I have a calling with the young men in my ward.
As a little background, I live in one of the "expanding" areas of Utah in a subdivision that's about five years old, and isn't completely built out yet. That means the following things:
a. There is constant change. Aside from the steady stream of new move-ins - member and non-member - the ward recently split, and new homes and streets are being completed all the time. There's also a fair amount of move-outs. It's a real struggle to get to know people in the ward since nobody has been settled in very long.
b. The ward is extremely young. The bishop is in his mid-30s and one of his counselors is about a decade younger. The primary is massive. There are about half a dozen boys in the deacons quorum on an average week. There are roughly 2-3 active teachers, and virtually no active priests.
c. There is a slightly higher percentage of non-members in the neighborhood than is typical for the region as a whole.
Now, I have two real issues with how the bishop has directed the Aaronic priesthood to collect fast offerings.
First of all, because there are only six or seven boys that are available on a given fast Sunday, the boys are asked to bring their dads along and go out knocking with them. Aside from taking a parent out of the home for an extra hour once a month, that's not such a big deal to me. But, inevitably, one or more of the boys doesn't have an available Dad. In that case, they're paired up with a young mens leader. That means a leader and a boy on their own, often in a car. No, it's not the end of the world, but it does seem like a clear violation of church policy, and very unprudent in this day and age.
Second of all, the bishop has instructed the clerk to make a donation envelope for every lot in the subdivision, and for the YM to go to every single house in ward boundaries, whether they are members of record or not. The YM president said we're doing this because there might be members we "don't know about" yet or mistakes in records. I suppose that's possible, but really what has ended up happening is we're knocking on a lot of doors of non-members and asking them to donate to our church. As if all the other issues a non-member has to deal with in Mormon Central, USA weren't enough, they now have church representatives on their front doors once a month asking for money.
Am I the only one who thinks that's a little inappropriate, and could do more harm than good?
As a little background, I live in one of the "expanding" areas of Utah in a subdivision that's about five years old, and isn't completely built out yet. That means the following things:
a. There is constant change. Aside from the steady stream of new move-ins - member and non-member - the ward recently split, and new homes and streets are being completed all the time. There's also a fair amount of move-outs. It's a real struggle to get to know people in the ward since nobody has been settled in very long.
b. The ward is extremely young. The bishop is in his mid-30s and one of his counselors is about a decade younger. The primary is massive. There are about half a dozen boys in the deacons quorum on an average week. There are roughly 2-3 active teachers, and virtually no active priests.
c. There is a slightly higher percentage of non-members in the neighborhood than is typical for the region as a whole.
Now, I have two real issues with how the bishop has directed the Aaronic priesthood to collect fast offerings.
First of all, because there are only six or seven boys that are available on a given fast Sunday, the boys are asked to bring their dads along and go out knocking with them. Aside from taking a parent out of the home for an extra hour once a month, that's not such a big deal to me. But, inevitably, one or more of the boys doesn't have an available Dad. In that case, they're paired up with a young mens leader. That means a leader and a boy on their own, often in a car. No, it's not the end of the world, but it does seem like a clear violation of church policy, and very unprudent in this day and age.
Second of all, the bishop has instructed the clerk to make a donation envelope for every lot in the subdivision, and for the YM to go to every single house in ward boundaries, whether they are members of record or not. The YM president said we're doing this because there might be members we "don't know about" yet or mistakes in records. I suppose that's possible, but really what has ended up happening is we're knocking on a lot of doors of non-members and asking them to donate to our church. As if all the other issues a non-member has to deal with in Mormon Central, USA weren't enough, they now have church representatives on their front doors once a month asking for money.
Am I the only one who thinks that's a little inappropriate, and could do more harm than good?
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