Today was our Very Special fast & testimony meeting wherein new ward boundaries were announced, finally quieting months of rumbling and rampant speculation.
There are two new English speaking wards. We stayed in McAllen 1st ward and we have a new bishop and counselors. But damn near everyone I was close to or hung out with outside of church--gone. Including my friend, Minerva (mom of the wasp-stung Stephanie) and my former employer, Mary. :(
In addition, every auxiliary lost key people--the RS president, members of the Primary, YW, YM, EQ and SS presidencies. We also lost all our competent pianists and organists.
And, to be honest, there are some people I'm not sad to see go: the hardass RS teacher whose lesson on chastity last week began with us reading the catalogue of sexual sins in the manual--and her asking us to DEFINE EACH ONE. It left me feeling dirty.
Nor am I especially sad that the blowhard/always right SS president, an authority-focused stake leader and the least imaginative/manual only gospel doctrine teacher are gone, too.
Mike called me via Skype (he's in Japan) and I filled him in on all the changes. As I mentioned the gospel doctrine vacancy, I had a sinking feeling that I would be the replacement. Is the still, small voice accompanied by nausea and fear?
The SP was adamant that the old ward boundaries are history and need to be forgotten. On one hand, that doesn't seem realistic. Unless this would get us out of cleaning the meetinghouse in October. (What cleaning assignment? That guy isn't our bishop anymore). I can feel the selective amnesia settling in already...
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Just got an email from the former RS pres asking for the last meeting minutes and the attendance binders--the emotional equivalent of cleaning out my desk.
Lord, I'm grumpy about all the changes. And finding out one family I thought stayed in our ward didn't. Foo.
I hope this doesn't kill the Book Group, too.
Just remember that friendships can - and should - cross ward boundaries. I also think that Book Groups should include lots of friends. (And, FWIW, the ward we just moved out of regularly scheduled RS activities and book groups with an adjacent ward.)
At least you won't have any more bizarre RS president requirements, plus you'd be a great SS teacher.
Thanks--I'm hoping this will be a chance to swell the ranks at book group. With the RS pres and former bishop gone, there's no one left who was involved in the snit over our first book.
The RS pres had actually backed off some of her bizarre requirements. She no longer demanded church attire for presidency meetings. But even with the new counselors, there's been no lobbying for Sunday garb--and the RS pres came to our last meeting in jeans.
good luck with the changes and I'm sure you don't need to worry about losing any friends over this - and you are probably right about finding new recruits for the book group - its hard to get out of ones comfort zone but there can be some nice surprises. also don't you think you could be the perfect antidote to those dull by-the book SS lessons you've dreaded?
I hate it when people mess with boundaries.
I guess it will be nice to know people in 2 or 3 different wards. It's hard for transplants to get to know people in the stake.
Minerva and I went to dinner last night after picking up her youngest daughter. After her soon-to-be-ex got mad and shoved her when she came to pick up the kids, she doesn't do pickups alone anymore.
She's relieved to have the same bishop as before--no need to rehash the impeding divorce with a stranger.
We get to tell a whole new bishop about our plans for a sealing. The guy doesn't know us from Adam, but will be intimately involved in the process. Sigh.
No word yet on any potential callings for us in the new regime, but I'll keep you posted.
ME
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