church’s 188th Semiannual General Conference of the shortened block took many in the 16 million-member faith by surprise.

After all, it was the first major change to Latter-day Saints’ Sunday worship schedule since the three-hour block’s churchwide introduction in 1980.

Beginning in January 2019, a 60-minute sacrament service will be followed by a 50-minute class period after a 10-minute transition period.