Now that I can be honest about callings without feeling all the guilt, I really didn't like any of my callings very much except when I was primary secretary. All of my other callings I just did it because I had to. There were so many times that I would debate about asking to be released from certain callings but I knew how terrible that is considered to be. There were callings that I even moved earlier than planning just to be done sooner. Having a baby almost always gets you released from some callings and you get out of sunday school and relief society more often. Just feeling really grateful that I never, ever have to accept any of those stupid callings again.

So, did any of you dislike your callings too or did you actually really enjoy them? Which callings did you like and which ones did you hate?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2012 05:32PM by notanymore.

Primary pianist, no stress.
Choir pianist
Enrichment leader, yay!

I liked playing piano for primary and relief society. I also didn't mind gospel doctrine teacher. I also liked cultural refinement.

I liked playing all the classics as I could always be somewhere else in my mind.

I ended up going to school not only to earn a degree but to avoid being called as a president in one of those organizations.

I liked SS teaching the 12-13 y.o. I had a lot of fun with them.
I did not like how we were treated by the bishopric or the SS presidency. "Oh we forgot to assing you a room? Oh, well just choose one that is free. Oh, there are none free? Well just get together in the hallway. Oh by the way, you have to take care of the chairs and leaving things in the right places..."

I liked being in charge of the 5 minutes of music in RS. People visiting us always commented that they enjoyed it so much because I never did what was mostly done during that time in most wards. But that came to an end about 4 years after when the bishop's wife who was in charge of Music in all the Ward said that the music was too 'profane' and I should just used the hymns and motab.

Oh and I loved being one of the counsellors in Primary, no because of being a counsellor but because I witnessed something that just was awsome. There was that beautiful small 5 yo that was very shy and did not want to participate when I would ask the kids to answer something or hold and image or share a story. Then after about 6 months, he volunteered to hold a picture. It was so amazing to see him become less shy. I remember being so happy to see the transformation and felt humble that he chose to do so on my watch. ;)
Of course, now I just hope that he somehow left the church as he grew up.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2012 05:42PM by quebec.

Being a ym leader was ok but it was also a pretty big time commient.

I enjoyed cubmaster a lot.

It was extra fun because my son was in scouts and my wife was a den leader.

I like membership clerk quite a bit. I always skipped gospel doctrine to do the data entry for the new members that moved in.

I liked nursery - I love little kids. No filters - so genuine.

I liked most aspects of Elder's Quorum President. It was fun to get to know everyone and since I was an atheist at the time I never pushed anyone to do anything spiritual - I just made social visits - never talked about anything spiritual and usually didn't even say a prayer unless someone else brought it up.

I mostly like teaching elder's quorum.

I hated ward clerk. I hated Elder's Quorum Secretary.

Everybody has different favorites. Some of those mentioned I absolutely hated. I taught the 16-18 year olds for a long time. I took the job because my husband was Sunday School President and he couldn't get anybody else to do it. It only took 1 week and I absolutely loved that job. Those kids were so smart.

Too bad they don't just let you volunteer for what you enjoy doing. Don't have to worry about it now though I guess. Although if it meant I could teach those kids again I might consider going back, I could subversively introduce all kinds of anti thoughts into their brains - mwahahahahaha

Yes and in a different format I have continued to act in the calling outside the Morg .. I was Stake employment councillor --I helped the unemployed and underemployed get work or continue their education ..

Very rewarding to see whol families improve and have the burden of debt lifted.

JB

Wow you may be the first employment councilor who has actually done something in the history of the LDS church.

If they called me again, I might even take it, as long as I didn't have to attend the other meetings. I am an improvisor, so I threw in a lot of notes that weren't on the page often to comic effect. Dang, I was fun! The teachers loved me too.

Since my exit, I started playing with bar bands, so my chops have really come up. I would be downright dangerous with a boogie-woogie version of "Do As I'm Doing" and a klezmer version of "Follow the Prophet" (the words would still give me the willies however) if I did it again.

I was also Primary Chorister - one of the precious chosen few male ones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2012 06:18PM by mrtranquility.

I loved the little bit 'community service' we got to do on my mission. My favorite thing was hanging out with adults who had MR/DD. (sorry if that isn't the correct way to say it now.)

They were so much fun! Visiting them was the best part of my week and the only thing brought me joy on my mission!

what is MR/DD?

The most honest calling possible! "Play these notes......."

never thought about it before, but you are right!
Being a pianist was very enjoyable for me.
I also loved being the choir director.

For me not only honest, but no stress and no preparing a lesson.

Primary teacher (especially junior primary)
Beehive advisor

That's about it...I hated the rest of them, especially presidency callings.

Loved playing the organ and piano.

I put a lot of effort into and think I did a good job.

But I'm not good enough to get a gig at any other church, so that's the end of that.

