In talking to my wife this morning she talked about how last Sunday the Stake Primary Presidency was changed. She is a Primary President and loves children. It is noticed a lot.

It was noticed by a woman who is now a counselor in the Stake Primary Presidency who has mentioned to my wife that she doesn't want to be in primary.

I know of this woman more than know her. She is infamous as a leaders of the popular women in the ward clique. She is 30ish attractive and has a I believe becoming a doctor husband.

Her only redeeming quality to our family is she has an affinity for one of my daughters. Other than that, the things I hear about her are not flattering.

So there you have it. A woman who doesn't like working with children is going to be advising my wonderful wife on how to run an auxiliary for children which she has been running for years (so many that people often tell her it is time for her release and they have been telling her this for years.)

God, Jesus, and The Holy Ghost sure are in charge here in Joseph's Zion!

That reminds me of my young wife's "inspired" calling to the ward nursery. At the time, she was running a home daycare with several small children 6 days per week and was also caring for three of our own (two of which were in diapers). Needless to say, she was exasperated when her inspired leader did not want to take "no" for answer: "Let me get this straight, you are *turning down* a calling?"

Yes, you moron, yes. :-)

I love that LDS Inc. has lots of money for self administration and nothing in the way of pratical advice.

They save lots of ink just by putting "personal revelation" "discernment" and "The Spirit" and it covers all sorts of bad decisions like calling someone to be financial clerk who is an accountant. Really? Putting people in cookie cutters much?

You want inspired? They just asked me to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher!

I hope you accepted. Think of the fun you could have raising "some critics would say" issues, and then batting them away with vacuous explanations and appeals to superior spiritual discernment.

For 15 years my "inspired" callings always involved me playing the piano.

Don't ever let the Bishopric know you can play the piano, or their "inspiration" will be nonstop.

That reminds me of a friend who was a beautiful pianist/organist and was always called to be organist. When they moved from the ward we were in she said she was going to say nothing about it. They moved to a small ward that was using a tape player for music. The bishop was not inspired enough to figure it out I guess and they made her a Gospel Doctrine teacher, which she actually enjoyed.

When we were young marrieds the "inspiration" was so strong (i.e. neighbors saw us moving a piano into our new place) that I was called to be the primary pianist the first time we showed up at church - we never even made it past the lobby before I was hit up to do the job.

If you are really good at something, an inspired calling takes advantage of your talents for the benefit of everyone

If you are not so good at something, an inspired calling gives you the opportunity to develop and grow, for the benefit of everyone.


Either way, callings are inspired.

So Squeebee what book will you use for this doctrine "Finnegan's Wake?" Make as much sense os the BoM.

Rexburgtoaz - When I was 14, my mom (and I) asked them to have me called to be the church organist! The former organist was moving away. That is what led to my getting kicked out (at least in part, I thought). I didn't find out the entire truth until 2010. To make the story shorter, when I was 14-15, I played keyboards in a rock band. We did covers for The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Procol Harem, etc, bands with great keyboard stuff. So, it seemed like a good idea to be the church organist. And I love playing any kind of music, even Mo hymns. I even knew how to play Hie to Kolob, still do.
I got to be the church organist as my calling. Well, like many teenagers, my judgement was not great and I thought it would be fun to rehearse the rock bank using the church organ rather than my portable organ, just for fun. I had a key to the church because it was right before Christmas and I was supposed to play some special arrangements for the Christmas church service. The band and I were practicing our rock stuff in the chapel. Yes it stupid. remember I was just turning 15. It was loud and the lights were on and the bishop prick drove by and heard it and came in and I got in BIG TROUBLE. In fact I thought I was disfellowshipped because of it.
Since it was right before Christmas that this happened, it means that it was right after my 15th birthday. My birthday is a few weeks before Christmas. It also means that end of the year tithing settlement was coming up and I had an appointment with the bishop prick coming up.
Once he got the band out of the church, he read me the riot act etc., but said that I still had to play for the Christmas services since it was all planned. He implied that I would no longer be at TSCC, at least at that ward which is how I took it.
When I went into the appt with him, right after Christmas, I asked him some questions about JS. He came unglued and asked me HOW DARE I QUESTION THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH? I thought he was kidding and told him that for questions about JS I did not know who else to ask. He got even angrier about my questions. I was disfellowshipped. I still thought it was because of playing the rock songs on the organ.
In 2010 (when I wrote to be sure my name was not on the official rolls anymore), I was told that I was disfellowshipped when I was 15 for QUESTIONING THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH and FOR HAVING A RUDE ATTITUDE WHEN TOLD TO STOP ASKING THESE QUESTIONS!
Wow, I was glad that I called because then I for sure got my name removed from the rolls.
What did I ask? I asked why JS did not use the tools God gave him to translate the BoM. We had had a lesson in SS in November or so in which the teacher (who was a convert and didn't know that the seer stone was not supposed to be talked about) told our class that JS used a seer stone and hat to translate the BoM. I was upset because God went to the trouble to give JS a Urim and Breastplate Thummen (forgive the spelling). So, I thought it was stupid of JS not to use the tools God gave him. My parents always told me to use the tools (music talent) God gave me and I always have.
The bishop did not have an answer and got angry with me for asking. So, I got out. I've been thankful every since. My parents were FABULOUS about it. Members of my family had been in trouble with various church uppities for a long time because my family are all critical thinkers and hence, ask questions that TBMs don't care for. Anyway, sorry this was so long.

