A foil-covered paper plate of home-made cookies was left on my porch (I didn't answer the knock) with a drawing of Jesus and an invitation to a new Scripture Study Group to be held at a Ward member's home.

Though I don't still atend, I wanted to be polite so I sent an email to the Ward member, thanking for the cookies.

I got a response saying--I don't know anything about the cookies, maybe the Missionaries did that.

So my puzzlement is--before you go around handing out invitations to a private home, wouldn't you ask-- is it okay to distribute invitations to your house?

And I saw that all the time--there would be some things announced in service, and some things were posted on the board, and other things were never mentioned at all (the Christmas Fireside was never announced or put in the program, for instance). Some things are on one FB page, some in another FB page.

I always wondered if it was just disorganization or deliberate--never tell anyone what you're doing!

>>an invitation to a new Scripture Study Group to be held at a Ward member's home

My understanding is that this kind of activity is discouraged because it is not subject to the tight control of the church. My best guess is that if the bishop gets wind of it, it will be squashed quickly.

summer Wrote:
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> My best guess is that if the bishop gets wind of it, it will be squashed quickly.

Aha! THAT may explain it! I just couldn't understand why nobody seems to know what others are doing...

I wouldn't trust any plate of cookies left on my doorstep. They would go straight to the dump.

And I became the service project for the priest quorum for some reason. The adviser thought that I wasn't very happy for some reason. Probably related to my father retiring and playing catch up for tithing. I think I received a suit and blazers that xmas. Yes, all my gifts were church and mission related.

All the junk left by church members went straight into the garbage can. They left over ripe tangerines, mysterious fudge and burnt cookies.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2019 10:33AM by messygoop.

messygoop Wrote:
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> I wouldn't trust any plate of cookies left on my doorstep..straight to the dump

Ha! Better safe than sorry, eh?

> And I became the service project for the priest quorum

Do you mean that maybe I have become a 'project' for them to lure to these meetings?

It does seem like they are psychic-- all of a sudden people call or come by who you've never heard from before when you stop coming. Missionaries NEVER came to my house before--now they come?

Yes, mel. I think that you have become the project as a member that "needs strengthening" as deemed by the ward leaders.

When I became the target project, I was actively attending and even serving as the 2nd assistant in the priest quorum. I hated being the focus of the group. I wasn't missing church, but I was not attending their Wednesday nights' basketball games. That made me a black sheep in their group.

Their love bombing failed because I had little interest in playing bb. I was taking a break between playing HS football and beginning with HS track and field. The church really doesn't want young people to participate in non church events.

It’s a core belief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that baked goods can overcome doctrinal and historical problems.

Nailed it ! *LOL*

CrispingPin Wrote:
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> It’s a core belief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that baked goods can overcome doctrinal and historical problems.

And some poor sap of a wife spent her own time and money cooking---were the cookies provided and paid for in exchange for tithing at least that would be fair. Just one more burden laid on the women, I just see more victimization...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2019 11:11AM by mel.

She could be like me, I love to bake, I don't love having the results in my house. I don't need 6 dozen cookies for me and me alone. Whenever I bake the results come to work. Then I get to bake, but I don't have to consume the results.

mel Wrote:
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> I always wondered if it was just disorganization
> or deliberate--never tell anyone what you're
> doing!

I often wondered the same thing.
Mormons do like to imagine themselves as members of an exclusive group. They "know" things the rest of the world is in the dark about. The example I always found interesting was when the Ward meeting times changed at the first of the year. You better be a regular attender or you won't know when to go to Sunday meetings.
Sometimes I think it's a case of deliberate disorganization!

Shinehah Wrote:

> Mormons do like to imagine themselves as members of an exclusive group. They "know" things

When I first joined I checked the ward FB and it had not been updated for two years.

> You better be a regular attender or you won't know when to go
> to Sunday meetings.

Yes, I wondered about that too! Maybe an "inner circle" thing which I never was admitted to...

Any treats I have left on my porch are usually not "left." The neighbor kids bring me things all the time. BUT there have been those times.

You are being "ministered to" right now. They've been told to do things for others as they are inspired to.

I put a stop to my ministering a few weeks ago when they sent an older guy and the 12-year-old neighbor boy to see me. Bishop lives next door. I told him I'm no longer a member, nor is my ex, so leave us alone. He agreed to do so. Nobody left a ward newsletter Sunday (first of month) and they were delivering them all over the neighborhood, so for now I can only hope.

Yes, they know more than we do, things we don't understand. We've never felt the spirit. They tend to think we just up and forgot everything we ever knew (like my aunt telling me what went on in the temple--not like I was not married there). I'm clueless. They KNOW all the answers.

Oh, and they aren't all that well organized. AND yes, they were instructed no study groups many years ago. I guess they were getting out of control. My understanding is that some study groups had gone so far as to pray with the "true order of prayer" from the temple.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2019 11:25AM by cl2.

cl2 Wrote:

>Bishop lives next door.

Ouch! You poor thing!!!!

> Yes, they know more than we do, things we don't understand. We've never felt the spirit.

Yaaaa. People kept asking me if I felt the spirit (nope)...

> AND yes, they were instructed no study groups many years ago.

How funny! That just tells you: not a church, a cult--what church wouldn't want members to study scripture together in each other's homes???

At XMAS time, I got a plate of cookies one night, with a note statin..." I like your Xmas lights". No name or address, just a note stating that "someone" liked my Xmas lights, which there weren't very many....

I threw the cookies away. I don't eat food from people I don't know...and in this case, I had no idea who gave me these