I seldom do this but since my wife and I were new to ward (3 months ago) I decided to go to clean the place this Saturday and get to know people. I walked into the building and a sister asked me what I wanted to do. I did not know her but told herI was here to clean. I had to introduce myself and as an after thought she did too. Not a good start. Well I choose to vacuum. She takes me to closet and shows me the machines and say start with chapel. That was it. I have worked on many major and minor construction jobs over my career and I have had better chats at the beginning of any project than this.

I start cleaning the chapel and in comes another man and he starts to. No talking just cleaning away. The only chat we had was I said "I will do this side and will he do do the other?" I have seen this man before in Church. He was not social at all. Cleaning away and in walks a member of Bishopric. Not a word to either of us. He does something and leaves. Then a sister came in to do something with the hymn books. Not a word either.

Well first guy finishes his side and leaves. I am slower but more through it seems. I start to clean other carpets outside chapel. No one around. I walk down to find washroom and a young guy is cleaning. He gives me some instructions. No conversation. Back I go and a couple of brothers walk by, no words of greeting, etc.

I am putting vacuum cleaner away and the member of Bishopric says we are finished but his wife wants something vacuumed on her side of building. Over I go past some young kids. Do the assignment put the machine away and a member says make sure you turn off the lights when you leave.

That was it. Everyone was gone. Thoughts as I left. (1) They can't even make this a social event. (2) They did not seem to be very much Christ like with warmth and love and (3) what I really think was happening. If they were like me, I started to think: "This is a church with 130 billion dollars plus, why am I doing this and why are we not employing someone who needs to the work and the money. I am a real sucker being here." So maybe that was the attitude I was seeing.

As for cleaning, the building still looked pretty unclean when we finished. It looked clean from a distance. But up close another story. Carpets need to be professionally cleaned for sure. Chapel bench cushions need to be cleaned too. Little dusting was done from what I could see. And we missed rooms that were locked.

Now I am a friendly guy. Everyone on the construction site wants to work near me. We have fun. So why was today so off?? I smile, I make eye contact. My wife says this was a friendly ward we were moving into but now she says it has changed. Any comments?

I remember when they had paid janitors.

It sounds promising that 'veteran' ward members have decided that being friendly isn't worth the effort.

Seems like having paid janitors again would be a good thing. Job gets done properly, and if the person is a member, they can tithe.

Making members do it is a terrible idea.

What a sad experience. The church really does need to bring back the paid janitors.

I should add that for most of my teaching career, classroom cleaning has not been accomplished except by my own efforts. The floor is mopped and waxed once or twice per year. That's it. Any dusting, wiping, sweeping, etc. is on me. It's as if teaching never left the 1800s in some respects.

They created a plan to use elders (I heard that sisters cleaned their dorms/restrooms as well) to clean the hallways and restrooms/showers. If there were enough elders on a given floor, then it would have been a once-a-month duty, but it seems that we were cleaning every week because the number of elders entering the MTC dropped off by mid-September.

As we scrubbed all toilet surfaces, floors, counters, walls and fixtures we had to do this celestial cleaning in absolute silence. Any talking, horseplay or "goofing off" was being monitored by some maintenance dude. The threat to keep us quiet worked because we didn't want to spend another hour cleaning another floor or building.

My MTC district was a motley group of characters, but we all hated cleaning church property. One day at the MTC, the same MTC maintenance fellow was escorting a group of slackers who "screwed around" so they were being led to clean another building. The guy was livid telling them off while the elders behind him were gesturing of holding their cocks. Pretty funny sight to behold.

most of the women were At Home Making Doughnuts!!
yeah, they didn't start with a prayer ?

there's the real reason things didn't go well!


If not many or a few investigators attend there, ... who will care or notice???

They did not start with prayer. Prayer is over rated I guess. I suspect the reason it was quiet was what the other person said about cleaning the MTC in quiet.

> Prayer is overrated...


When my BYU bride and I were going through the gauntlet of marriage interviews, forums, panels, and advisory committees, not once were we counseled to pray before having sex.

We were told, "Look, all he needs is for you tickle is knee and he's ready for sex, but please remember that it doesn't work that way for women!"

But he didn't go on with this line of instruction...  For all I knew, he might have meant that I should offer her candy or money or, in some other manner, overcome the female tendency not to want to have to perform icky sex.  It seemed the point was being made that females were, if not opposed to sex, at least reluctant.

Later in life, I discovered that many women were not of this ilk.

> Later in life, I discovered that many women were
> not of this ilk.

That must have been a gnu experience for you.

He was completely buffaloed.

I'm sure he still ruminates over that.

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Prayer is overrated...
>
>
> When my BYU bride and I were going through the
> gauntlet of marriage interviews, forums, panels,
> and advisory committees, not once were we counseled to pray before having sex.


Curious; did BYU impose a series of interviews on couples planning to get married?

WHAT COULD GO WRONG ?!?!?!/

"Now I am a friendly guy. Everyone on the construction site wants to work near me. We have fun. So why was today so off??"

Without knowing you or the ward here are my assumptions. I don't think anybody wants to clean a church building for free on a Saturday. On a construction site people are usually getting paid and people have chosen to become a construction worker or something like this. Church people are getting calling one calling is "building supervisor" or something like that basically the calling is to make sure that the church gets cleaned once a week. A friend of mine had that calling and if 6 people signed up usually only about 4 showed up sometimes less. When nobody shows up they cleaned the building all by themselves. On Saturdays I rather stay home and watch TV.
Please don't take it personal I am sure you are a nice person. That church calling is not a fun one of cleaning the ward building. Always the same members clean while other do not. Nobody ask for my opinion but bring back paid janitors the lds church can afford it.