And yet, that little church up the way that I dropped in on, I think I at least used to be as good as their orgnaist is, mayby if I practiced and sucked up to him, he let me play a prelude once in a while.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2012 06:39PM by lulu.

Ward Librarian! I got to skip classes and be in control of who got the felt board. The ultimate calling for future apostates.

Weeks of planning & shopping, long days on my feet, heavy lifting, late nights, early mornings, and i loved every minute of it. We entertained the girls with songs and skits and laughed till we cried. Good times.

Too bad you weren't my camp counsellor, WCG!!! :)

Mine was abysmal and bo-ring!

and I'm not even good at sports. I was single, age 20, working a job I loved, and they called me as SD in the ward I lived in with my parents. My sister was one of the girls--and I knew all her friends. We had SO MUCH FUN. We did a lot more than just practice and go to games.

I was called into the YWs presidency after my marriage and I was so excited. They wouldn't let me do ANYTHING fun. Every time we did something fun, I got called on the carpet. I mean--we went to the Festival of the Trees and stopped on the way home to pick up my kids' portraits. All the girls in a group had a picture taken with Santa Claus. The next day at church I was called in to talk to the YW's president and the bishop had told her I had been out of line.

I liked playing piano. I've always enjoyed playing piano in any setting. Plus it always got me out of having to say prayers, which I always hated.

I also enjoyed being a primary teacher because the kids were a lot of fun to be with.

No.....only ever had one....home teacher (if that even qualifies)...I hated it...had more uncomfortable moments doing that than one should have to endure in a lifetime...I lasted 6 months before I said no more...

Ron Burr

Stake employment specialist- I could actually do something useful. Helped people fine and get employment, encouraged youth to move away and get an eduation or in the work pool. Very satisfying work. Had good succes with it. This waas year ago.

Twice I was a Stake Athletic Director.

The first time I was in my early 20's and a married student at BYU. I was in a regular Ward/Stake, not one of those student Wards. I had to constantly deal with a crazy Stake Prez. Once he told me that for Stake basketball games, players had to bring a change of shoes. When I asked him why, he said that because of the ridges on the bottom of basketball shoes, if they were worn into the building, they would collect tiny rock particles that would scuff the basketball floor when playing. Reluctantly I implemented his rule until one evening I was at the Stake Center for a meeting. There was some sort of Relief Society dinner and I noticed kids running around, high heels, chairs and tables being dragged all over the floor, etc. After that, I suspended the Stake Prez's rule. That pissed him off.

Then in the spring, at home plate on a softball field, the Stake Prez and I had a nose-to-nose argument. He screamed at me "DO YOU SUPPORT ME AS YOUR STAKE PRESIDENT!!" I said, "In the chapel I do, but here on the softball field I'm in charge. If you don't like it you can release me here and now. Otherwise I suggest you get your team in the dugout before I forfeit your game." Everyone watching thought we were going to come to blows. Instead he turned and walked to the dugout. I was never released...he knew I was running the best athletic program he had ever seen.

Twenty years later I was called again. This time when the High Counselor interviewed me, I turned the tables and interviewed him. I gave him a list of demands that I had to have met (including my own separate budget that I controlled) before I would accept the calling. He was stunned. I told him that in order to have a successful program my demands had to be met. If not, perhaps he needed to go back and seek better inspiration for a different person for the job. Two weeks later he called me back, gave me everything I needed, and we went on to have a fantastic program.

Ward organist...that got me a key to the building so I would go in at night, crank up the volume and play whatever the hell I wanted.

Back in the old days, and I don't know if this is still true, the Family History Center was in the basement of the Logan Tabernacle. There was no way it could be locked off from the rest of the tabernacle.

Soo, if the Family History Center was open, all day, evenings, weekends, I could walk right in and play the pipe organ to my heart's content.

I loved playing with the kids in the Nursery, until they left me in there for 7 years. By that time, I was pretty burned out.

I loved being librarian- i got a KEY which was great if you needed a quick rest stop or when our fridge died and we were able to bring the stuff to the church for a day or 3 until we got a new fridge.

As for the library, i told them that i would only be librarian if i could have it open between meetings, if the members could make their own photo copies if they wanted. I also let the members INTO the library to pick their own pictures, books, videos etc. I also managed to wangle a computer and started a data base system for the pic's etc. I asked to be released 5 or more years later when i was pregnant and very sick/ nauseus.

Nursery leader. Fun times with the little kiddies.

Counsellor in rs/ primary.

Callings i didn't like: RS pres, Primary Pres. Dealing with the kiddies was ok, telling the adults what they were supposed to do was kind of tough as i was only in my 20s for both those callings.

I found it interesting that my fav callings were the ones that were most dispised in my stake/ ward. I even had that opinion in my 20s. Then i smartened up, started using my brain and critical thinking skills and realized that maybe the least spiritual callings were the most fun.

No.

