Best part of being of bishop

[Art Vandelay]

Bishops, or former bishs, will tell you the best part of the calling is some spiritual mumbo jumbo--working with the youth, saving a marriage, helping a boy prepare for a mission, seeing someone come back into the fold, yadda, yadda, yadda... They're all lying. The best part is the one or two times a month someone drops off fresh baked goodies. Sure you can get the same service by having a baby, ear cancer, or dismemberment but the Saints eventually move on to the next newborn or amputee. Modern day Levites get 4-6 years of baked bread, chocolate chip cookies and fresh egg rolls (the Philippine kind. Much better than Chinese). Tonight it was brownies and sugar cookies.

For the record. There is nothing even remotely humble about this post

[Eddie]

While I like me some fresh baked goodies, I'm going to have to say that I don't think they are worth it.


Hopefully the baked goods in conjunction with the other mumbo jumbo somehow evens up the time/energy/emotion invested.



As an aside - does this mean that the Bishopric Counselor calling is the worst ever? They have nearly as many meetings, but the Bishop gets all the baked goods! How is that fair?

[DrumNFeather]

As an aside - does this mean that the Bishopric Counselor calling is the worst ever? They have nearly as many meetings, but the Bishop gets all the baked goods! How is that fair?

True. However, they rarely get any of the blame...

[Jacob]

Hmm. That's nice. I've never once considered giving baked goods to a bishop. Just for being the bishop?

[Art Vandelay]

I'm not advocating anyone lobby for office...or perhaps if they are dumb enough to, they should get the calling. I'm just saying if you have to do it, the goodies are a fringe benefit.

Eddie is right counselors have to do all the work and rarely get much credit or fringe benefits. Bright side they rarely get yelled at though.

[Uncle Ted]

For one of the career nights with the YM we visited the local fire station and talked with a few of the firemen on duty. They also said that one of the best things about their job was all the bake goods people drop off. In their kitchen we saw was an huge assortment of cakes, pies, cookies, etc. which they kindly shared with us. How does the salary and benefits of this bishop job compare?

[thesaint258]

I could have sworn the answer was "Being released...finally."

[Soccermom]

I'm not advocating anyone lobby for office...or perhaps if they are dumb enough to, they should get the calling. I'm just saying if you have to do it, the goodies are a fringe benefit.

Eddie is right counselors have to do all the work and rarely get much credit or fringe benefits. Bright side they rarely get yelled at though.

I think I'll tell Aristides that he can get all the baked goods he wants from me if he just keeps upholding a slacker reputation at church. I NEVER want to be a bishop's wife or a counselor's wife. I'm too selfish of our family time. But I can start doing nice things for the bishop and his counselors. As long as it isn't my spouse's time being taken away from me and the family, I can show thanks and support to those who will.

Honestly, AV, I don't know how people endure bishop/bishopric callings. I think I'm too much of a control freak. I like things to be on my terms and my time frame. I am not church leader's wife material. Lucky for me that Aristides doesn't seem to care.

[byu71]

You don't need to be a Bishop to have that. I have women dropping off goodies all the time.

[kccougar]

I hope the folks in your ward are better bakers than the ones in my ward. I think our collective mormon homemaker skills have really dropped off in the last 20 years. I don't even sample most of the baked goods that get dropped off from neighbors and ward members around holidays and other times. I'm almost always sorry.

[RC Vikings]

Bishops, or former bishs, will tell you the best part of the calling is some spiritual mumbo jumbo--working with the youth, saving a marriage, helping a boy prepare for a mission, seeing someone come back into the fold, yadda, yadda, yadda... They're all lying. The best part is the one or two times a month someone drops off fresh baked goodies. Sure you can get the same service by having a baby, ear cancer, or dismemberment but the Saints eventually move on to the next newborn or amputee. Modern day Levites get 4-6 years of baked bread, chocolate chip cookies and fresh egg rolls (the Philippine kind. Much better than Chinese). Tonight it was brownies and sugar cookies.

For the record. There is nothing even remotely humble about this post

So lets say Sister Browniegiver is having an affair. Would the previous gift have any bearing on how you would treat the affair should she come in and try to work through the problem. I just don't want your judgment to be influenced by some tasty sugary treat. I have buyers that can't take any gifts from us because of the fear of undue influence and I just wonder if the church should adopt the same policy.

[Art Vandelay]

I hope the folks in your ward are better bakers than the ones in my ward. I think our collective mormon homemaker skills have really dropped off in the last 20 years. I don't even sample most of the baked goods that get dropped off from neighbors and ward members around holidays and other times. I'm almost always sorry.

I don't know if I'm lucky or just not picky about my treats, but I like all of them unless they have coconut in or on them.

So lets say Sister Browniegiver is having an affair. Would the previous gift have any bearing on how you would treat the affair should she come in and try to work through the problem. I just don't want your judgment to be influenced by some tasty sugary treat. I have buyers that can't take any gifts from us because of the fear of undue influence and I just wonder if the church should adopt the same policy.

Absolutely. A chocolate cake is worth at least 100 Hail Marys. Bribing the bishop with food substantially shortens the penitence phase.

I think I'll tell Aristides that he can get all the baked goods he wants from me if he just keeps upholding a slacker reputation at church. I NEVER want to be a bishop's wife or a counselor's wife. I'm too selfish of our family time. But I can start doing nice things for the bishop and his counselors. As long as it isn't my spouse's time being taken away from me and the family, I can show thanks and support to those who will.

Honestly, AV, I don't know how people endure bishop/bishopric callings. I think I'm too much of a control freak. I like things to be on my terms and my time frame. I am not church leader's wife material. Lucky for me that Aristides doesn't seem to care.

This was by far the biggest adjustment to our life was how much I'm gone. My wife and family were already use to me being gone for mutual ever Wednesday since I was in the YM for so long before i was called. However, the full day Sundays and the 4 or 5 other nights during the month were, and sometimes still are, hard on my wife.

Obviously, each bishop does things different, but what works best for me and my house is to do as much as I can on Sunday and try and be home most evenings other than mutual night. Unless it is an emergency my Exec Sec schedules all interviews on Sunday and I do all my home visits then too. Mrs. V and the kids know they wont' see me much on that day, but I'm fortunate enough to have a job that allows me to have Fridays off so that helps soften the blow.

In all honesty I'm worried my wife will be the YW or RS pres when I'm released. That will be much harder on me and probably the kids. They do much better with me being gone than with her.

[creekster]

True. However, they rarely get any of the blame...

IN our ward they do. Our bishop sort of uses them as the heavies. When bad stuff needs to go out, the counselors get the job. I am not sure they are that well-liked as a result.

[KillerDog]

Bishops, or former bishs, will tell you the best part of the calling is some spiritual mumbo jumbo--working with the youth, saving a marriage, helping a boy prepare for a mission, seeing someone come back into the fold, yadda, yadda, yadda... They're all lying. The best part is the one or two times a month someone drops off fresh baked goodies. Sure you can get the same service by having a baby, ear cancer, or dismemberment but the Saints eventually move on to the next newborn or amputee. Modern day Levites get 4-6 years of baked bread, chocolate chip cookies and fresh egg rolls (the Philippine kind. Much better than Chinese). Tonight it was brownies and sugar cookies.

For the record. There is nothing even remotely humble about this post

A sister in one of my former wards was one of the owners of a family run chocolate shop. She would bring by goodies every month for the brethren who did tithing intake and entry.

[RobinFinderson]

I used to wonder why all of my bishops were... how do I say this... a bit rotund. Even the ones that started their service skinny ones would wrap things up a bit on the heavy side. Now I understand why.