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My family and I just moved. We are in the Frederick, MD area now. I really enjoyed my first Sunday at Church. The Bishop talked in Sacrament meeting. He was talking about various things, but one was keeping our faith strong. I was encouraged when I heard him talk very kindly about people who struggle. He mentioned that we all struggle and none of us are perfect, and he threw in there himself and “even President Monson isn’t perfect.” He encouraged the ward to love people who have wandered away for whatever reason (lack of faith, transgression, etc.). “That could be us just as easily some day,” he said. There was a good discussion in Gospel Doctrine class. The teacher facilitated other people sharing their opinions and questions nicely. It’s the 5th Sunday, so everyone was combined after that. Members of the Bishopric conducted the meeting, which was focused on families. Apparently the Stake is doing a “family week” next week, and it is their focus right now overall. They handed out a two-page paper full of quotes about family life from Church authorities from recent conference talks. I noticed immediately that they quoted an
EQUAL NUMBERof current women Church leaders as they did the usual priesthood General Authorities — seven quotes each. They also emphasized many times that families are not just the traditional nuclear type. They talked about singles and all kinds of family situations as “families.” In particular, they talked about how single members have the same spiritual needs, and don’t just need the Church to be a dating service. It seems like a nice ward. Everyone was pretty friendly.
Sounds like a groovy ward! Sounds like a great ward! I love hearing about good Mormons! Our 5th Sunday discussion was about the nature of Sac Mtg (worship) and valuing single members in the ward (with a Bishopric Counselor whose mother was divorced when he was 8 leading the discussion). It was a great meeting. The talks were on reverence for Christ and the power of the sacrament.
Your ward sounds great. I’m in my late 20s and single and fitting into the LDS church can be difficult. Singles wards feel artificial and lack diversity in experience. Family wards in my area don’t know how to treat someone who is single because they usually go to the singles ward. The combined meeting in my singles ward today was on temples and was done by a member of our temple presidency. It ended up being more like a promotional talk trying to convince us to become ordinance workers in the temple. At the end someone asked if it was true that single men over thirty cannot serve as ordinance workers in the temple. The temple president confirmed that it was true and you could feel everyone in the room getting a little pissed off by this completely arbitrary line in the sand the church has drawn that once again makes single people feel like they don’t have a place. I thought it was really funny watching the temple president realize just how hostile the room just got and try to assuage it. His wife thought it might calm the crowd by mentioning other groups that are excluded from being ordinance workers like members of bishoprics and stake presidencies. Unfortunately, she also mentioned that mothers of minor children are excluded as well. That didn’t go over well either. I was amused by the awkwardness.
Brian, I love that area of Maryland! I grew up in the East (NJ). I find that open-minded mentality to be more prevalent back east. I realize I haven’t lived everywhere, but I think there are some areas where more people come from backgrounds of converting to mormonism or just knowing how to be more tolerant since members are spread out so much more back east.
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