Well, at least here in Michigan...

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

We are being ordered back to church on April 11.

Meetings will resume including the 2nd hour block for all participants
Sacarment meeting at home is being rescinded

-lost

[Just This Guy]

At least in Maryland, they are encouraging people to attend in-person, but they are still broadcasting it online if people don't want to be in person.

So it's a area by area thing.

[Red Ryder]

Here on Kolob South, there are rumors that this will happen in May.

So stupid.

[Mackman]

Yeah I'm here in Michigan as well back to the old grind Gee just can't wait !!!! I was very fond of virtual church .

[2bizE]

At work, we have found working remotely has been advantageous and has allowed us to cut several $million in work space leases.

This is something I’m surprised with the church. The church has been doing sooooo many things over the years to cut costs...I will list a few examples below, but I’m curious why cutting back on meeting houses allowing services to be done on Zoom and having more wards per building hasn’t been adopted????
1) cut janitors
2) cut roadshows
3) cut pageants
4) cut COB employees and moved the jobs to volunteer missionaries

[græy]

At work, we have found working remotely has been advantageous and has allowed us to cut several $million in work space leases.

This is something I’m surprised with the church. The church has been doing sooooo many things over the years to cut costs...I will list a few examples below, but I’m curious why cutting back on meeting houses allowing services to be done on Zoom and having more wards per building hasn’t been adopted????
1) cut janitors
2) cut roadshows
3) cut pageants
4) cut COB employees and moved the jobs to volunteer missionaries

This seems obvious to those of us who don't want to be there anyway. But, it seems like every conversation I have with the real (extroverted) TBMs is how they miss seeing everyone in person.

There have been no official announcements for restarting in-person meeting in our area, but my immuno-compromised self was dumb enough to get the vaccine the other day, now DW wants to start going back in a couple of weeks.

[wtfluff]

I’m curious why cutting back on meeting houses allowing services to be done on Zoom and having more wards per building hasn’t been adopted????

LD$-Inc. literally needs lots of buildings built on lots of real-estate to maintain their tax-exempt status.

As with temples: It doesn't matter that the building is empty, it only matters that the building exists.

To the point of "getting back" to in-person meetings: I'm pretty sure that there's a correlation between numbers of butts in the pews in chapels, and the amount of tithing donations flowing into the inve$tment fund$ too, so there's that...

[Ghost]

We are also losing the Zoom option in April. I guess that's going to make me officially inactive for the first time in my life.

(I had only joined the virtual meetings a couple times, briefly.)

[nibbler]

We recently went back to the in-person two hour block. We're currently at October 2020 levels of covid spread and the trends are currently increasing, but we're back to the two hour block.

We've retained the online option for now. I don't see that going anywhere for the rest of the year.

[Just This Guy]

At work, we have found working remotely has been advantageous and has allowed us to cut several $million in work space leases.

This is something I’m surprised with the church. The church has been doing sooooo many things over the years to cut costs...I will list a few examples below, but I’m curious why cutting back on meeting houses allowing services to be done on Zoom and having more wards per building hasn’t been adopted????
1) cut janitors
2) cut roadshows
3) cut pageants
4) cut COB employees and moved the jobs to volunteer missionaries

I would venture to guess that Zoom church does not "require the sacrifice of all things" enough and by sacrifice, I mean tithing. I would almost be willing to bet that the church finance department looked at the numbers over the last year and found that tithing revenue from now church is the lowest, it's higher with online church, but highest with in-person services. The more people in the building on Sundays, the stronger the coercion to open the wallets. Somewhere they did the calculation and found that it was more profitable to have a building and in-person meetings than it would be for no building and online only meetings.

[Reuben]

At work, we have found working remotely has been advantageous and has allowed us to cut several $million in work space leases.

This is something I’m surprised with the church. The church has been doing sooooo many things over the years to cut costs...I will list a few examples below, but I’m curious why cutting back on meeting houses allowing services to be done on Zoom and having more wards per building hasn’t been adopted????
1) cut janitors
2) cut roadshows
3) cut pageants
4) cut COB employees and moved the jobs to volunteer missionaries

I would venture to guess that Zoom church does not "require the sacrifice of all things" enough and by sacrifice, I mean tithing. I would almost be willing to bet that the church finance department looked at the numbers over the last year and found that tithing revenue from now church is the lowest, it's higher with online church, but highest with in-person services. The more people in the building on Sundays, the stronger the coercion to open the wallets. Somewhere they did the calculation and found that it was more profitable to have a building and in-person meetings than it would be for no building and online only meetings.

All while 100% believing that this particular key performance indicator is their best way to determine spirituality. And if "spirituality" means "psychological identification with the church" they're probably 100% right.

I don't like to see them as moustache-twirling villains, but I'm not sure my alternative, where money and spirituality are tightly intertwined, is much better.

[shrugged]

Are you still going back to in person now that things are pretty bad in Michigan again?


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[Dr. Licious]

Up in the PNW we are going back to in-person starting this week as well, full 2 hours. However, they will continue to broadcast it on zoom and if you have a compelling reason to need to take the sacrament at home you have to meet with the Bishop, and he can grant this on a case by case basis.

[Red Ryder]

We just got the email to go back May 2

Brothers and Sisters -

Given low COVID transmission and positivity rates, the Area Presidency has authorized us to return to our normal two-hour, in-person block for Sunday worship services.

Important details include:

We will begin in-person, two-hour Sunday services again starting May 2nd. Effective this date all second hour meetings will return to their Pre-COVID schedule.

Wards will return to their normal time for sacrament meeting as necessary. Your bishop will provide additional detail.

Social distancing guidelines are not required due to low COVID transmission; however, masks will continue to be requested. We recognize the challenge this request poses to some of you. We express appreciation to you for your faithfulness in supporting this important request from the Brethren.

Sacrament meeting will continue to be broadcast to those who are ill, in high-risk health categories or who feel unsafe. We encourage all others to begin attending church in person.

Administration of the sacrament to individuals in the above categories will be provided as authorized by the bishop.

Additional communications will be forthcoming from your bishop.

We rejoice to have a prophet on the earth and for the chance to follow his guidance, including this return to our normal two-hour, in-person church schedule. We reflect on the scripture found in Moroni 6:5

“And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.”

Looks like I’m going to have to “feel unsafe” and continue to stay home for another year. I can’t muster up any ability to go back.

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

We have declined to return until things are better.