I felt unworthy the majority of the time because I had positions of so-called power and thought those callings required more perfect people and I was and am SO NOT a perfect person. There were definitely moments and times I thought that I was leading well or resolved issues with insight but I never felt the lard was guiding me. Those positions were always a sore spot for my husband as well, so god, oh god, I was so grateful to get rid of them.

Cleaning toilets.

I loved the music and conducting music in the meetings. As a musician, I was in my element. I also liked doing drama/theater in the church.

I liked being the Relief Society music leader in my singles' ward in California. It was easy and at the time, there was a practice hymn and each month, we'd pick one hymn to learn. I got a book about the history of the hymns and the first Sunday, we'd learn about the hymn and sing it through once. Then we'd work on a verse or two the next week and spend the last two weeks on singing parts. It was actually fun. I had other callings I liked but I've always been more of an introvert than I realized so looking back, a lot of the callings I had working with people, even kids, were just a source of dread, even though I didn't acknowledge it to myself.

Believe or not I really loved home teaching. I always had pretty laid back families that didn't pressure me into giving a lesson each month. And I was never a really big pusher of the 100% club so I was always chill. Made genuine connections and didn't leave them emotionally stranded when my HT route got changed. That was the only one I liked. All the others made me feel uncomfortible and unqualified and unprepared. When they give you a calling and tell you god wants you to do a certain job for him, you never feel that your doing good enough. And even if you think that you did great, your made to feel that you could of done better.

I truly loved missionary work... for a while. By the end, I was so sick of the other missionaries that I couldn't take it anymore. Other than that, not having another calling was one of my top reasons for being happy about leaving the church, although having callings had nothing to do with us leaving. My second to last calling was teaching a Sunday school class to a bunch of spoiled, bratty 13-year-olds. One of them decided that he hated us because we wouldn't let him use his phone in class and would spend his time trying to convince the other kids to rebel. We didn't put up with it and he began throwing tantrums, going to talk to the bishop and complain, but not telling the truth about what was going on.

Then he stopped coming to class and the rest of the kids started behaving, but the Sunday School president's son (who had been living with his mother in another town) came to our ward and started skipping with the first kid. Instead of taking responsibility for his child, the SS president told us it was our responsibility to make them attend their class. My wife tried to convince them to come to class (she still believed at this time), but they responded by verbally abusing her. The SS president still blamed us instead of taking responsibility for his brat and convinced the bishop to fire us. It was a bit of a relief and the bishop admitted that it wasn't our responsibility to make that kid go to class, but he dismissed us from our assignment anyway.

In the end, it was just another example of what happens when a group of people who are as inspired as a loaf of jalepeno bread go around under the strict conviction that they are inspired and treating others as though they must submit to the delusions that they interpret as inspiration.

The changes in the music were church-wide. Only Mormon-composed music and hymns were allowed.

I liked learning to play the beautiful German pipe organ in our stake center. I would open the chapel doors to let the light and the breeze come through, and I could see the ocean from there. I had to wear a skirt in the chapel, and I would just throw one on over my shorts or jeans. I loved the classical composers, and especially Bach on the organ. What a challenge! The acoustics in that building were amazing!

That was an experience that can never be duplicated in the Mormon church. We moved away from that lovely organ, and the church took the beautiful music away. They lowered the keys of the hymns, wrote new, boring hymns, and slowed the tempo, so they sounded like funeral dirges. The lyrics bothered me. I was a single working woman, now, and the demands on my time became too much for me--accompanying everyone, having too many rehearsals on Saturdays and evenings when I wanted that precious time with my children--such uninspiring music. I became very ill, and quit all my callings. I have not touched the organ or piano since.

Probably I liked the organ, because I could practice alone, unlike the accompanying stuff. I hated every one of my callings, and I think it was because I hated the atmosphere and the attitude of the people. I loved most of my paying jobs. The Mormons didn't feel like they had to be polite, didn't care about the needs of others, never took "no" for an answer. They seemed depressed and angry and competitive. And, it was all so fake, so unimportant, so busy-busy-busy without doing any real good in the world. Just something for bored people to do. The kids and I really hated church in the end.

I loved leading the music for sacrament. I stood right next to and sort of in back of the organ and the organist was my friend. So during the passing of the sacrament we would whisper and chat quietly, whilst hiding behind the organ. Every now and then her husband, on the bishopric, would turn around and give us the "shhhhh!" look...which made us giggle harder.

I was only called as a substitute teacher for RS, but it was fun. And I taught Gospel Essentials forever.

But being the Music Director and being on the activities committee was fun for me. (Our activities committee was a hoot.) I rarely spoke in SM because I tended to a) go too long and b) I only quoted non-Church sources...rarely even the bible! I used some of the most bizarre texts to teach from. But people LOVED it. 6 weeks later someone would stop me in Albertson's and say, "My Mom said your talk was phenomenal! I can't believe I missed it...did you make copies?" That just tells me how hungry they were for something NEW. Or at least not the same old crap week after week.