Your story really confirms that the Mormon church is a CULT. Only a cult would kick out a member for asking questions! Crazy!

I got kicked out of the chapel for playing Beethoven! The quiet second movement of the Pathetique Sonata. A few friends were gathered around, listening to me, after YM/YW. The bishopric jerk tried to close the cover onto my fingers! He gave me a huge lecture about reverence, bla-bla. All I said was, "That was BEETHOVEN! I said it in a tone like, "That was GOD!"

I didn't mind the piano and organ callings, until the Mormon church banned the great composers, and some of the other nice protestant organ preludes and postludes I had learned from professional organists. Only Mormon-written music was to be played.

Previously, I had enjoyed the music, because I would not have to teach lies and tell horror stories, or follow orders from the authoritarian leaders. I was treated with respect. The problem was, that in all my wards, people had to have two or three callings. So I agreed to be cub scout den mother, and could teach the kids about nature and take them on fun outings. I refused the other callings, including visiting teacher. When I quit my calling as organist, due to illness, the ward members were extremely rude. This led me to investigate a little deeper into the weird doctrines that would produce such a lack of Christ-like love in the members. The Mormons pushed me and my children too far. I think the callings to janitor work push the members too far, too.

When my son turned 12 I asked the bishop to call him to be the priesthood pianist. I then paid him 5 dollars for each new hymn he learned and played for priesthood (he became a very good pianist). About a year into the calling his uncle who was a bishop in another ward told him he would pay 20 dollars if he played Maple Leaf Rag for priesthood prelude. My son earned the 20 dollars on a Sunday the bishop was gone. The first counselor tried unsuccessfully to stop him. His deacon advisor got extremely upset and when they complained to the bishop they also told him about my son getting paid 5 dollars per new song to perform his calling. The bishop thought the prelude was humorous and said he wished he could have heard it. In relation to the 5 dollars per new song, the bishop told the entire priesthood about the arrangement with the comment that "some boys are paid to be good and others are good for nothing" . It was nice to have a good bishop.

Church organist was the only calling I ever had. Remember that I got kicked out when I was just barely 15. I only had the calling for a year because I began as organist when I just turned 14. The hymns I played were by various composers including Martin Luther and I could play Albinon, Bach, Beethoven etc. It was before only TBM music was allowed. I really loved the sound of the church organ. I had fun trying out the various stops and creating different sounds.

Thirteen years a ward/stake librarian and then twelve years a family history specialist. I call them the 'kepy him out of sight' callings. I am a history buff and have opened my mouth to often in priesthood and gospel doctrine. It's OK though, the last few years I have been taking a sabbatical from callings... especially the failed program of home teaching... 20% of families currently being visited...

I was called to be in charge of food prep and storage for the ward. The RSP said she felt inspired to call me, and I could go about the job any way that I felt was good.

Before I came along there had been a lot of guilt, push, shove, and almost zero help for some of the people who needed a little encouragement and direction. Worst of all, I was hearing that the women felt like they were constantly being bullied to join into a food storage competition. Most of them couldn't afford food storage the way it was being presented.

I decided I would tell everyone when the cannery dates were, and then whoever wanted to go and do that particular item could. I would pile it in my van and deliver it to their houses.

The other thing I told them i'd like to can dry stuff at the church once or twice a year. They voted on once. I thought that was great!