When the church had a pear farm, my dad had a lousy ward calling of irrigation specialist. It was his job to get 3 elders and 3 high priests to the church owned orchard to move watering lines twice a week during the month. It was a miserable calling because he had to solicit volunteers to sign up. Those who "volunteered" had a different vision of what was really needed.

One guy took a commuter train which departed at 5:30 am, he wanted to be there at the farm at 4 am. That was WAY too early. Another guy thought it was only on Saturday. My dad was understanding of the EQ because they were busy working trying to make ends meet. My dad was more annoyed with the "retired" group of high priests as they had more excuses for not showing up. There was the usual "I don't do manual labor" so I will come out and supervise the rest of you. Others gave excuses about feeding their parakeets at 9 am to doing their morning exercises before arriving at 10 am.

The worst part of the calling was calling six men who didn't want to be bothered. My dad had to turn in a call log to show that he did everything reasonable to get church volunteers to show up. My dad wasn't supposed to do the work if no one showed up, but that's what he did. So I often accompanied him to get the water lines done. The church wanted a 3-hour work shift, but dad and I were so efficient that we accomplished it in 90 minutes. Sometimes, I brought a non-member friend to help out and it was done in 40 minutes.

Was this, per chance, in the Antelope Valley?

cludgie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Was this, per chance, in the Antelope Valley?

Nope. Has a happy ending, the orchard property now makes wonderful wines.

I worked at the church farm in Antelope Valley Ca a couple of times in the 1980's, I think it was mostly peaches, the church sold it I think years ago

Back when I did church cleaning duty, they gave you a dirty mop, substandard cleaning supplies, and if you found any kind of detergents or sanitizers you were lucky. From my restaurant and retail days, my pet peave is a bathroom that smells. Church bathrooms stink, they are not clean at all since they got rid of the janitors.

The church cannot figure out that people have lives outside of religion. Since active membership is declining, then those that keep plodding along are getting resentful, but keeping it to themselves to maintain the image. That lack of community is a sign that all is not well in Zion.

I should feel sorry for them, but I do not. Saying "No" is a powerful tool in time management. I am sure the church has no idea they are over extending whatever remaining loyal servants they have left.

There is no such thing as a Free Lunch!

>>The church cannot figure out that people have lives outside of religion.

This is exactly the impression I get from everything the church does. This is how I feel when the missionaries come to bug me and when I ask what they want, like, they seem very disconnected from the idea that I don't owe them every opportunity to convert me. Like their brains are broken when I tell them I have stuff I actually want to do rather than small talk with boy strangers who want to pretend they're old friends of mine checking in with me.

It's like slavery - everyone there because they have to be, can't talk out out lines or out loud because of the mental conversations, spiritual pressure (pushing the wrong way), or fear of work without respect or pay! Torture chamber

Canada, right? You know them Canadians.

None of them want to be there. Take some special brownies next time…they’ll start talking.

This was today's funny post.

I've done it before and it never was social but drudgery. But then some ward activities weren't better than having something productive to do.

A couple of months ago, my pastor announced a meeting for "anybody involved in the cleaning ministry, or who would like to be."
20% of the membership showed up.

My rotation used to be once every three weeks. Now it's about once every three months.

(Incidentally, I like the vacuuming. I put on noise-suppression headphones with bluetooth, turn on some tunes, go to work. Takes about two hours.)

I vacuum nude, it seems like a breeze!

Nudity at home & on the beach or hiking in the mountains gives an amazing awareness & bright perspective to life & living, to being alive.

GNPE, enough, please. I personally do not want to hear constantly about your nude lifestyle. You've mentioned it numerous times in recent weeks. I think everyone knows by now. ENOUGH.

When I start telling you what to post & what not to, that will be Fine.

I am bloody tired of hearing about your nakedness. In your own house, in your fenced in back yard, at a nude beach or camp, fine. Occasional mentions here, sure. But you have gone well beyond that. I personally am sick and tired of it. I find it offensive. Do you talk about it constantly on your social media? To your family? Who else in your life has told you that they are tired of it?

GNPE Wrote:
--------------------------
> When I start telling you
> what to post & what not
> to, that will be Fine.



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I'm okay with his posting his nudity. To me it is similar to people always mentioning drinking in their enjoyment of their life. Many people here don't drink but understand that is a part of what makes others happy.

...this must be your song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQMgZZvY4WA

exactly happy to be there. AND if they started talking and said the wrong things like why they hate having to do this, then one of the more perfect beings might report them or give them a rough time about it. I'm glad I got out before they started doing this. My daughter has never cleaned a building yet. She's been back in the church around 16 years.

My dad was a farmer, so we got assigned church farm stuff--but mostly him. After all, he had a tractor or two. Didn't matter that our farm was about 15 to 20 miles from any property the church had. He had to do things like bale hay and plow fields. He wasn't very pleasant when he did it.

We hoed beets half my childhood almost every day of the summer. So I get home from going with friends on a Friday night. I was about 20. My dad told me we'd be getting up to go hoe beets at like 7 a.m. for the church. I said no and my dad wasn't pleased. You didn't say no to my dad, but I did that day. I went and stayed with a friend. The next day my dad apologized to me. He didn't want to do it either.

I'm so glad that I miss out on all their busy work. Oh, if I ever showed up, I'd be stressed about getting it all clean. It would make me sick to go sit in church and know how filthy it was.

So many reasons to be THRILLED you are out of the lds church. I'm not in any other church either. Like my nephew said, we served our sentence.

You're a masochist. Go back twice next week. "Thank you sir, may I have another".

next time, bring some Quality ganga; beer is too obvious, hard liquor, tho enjoyable at the time will raise suspicions and probably require the tasks to be repeated.

You're Welcome.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2023 04:05PM by GNPE.