How to get out of cleaning the church...

[Reuben]

Ownership .. In the Church .. Forget it.

Try to get any sort of picture put up on a wall. No dice.
Try to get any sort of plant in a flower bed, forget it. No dice.

You can't do anything to a church building to make it feel like it is yours. Absolutely nothing.

This is a good point, and supports alas's psychological analysis pretty well.

I was once required by a rental agreement to keep a house's back yard tidy. Out of duty, I did the minimum necessary, and often less than that.

That changed when I decided to paint the shed like a New England barn. I loved the striking effect of white trim against burning bush, and it felt a little like it was mine even though it wasn't. The next thing I did in the yard was mulch the plot next to the shed and plant purple columbines. I planted a lilac bush and a strawberry patch on the other side. As my changes slowly creeped across the yard, it felt increasingly like mine, I increasingly loved the yard, and eventually I was keeping up the whole thing without it feeling like an imposition. It was gorgeous when we moved out.

I don't think just maintaining somebody else's stuff will ever make me love it.

I do clean, though, because it gives me an opportunity to talk to the bishop (his family is assigned the same week) and because like RubinHighlander, I want to show that I'm not lazy.

[nibbler]

...if I didn't show up and he would have to report me to the bishop.

[SeeNoEvil]

...if I didn't show up and he would have to report me to the bishop.

Lol! My thoughts exactly!

[Silver Girl]

I started replying to all on the to the "show up to clean" emails distribution lists with questions about why cleaning wasn't paid for with our tithing dollars. The a$$hat bishop commanded all families on each list to be "represented," so he didn't like it at all. But, word got out that I was a dissenter and I made some great friends who felt the same way.

[Meilingkie]

I've sent my bishop an invoice for services rendered.

[Just This Guy]

One option is to say you don't feel well enough to do it. That's true enough that you do not feel spiritually well enough to do it. When pressed, keep it vague. Say something like "you don't want to know" when people ask. Throw in a cough or two for good measure. You're not actually lying, you are letting them fill in the blanks.

Another option is to claim an allergy to the cleaning chemicals used. The problem is that some wards are particularly cheap and don't even supply the cleaners, so that doesn't always work.

[MerrieMiss]

I know this will come across as odd, but cleaning the church really didn't bother me for a long time. In fact, I kind of wished I could have it as a calling or something. "Sister MM cleans the bathrooms every week so she is exempt from attending on Sunday." I'd much rather do something than sit passively and listen to lessons and lectures. I often worked on Saturdays before I had kids, so when it was my turn I would sometimes go in Friday night and vacuum by myself. Peaceful. The thing that got to me was that our building was used for Seminary and got trashed every day, every week. It was so disgusting.

[Bremguy]

I know this will come across as odd, but cleaning the church really didn't bother me for a long time. In fact, I kind of wished I could have it as a calling or something. ... The thing that got to me was that our building was used for Seminary and got trashed every day, every week. It was so disgusting.

The last sentence rang a bell with me. When I was Cubmaster for our Pack, I would go in early to set up. I would spend about 20 or so minutes, getting the room ready. That includes vacuuming up, throwing away loose debris, etc. To top it all off, I would often hear about how filthy we left the room from Seminary. I once quipped " To make it the same way as I found the room, I would need TO add garbage".