Posted by:
themaster
(
)
Date: August 27, 2013 12:42AM
Between wives I attended a Singles Ward in Mesa, Arizona. The bishop of the ward allowed almost any single person under 40 and some up to 50 to attend his ward. The chapel was always filled and they even had a primary for all the children that came.
One Sunday the bishop announced that it was important for everyone that was a parent to stay after for a very important meeting with the new SP. In the meeting the new SP said he had been inspired that EVERYONE with children were to start attending their assigned family ward and not the singles ward. The single ward was going to follow church policy and be for 18 to 30 year old's that had NEVER married and had NO children.
I was really surprised at the number of women that started crying and asking if they could continue to attend the singles ward. They said they were not welcomed in RS in the family wards and their children were mistreated by the married women in primary. Several of the women said they had no where else to go to worship. The SP left the meeting and the bishop was all alone to deal with the fallout. I was such a TBM at the time that I actually supported the SP until I witness the GREAT hurt and pain this man had caused so many people with his uninspired non christ like logic. I so much wanted someone to tell them they could attend.
There were other problems because of this policy. The primary had been staffed by older never married that had no kids females. For many of them, this was their only church calling and the only opportunity to associate with children. These women looked forward to being with the kids each Sunday and now they were not with them and had no opportunity to serve. The Elders Quorum dropped from 3 groups to almost 1. The chapel went from standing room only to almost half filled.
I know for a fact that many of the women and their children never attended their "family wards".
Looking backwards I believe those women and their children were lucky to have been forced out of TSCC but back then, it just seemed so cruel and not what Jesus would have done. TSCC has a long history of hurting the weak especially single women with children unless your a widow and TSM can HT you (alone).
Is there anything TSCC does that is Christ Like?