This is for encouragement, ideas, and support for people going through a faith transition no matter where you hope to end up. This is also the place to laugh, cry, and love together.
nibbler wrote: ↑Tue Jan 31, 2017 7:34 am
This thread got me thinking. If you're a woman your answers are pretty much going to be RS, YW, or primary. The end. Oops, I forgot Den Mother.
I helped my husband as membership clerk when we were young marrieds with a pretty progressive bishop. It never occurred to me that I couldn't go along and help out, and the bishop never had a problem with it. So there you go. Not an official calling, but different from the run-of-the-mill female callings I've also had.
Seminary president (ooh la la...)
SS teacher
Assistant nursery leader (this was a revelation from the bishop's counselor who said it would really use my talents. He knew nothing about my talents.)
Ward organist (three months after the nursery leader calling they figured out what my actual talents were)
Choir pianist
Choir president
Primary pianist
Primary chorister (my favorite calling)
Primary teacher
Primary counselor (this is when my shelf began to crumble, when I realized how much authority the Primary president actually had)
RS compassionate service leader
SM chorister
“This is the best part of the week!” – Homer Simpson
“It’s the longest possible time before more church!” – Lisa Simpson
Pre-faith transition:
DL
ZL
Deacons quorum advisor
Ward Clerk and chief note taker during courts of love.
Finance Clerk
Post faith transition:
Nursery assistant
Sunday school bell ringer
Sunday school teacher (13 year olds)
I'm currently in between callings right now. Unless you consider "parking lot observer" for third hour a calling.
Doing nothing is actually the best way to get out of a calling. I mentioned this to my bishop when he tried to guilt me into another calling. I suggested he could call me to anything he wanted and I would do nothing. Or he could call me to nothing and I would fulfill it 100%.
I'm still waiting for him to get back to me.
Last edited by Red Ryder on Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“It always devolves to Pantaloons. Always.” ~ Fluffy
“I switched baristas” ~ Lady Gaga
“Those who do not move do not notice their chains.” ~Rosa Luxemburg
Red Ryder™ wrote: ↑Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:48 pm
Ward Clerk and chief note taker during courts of love.
Since were on page two, thread jacking is now approved.
What was it like sitting in on a DC? My dad was on the HC and he'd told me about a few DC in non-specific details. He mentioned one that got pretty nasty and he drew the 'defend the member' straw.
What kind of things were people facing DC's for?
One of the coolest guys I know that was a bishop prided himself on the fact that he never held a DC and he never took anyone's TR away.
Oh, I forgot: I did get talked in to the church lockup/cleaning coordinator. I can honestly say, TBMs only give lip service to service. It was damn near impossible to get anyone to sign up to clean the church. Talk about a completely uninspired move, firing the paid janitors.
Jinx wrote: ↑Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:44 pm
Choir pianist
I don't think I listed this one, but this was by far the most difficult calling I've ever had. I'm really not THAT good at the piano, so I was practicing at least 10 hours a week to get ready. I eventually told the bishop I needed out and he obliged by moving me to Primary Pianist.
Current: Ward Mascot. (Defined as: None. I was inspired to give myself that calling after someone smarter than me mentioned it somewhere on the DAMU.)
Asst. Scout Master
Weblos Leader
Youth Sunday School Teacher
Sunday School Presidency / Secretary (multiple times)
EQ Presidency / Secretary (multiple times if my memory serves me)
Primary Teacher
Membership Clerk
Finance Clerk
Nursery? (I don't remember if I was actually called, or if I just hung out with my kids when they were that age to avoid other meetings...)
And I'm sure I'm forgetting something, and I'm not even going to attempt to recall "youth" callings...
Last edited by wtfluff on Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions. -Frater Ravus
Husband and I were called to be Sunbeams teachers when we were married. It was the first time I realized that we were indoctrinating little kids. It really weirded me out. Shelf started breaking when in RS presidency. Also, glad I was released from Primary since I don't know how well I could have taught D&C this year. Struggling with that as a parent right now.
Primary teacher, I have taught every different class at some point.
Nursery worker
Weblos Leader
Bishopric Counsellor 1&2
HPG assistant
Scoutmaster
YM presidency
Financial clerk
Temple ordinance worker
Scoutmaster again, and again, and again
It's been nice lurking on NOM 2.0. Loved 1.0 but got kind of ticked that some of my best writing was lost to the world. Oh well. I can't help but jump in here on this one. My waste of time list includes:
DQ President
TQ President
PQ 1st Counselor
Office Elder
DL
ZL
AP
Sunday School Teacher
Nursery Leader (2x)
EQ Presidency (3x)
Choir Director
Primary Teacher (2x or 3x)
Faith transition came during last primary teacher gig.
Now I'm a Den Leader for my Boys in a non LDS Pack of MY choosing, giving back in ways that I can best contribute. I can do it for as long as I want, am making friendships with like minded individuals, can make a long lasting difference, and I don't have to worry about what comes next or when I'm going to lose the calling that I've wanted all along but could never seem to get.