The RSP came unglued. She decided that we needed to have a huge cannery pow wow because her and hubby had decided Jesus was on his way and we'd better be prepared. We got the oil in the lamp lecture. She was the one who would said she'd shoot someone who asked her for food after Jesus showed up.

Anyway, without saying a word to me she ordered up 1000's of lbs. of dry food to dry can. That would also include all of the equipment, cans, dry packs,lids, etc. etc. She made a big deal out of it, and tried to guilt everyone to show up. This was between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Very bad timing. I was pissed, insulted. Decided to sit back and see how she was going to run the show. She made it mandatory for everyone to be there with a minimum order of $100.

Her and one of her counselors showed up. They were stuck with 1000's of pounds of food in bags. I don't know what they did with it. That was it. Zip, zilch, nada. She had bullied me right out of my calling. Good for her, because it was hers now. I never touched that calling again. We moved shortly after that. Whew! one more crazy ward left in the dust.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2013 04:47AM by madalice.

I was called as a nursery leader in the height of post partum depression. I hated nursery but was so TBM and figured that God wanted me there so I could learn and grow. It was torture. I didn't learn & grow.

The only "inspired" calling I ever got was to be called as the HT for the bish and his family and the second counselor in the SP and his family. Cool. I taught them a lesson from the Song of Solomon. I also taught them other lessons, carefully denoting what was NOT TSCC doctrine! And from another Bible version, no less. When the bish brought up Talmage's "Jesus the Christ", I told him Talmage was wrong and reading a few pages of it almost kept me from being baptized. I think they assigned me because they figured I could do no harm. Besides, I hadn't home taught anyone for years, reporting rarely. How could I teach the Ensign lessons?

Madalice
one word for that witch-
Psycho-b1tch-from-hell

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Before getting married, my fiance was attending a very needy branch. I was informed a couple of months in advance that the future married me already had a calling lined up as a primary counselor.

Now that was inspiration (read as convenient timing for the branch)!


Other inspired callings included being called to work in the nursery within days of discovering I was expecting each of my last two babies. The first time I was called, my first child had just started nursery. I had been looking forward (call me crazy) to attending RS and Sunday School for the first time without baby interruptions. I felt starved for some kind of spiritual nourishment. When the bishopric member "extended my calling," I broke down crying. In spite of the tears and feeling of defeat, I said yes. Then within days I found out I was expecting #2. It helped explain my emotional state during the interview, but didn't stop me from fulfilling the calling for the entire pregnancy.

In a different ward -- Within a couple of weeks of finding out I was expecting #3, I was called to work in the nursery again. I couldn't believe the irony. That Heavenly Father sure had some sense of humor asking me to be unexpectedly pregnant and to work in the nursery again!! But I went along with it. Shame on me for not saying no.

Wild horses would not get me to set foot in that god-awful nursery.

The last thing anyone needs to ruin their Sunday is to be around screaming, snotty kids.

My standard reply was always "Call your own wife to that position".
That shut them up.

Chloe Wrote:
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> Wild horses would not get me to set foot in that
> god-awful nursery.

LOL They called me to the Nursery and left me there for 7 years. But I was happy about that, because it meant that I didn't have to go to Sunday School or Relief Society. I just got to play with the little ones.

While the other ladies in the Nursery read to them and had them singing songs, I sat on the floor and played with the tiniest ones, or cuddled them when they cried. I loved it.

As soon a some militant person took charge of the Nursery and made even the tiniest ones sit in that stupid circle, even if they were crying, I said I wanted out.

They seemed shocked that I had been in there for so long. They'd completely forgotten about me. I think I was rather burned out by that point anyway.

That's great, enoughenoch19. You're a young critical thinker and you didn't let them intimidate you. Congrats on getting out so young. They did you a favour.

These Stake Aux Presidencies never made any sense to me... Like, what is the actual job? I get that there might be the occasional stake wide meeting ordeal of RS, or YMYW, but what about Sunday School? I told DH I'm going to oppose the Stake Sunday School next chance I get on the grounds that the Stake Sunday School does not exist. There's no meetings, no cross-ward coordination to be done, and no duties that don't already belong to someone else.

MChee Wrote:
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> There's no meetings, no cross-ward coordination to
> be done, and no duties that don't already belong
> to someone else.

I'm the OP (formerly Elder Berry) and my wife told me that she asked the old Primary Presidency to share something in her Primary when they came next for one of their "visits." Apparently, they visit occassionaly as part of their job. These women turned her down. She now has as little to do with them as possible.

Can't even talk to the kids??? WTF????