and guess what the "compassionate service" mostly is? Visiting inactive members! I agreed cause I thought I would actually do good and help people...guess not. Oh yeah, and part of it is being a fake friend

Just pass out ces letter cards to them.

But seriously, that is the most useless calling ever.

yeah I accepted cause I am in a singles ward and figured there wouldn't be much to do.

I'd suggest changing your handle from "AlreadyGone" to "StillThere"

Haha, that made me snort.

LOL I am mentally gone from the church - but my screen name is mostly cause I couldn't think of anything else.

well that there's your problem.

Wow, you accepted the calling? You have more guts that I ever had. There's no way in hell I would ever do anything like that!

But then again, everyone is on a different path on their journey. Good luck!

I was compassionate service leader for I think about 2 years. And my main thing was to organize meals and baby sitting. Go grocery shopping with older sister who didn't have a car. It was very time consuming and I felt used a lot. When I couldn't find someone to make a meal I would end up making it myself and bringing it over. I made about 1-2 meals per week it really increasing our grocery budget and upset my husband. I also brought the older sister to their MD appointments as they didn't have any rides. It was hard for me calling other people and asking fro help and I saw a very mean side of the members. Some would straight tell me on the phone "well your husband makes good money you should cook and bring the meal yourself". When someone popular has a baby people will call and line up to watch the older kids when someone un popular has a kid nobody wants to help and I was stuck baby sitting. Anyway have I told yo how happy I am to be an ex mo?

Apparently the bishop knows of your spiritual state, and has employed the oldest trick in the book. This calling is designed to bring you back into full fellowship and conformity by a) sending you on an errand that could instill feelings of guilt and hypocrisy and b) you are supposed to feel the spirit as you go about the Lord's errand.

Agreed :(

As a former bishop I can concur. You are being managed from a list in ward council meeting. Most likely one focused on getting you back to the temple. Many inactive and less active fall into this listing.

I remember my last HT "calling". I was inactive, only agreed to partner up as a token of I don't know exactly what and our 4 families were VERY inactive. Biggest waste of my time ever. I quit after a couple months.

RB

I blame that calling for my phone phobia.

Continuously calling people to ask them to do things they didn't want to do has made it nearly impossible for me to make phone calls now.

When I do need to make them now, I schedule them all for the same day and give myself a treat afterward.

I'm just curious..... if you are here on RFM it must indicate

that you no longer believe? Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just

wondering why you would accept a calling?

For me, release cannot come soon enough!

All right, Moose - that's kind of personal, isn't it! ;-)

;^)

I accepted for the reason that I thought I would be doing some service - there wouldn't be a lot because we are generally young and healthy in our single's ward -- that is one calling that I would be okay with because at least I am doing some good. However, there aren't many callings that I actually would accept - especially NOT teaching callings.

In that case, all the best. I hope you find a way to make the best of the calling and really help people who are going through a difficult time. I would just hope that if you're going to be visiting a lot of inactive members that it's at their request.

Already Gone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I accepted for the reason that I thought I would
> be doing some service - there wouldn't be a lot
> because we are generally young and healthy in our
> single's ward -- that is one calling that I would
> be okay with because at least I am doing some
> good. However, there aren't many callings that I
> actually would accept - especially NOT teaching
> callings.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't this a "teaching" calling? I mean, you're not going to "learn" anything [from it] are you?

I always say 'call yourself'; that way when/ IF the Mormons (want to) call you for something say "I'm already called - I am chosen", and I choose to do what is right...

Anyway, you get my drift - compassionate service is telling the bishop where he can put it (your definition of compassion in service) and that you reach out to everybody - not take an assignment from his short list of what he or the church thinks is important in the world. He is bugging you and making you bug them (or assist), meanwhile, your bug you are their bug to cob-king.

Callings can be a form of slavery to some - making them do what they don't particularly care to do and offering nothing in (the form of payment) return; forcing a task on them and expecting them to hop to it; having them doing work for the corporation, without telling them it is for the corporation, and instead, saying it is for the GoOD of the people, even yourself.

There are so many ways you can do REAL service for others. I don't think supporting an evil cult is a service to anyone.

I wish I had time to list them all, and I don't know where you live, but there are tons of other places to volunteer. If you're single, you can volunteer and meet decent people to date. If you're still stuck in the cult, the only men you will meet will be sick cult members, who mostly disrespect women, who believe in polygamy in the hereafter, and who think what Joseph Smith did to women is OK.

My friend was compassionate service leader when she resigned from the cult. She was changing someone's bedpan, cooking meals, driving people around, and she had her own family to take care of. She said maybe God wanted her to be "more humble." When they asked her family to clean the church's bathrooms, that was the last straw, and she resigned with her children and her husband.

If you aren't into bedpans and cleaning bathrooms, you could get outside and volunteer with the Park Service, at the local schools, help with community fund-raisers, help with a candidates political campaign, etc. These groups are very social, and you would be likely to meet men. Some of the best men are fathers, so go to McDonald's on Saturday mornings, where single fathers hang out with their kids. I was a volunteer assistant coach for a kids' soccer team, when I met my boyfriend, at age 40.

I'm just sayin', the Mormon singles are a waste of time. I used to be regional co-chairman, and after two years, I quit that calling, telling the regional rep, "This is not God's work."

Relief Society Compassionate Service really sounds like a fancy name for a hand job.

Is there a story that goes along with this?

I also was compassionate service leader. My committee consisted of me and another woman. I planned and helped with a lot of funeral dinners close to 100 during the time I was compassionate service leader followed by being in the RS presidency. That was about a five year stretch. One month we had four funerals within three weeks. That was pretty much all I did, plan funeral dinners.

Perhaps a friendly, like minded, understanding person may bring a little hope into the lives of people who no longer believe and are looking for a friend.

I would just tell your committee chair, "This isn't what I signed up for." Refuse to do home visits for inactives. Tell her to call you if someone is sick or stranded and needs help. Or organize events that the singles in your ward can get involved in, i.e. a Habitat for Humanity build or walking dogs at the animal shelter.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2014 08:13AM by summer.

summer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would just tell your committee chair, "This
> isn't what I signed up for." Refuse to do home
> visits for inactives. Tell her to call you if
> someone is sick or stranded and needs help. Or
> organize events that the singles in your ward can
> get involved in, i.e. a Habitat for Humanity build
> or walking dogs at the animal shelter.


#that#

and/ or what Bert said (do it and TTT)

Or???

Take the job. Work it to your advantage. Go home teaching and then tell the truth. What's the worst that could happen. They excomunicTe you? Do you have any financial dealings with Ward members? If you do and you get exec you might get screwed. Other than that what else would prevent you from telling the truth? Job?

Seriously. Go home teaching. Tell the truth. Belp others understand that they too can get their heads out of the sand.

The fake friends drives me nuts!

That and visiting people who said NO, but they still think they have the right to do it.

So agree that there are countless people out there who could use your help, energy and enthusiasm. The Big Brother and Big Sister program offers a way to make a real difference in a child's life where friendship and mentoring can be offered.

If you have a talent you like to share, nursing home residents will have a much brighter day from hearing piano solos, singing, or a magical flute.

The sky is the limit in ways you can bring a smile to young and old.