Tech Forum

I understand store.lds.org could be out of paper sacrament cups through the end of the year(!). My Bishop asked me to see if we can find some alternate source for paper cups, to avoid the distraction from plastic cups. Any suggestions/recommendations? Thanks.

What distraction are you trying to avoid? The plastic cups seem to be quite a bit cheaper.

mfmohlma wrote:What distraction are you trying to avoid?

Probably the sound of the plastic cup hitting the bottom of the tray. I think we have a folded paper towel to take care of that.

russellhltn wrote:

mfmohlma wrote:What distraction are you trying to avoid?

Probably the sound of the plastic cup hitting the bottom of the tray. I think we have a folded paper towel to take care of that.

Yes. Our ward does the same thing. I personally don't even think that's necessary, but to each his own.

mfmohlma wrote:I personally don't even think that's necessary, but to each his own.

When plastic cups first came out, we dutifully loaded them up in our metal trays the first Sunday. The bishop realized his first error and got a few smiles when he tried to crunch the plastic cup before putting it in the tray. Old habits.

But when the deacon left the last step from the stand and rounded toward the congregation, that plastic cup decided it did not want to be crunched.

The metal shot as the cup banged the inside of the tray was heard in the cultural hall. The serviceman on the first row thought he had been shot, and reverence vanished.

Today, we use plastic cups in plastic trays. Back then, we finally found that paper towels in the bottom of the metal trays were the best answer for noise reduction. And there were a few heated discussions in stake bishopric training meetings.

Thanks, everyone, for the plastic cups feedback. I appreciate it and will take it into consideration. Anyone have any insights on where to purchase paper cups? Thanks, again.

I've seen wards that use a rubber mat with a slit in it instead of paper towels. It is another thing that has to be washed, but it's more elegant than the paper towels.

How many ounces of water do the sacrament cups hold? I'm guessing 1/2 ounce?

I'm finding some 1/2 ounce paper cups on Google labeled as "paper souffle cups" – it seems like they're mainly for samples, or for small portions of medicine. I'm not sure how the size compares or how it would fit in a tray. Most of them don't look as deep as a sacrament cup.

Thanks, Samuel. I really appreciate your help.

UNEXPECTED RESOLUTION: I just saw paper cups are already available, again, via store.lds.org. So much for that possibly-unavailable-through-the-end-of-the-year timeline . . .

Also, as a gee whiz item, the Church definitely seems to get a good deal, as we get 250 cups for around $3.1 compared with above $5 on Amazon (for 1/2, 3/4, or 1 oz cups). Hurray for volume discounts!

It looks like the Church makes their own cups, at least the plastic ones:
https://www.facebook.com/LDS/videos/10154149055691550/