The difference is amazing, and definitely not a waste of time.
Neo: What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?
Morpheus: No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.
Callings from today: I'll just hit the main points.....
Currently and for the past year I have no callings
Physical facilities (slave) during my FC
Young adults helper....... "shepherding" or in other words big brother for the YA to keep them in the lane.
Bishop
High counsel
Seminary teacher
couple stints as BP counsellor
Stake Mission Pres
During my university days I was EQP for SIX YEARS! never get those years back.
Pretty much the only active kid in our area so did the AP leadership roles
Of all the callings I've had I like my current one best.
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.
Rumi
Ward librarian
Primary president
RS counselor
RS president
Compassionate service coordinator
While I was CSC, my husband was First Counselor to a horrible bishop who was out of town 70% of the time, so DH may as well have been bishop. People who had issues to confess to the bishop or marital problems waited till the horrid bishop was out of town then couldn't wait till b got back to talk to the real bishop, so they talked to brother alas. Then he was released from that and put in as scout master. We both hit burn out and started turning down any calling bigger than primary teacher. By then we both knew that callings were not inspired and felt free to say "no".
Just joined this group. Over the past 35 years or so:
Cub master
Scout leader
EQ presidency, never president
Sunday school presidency and president
Sunday school teacher
Primary teacher
YM sec
Gospel essentials teacher
Finance, ward, and membership clerks
Ex sec
Ward mission leader
Ward technical specialist
Cub committee
HP group secretary
I'm forgetting one...oh yea, quorum of the 12 apostles
As you can see I get bounced around a lot. I must get on people's nerves.
President / 1st Assistant in all A. Priesthood quorums
Priesthood Pianist
Primary Pianist
Choir Pianist
Ward Organist
Stake Organist
Primary School Teacher
Primary Chorister
Choir Director
Sunday School Teacher
Stake Music Coordinator
Ward Music Chairman
Young Single Adult Single Representative
Young Single Adult Couple Representative
Ward Missionary
Full-time Missionary
Home-teaching coordinator
Sunday School Counselor
I was in for only 12 years or so, but they sure got the time from me:
RS Chorister
Ward Employment Specialist
Genealogy Instructor
RS Instructor
FH consultant
Stake Employment Specialist
Stake RS Secy
Local PT Service Mission (which I did not request - just got called in and told "God wanted me" or something)
I think I had some others, but I can't recall just now. There were many weeks I spent 30 or more hours on a calling. I also learned there were many people who simply didn't do their callings - for several years, either the ward chorister or the RS chorister (after me) often didn't show up, so I had to pinch hit with no notice. The stake employment specialist never did the job & after learning I could do it, offloaded things to me for more than a year. Out of about seven other people assigned to the missionary calling (which required staffing an office), five usually didn't show up. On & on.
.
. Silver Girl is sailing into the future. She is no longer scared.
JustHangingOn@57 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2017 12:12 am
Just joined this group. Over the past 35 years or so:
Cub master
Scout leader
EQ presidency, never president
Sunday school presidency and president
Sunday school teacher
Primary teacher
YM sec
Gospel essentials teacher
Finance, ward, and membership clerks
Ex sec
Ward mission leader
Ward technical specialist
Cub committee
HP group secretary
I'm forgetting one...oh yea, quorum of the 12 apostles
As you can see I get bounced around a lot. I must get on people's nerves.
LOL, Q12. You almost got me in trouble with DW when I laughed. She always wants to know why.
Yep, that's it. When we moved out of Utah, we discovered that pianists are not nearly as common outside the morridor. Every move we made it usually took only a week or two to be given a pianist calling. I preferred it that way. I didn't need to practice (thanks to a teacher who assigned a hymn or children's song each week during lessons) so it was a very easy calling...just show up and play. Ahhhh.
Den leader was rough. I had that calling in addition to the pianist ones for three years. Our pack only had 7 kids in it so they had me plan everything for all ages until they went to Boy Scouts.
RS VT supervisor was a nightmare for me. I HATE calling people and in that calling, people really didn't want to talk to me. I imagine the avoidance wasn't as bad as it would be for the building cleaning supervisor, but still.
GD teacher
Youth SS a bunch of times
EQP 3 times over 5 years or so.
Executive secretary. That was a weird calling. I offended a ton of people because I made it my mission to streamline the meetings we had. I would decide what got airtime in the agenda and what would just be FYI announcements stuck at the back. The rs president hated me for that. Now I realize why. Just another man telling her what she could and couldn't say. In my defense though she was a a mean windbag.
SS president
Scoutmaster
Various young men's callings. Presidency, advisors etc...
Mission prep.
Most of my callings have revolved around teaching. Like azflyer I got fairly good at manipulating people emotionally and coming at things from different angles so the lesson would be interesting. My shelf broke while I was SS president and mission prep leader.