The founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, originally called the Church of Christ, took place in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. in Fayette, New York. Those in attendance were a small group of folks who believed in the revelations received by Joseph Smith. This included Joseph's parents, Lucy and Joseph Sr., three of the Whitmer brothers, and several others, amounting to about 40 to 50 people in total. After the opening prayer, Joseph Smith explained the manner in which the Church was to be established according to legal statutes. Following New York law, those present participated in a vote to organize the Church and sustain Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as its first elders. After their dual ordination, the first thing that Joseph and Oliver did was administer the sacrament (communion), blessed and passed by Joseph and Oliver themselves. It was a simple and humble service, with bread and wine passed among those in attendance. Joseph and Oliver then began to confer the Holy Ghost on those who had previously been baptized.1 Later, some who had chosen to wait for the church's formal founding, including Joseph Smith, Sr., were baptized.2
