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nibbler wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:
I just gave this a good amount of thought and checked my calendar – I have not been to a ward activity this year.
I just checked my calendar. We haven’t had a ward activity this year.
We save it all for Halloween and Christmas.
We have had some, including the Memorial Day picnic and a Pinewood Derby (for adults). I don’t actually think we’re having a Halloween thing this year now that you mention it. We usually do a trunk-or-treat but I haven’t heard anything about it (and I wouldn’t go anyway). And we have our almost monthly linger longer.
That said, I think it’s kind of sad your ward has not had anything. I do think that for many people socialization is not only important but is the church for them.
I am an extrovert. I enjoyed 2nd hour socializing very much. I will miss the excuse of it. I have worked hard to see positives during lessons. I can’t blame the teachers, too much. How many ways can you slice someone’s talk and re-serve it as new and fresh? or spend the 30th year in a row making the Scriptures (any book) more insightful. I get many of the reasons why we moved to the block program, and now the reduced version, but we killed something vital.
Quote:I do think that for many people socialization is not only important but is the church for them.
Sadly, we criminalize these people with glib statements like, “social testimonies”. Like it’s a crime.
I flew home from vacation on Monday. I watched
Hidden Figureson the flight home. One scene is a post church picnic. I grew nostalgic for days when I was a girl and our ward had that. Or when friends left morning session with each other and sat through Sacrament together in the evening. Church wasn’t just a meeting then. It was a lifestyle. My kids are all grown. Most of our closest friends have moved or been moved by ward re-alignments, so the natural hang outs are gone. Once it’s split, it doesn’t work. Yes every once in a while, but the full thing. No. So now we punt. We travel to family. We find other things. It makes me sad.
Two hours isn’t going to change the boredom. The tedium will still exist. Our manuals won’t change. I could study at home and be happy forever. It’s becoming a tempting thought. If I didn’t love my calling I could make it work in a heart beat.
mom3 wrote:
I get many of the reasons why we moved to the block program, and now the reduced version, but we killed something vital.
I think “gospel purpose” crept in and took over. People forgot that community building and socializing
even without any other ulterior motive at allserves a gospel purpose. Just because we don’t hold the meeting specifically to invite people to meet some goal or other… I’m kind of off subject but:
The cliché about the half dozen to a dozen families that do everything in a ward. I remember when I was one of them. Church was often 7 hours on a Sunday. Who has the energy to plan and hold additional activities when church felt like another day of work? Maybe 1/3rd less of a block will translate to 1/3rd less ancillary meetings, 4 and 2/3rd hours on a Sunday for those people that were routinely doing 7.
- Stuff gets more and more expensive, wages stay the same. Pay tithing on gross and there’s little discretionary income. Money for events all but has to come out of member’s pockets. Members that have already tithed. The ward budgets are anemic.
- Thinking more global, people in general have changed. We don’t get our social interactions the same way we did 100 years ago. I might go to a dance in 1843… because what else is there to do? Now? We’ve got too many things competing for our time… including church.
- Stated earlier. I’ve known some leaders, local and otherwise, that felt the need to stamp out social aspects of the church. You don’t come to church to socialize, you come to church to save and be saved! But we missed that little detail where we save and are saved via our social interactions. But we still act as though our social interactions are one more thing we should be expected to sacrifice at the altar to show our devotion. Being social isn’t efficient in helping us meet our goals of… being a boring business?
nibbler wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:
I just gave this a good amount of thought and checked my calendar – I have not been to a ward activity this year.
I just checked my calendar. We haven’t had a ward activity this year.
We save it all for Halloween and Christmas.
I think we did something for Memorial Day and I took the girls.
I went to the 4th of July breakfast with my 2 girls.
We will probably do the Halloween thing with the branch – the girls and I.
Our attendance at the Christmas Party will largely depend on when they schedule it. Last year they did it mid-week, so I did not even try to take the girls.
nibbler wrote:
Stated earlier. I’ve known some leaders, local and otherwise, that felt the need to stamp out social aspects of the church. You don’t come to church to socialize, you come to church to save and be saved! But we missed that little detail where we save and are saved via our social interactions. But we still act as though our social interactions are one more thing we should be expected to sacrifice at the altar to show our devotion.
I remember as a YSA having a conversation with someone studying to become a Christian Pastor. They where shocked and more than a little dismayed that we LDS had “Singles Wards”. The idea that we would be so brazen in co-purposing a sacred worship service with a dating meat market stuck her as somewhat sacrilegious.
nibbler wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:
I just gave this a good amount of thought and checked my calendar – I have not been to a ward activity this year.
I just checked my calendar. We haven’t had a ward activity this year.
We save it all for Halloween and Christmas.
😯 Each ward should try to have at least one quarterly IMHO, and if not best to organize unofficial ones.Lots of religions have young adult programs that include worship services. Just saying. SamBee wrote:
nibbler wrote:
DarkJedi wrote:
I just gave this a good amount of thought and checked my calendar – I have not been to a ward activity this year.
I just checked my calendar. We haven’t had a ward activity this year.
We save it all for Halloween and Christmas.
😯 Each ward should try to have at least one quarterly IMHO, and if not best to organize unofficial ones.
My ward has activities. I just don’t usually go. I agree that for those who desire that sociality, which seems to be most, the activities should be there.
ETA: I also don’t think people who choose not to attend, for whatever reason or no reason at all, should be the subject of attempted shaming. I’m pretty good at deflecting that stuff, usually using humor, but I see it happen to others.
Old Timer wrote:
Lots of religions have young adult programs that include worship services. Just saying.
Some much better run than others. The RCs seem to do it well – the rest less so round here.
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