Church Callings

This is probably the aspect of my life most people take for granted. I could be wrong, but I'm not aware of another religion that has its bishops, or preachers, work for free in addition to their regular career. It's also one of the few religions where a person does not typically stay in a given position permanently. The way I was taught that church callings work is everything is a lateral move. Someone called to be bishop or Relief Society president is no better than a Sunbeams primary teacher or Sunday School chorister. The only real difference is the level of responsibility (and trust me, some Relief Society presidents are relieved when they are called as the building coordinator instead). 

Still, I think it's a really great way to run a religious organization--everyone has a calling, a responsibility in the ward family to fulfill. Not only does everyone get a chance to pitch in and feel needed, it's a great way to cut down on costs. We used to hire janitors to clean our church buildings--not anymore. Ward members are expected to volunteer a couple hours a month to clean the building. Really, it just makes sense. We tend to treat things with more respect once we put the time into actually caring for it ourselves. Also, with people switching callings, it gives lifetime members a chance to work with and mingle with members whom they might not otherwise interact. 

The church youth tend to get an edge on leadership training as well. Most wards are small enough that everyone in the teenage classes gets a calling, whether as president, counselor or secretary. These callings give the youth a chance to be trusted with a decent amount of responsibility and insight into how most organizations operate (or how they can fall apart!) More importantly, the youth are given a chance to pray for and receive guidance on situations happening right in the moment.

Each group of youth has a president called--for the Young Women, there are Beehive, Mia Maid, and Laurel presidents; for Young Men, Deacons and Teachers have a president as well (the bishop is the Priest president). These presidents are then asked to submit names of their fellow classmates for the counselor and secretary positions. That's right--a thirteen-year-old boy is supposed to pray about and choose from his classmates to find counselors and a secretary. And guess what: they almost always rise to the occasion. What an awesome experience!

During my religious "career," I have served as a class president in Young Women's; I have been on the board to plan and execute Youth Conferences; I have served on a ward Activities committees (which they are now doing away with); I have taught Relief Society and Young Women's classes; I have conducted the music during sacrament meetings; I have led the music in nursery; and I have been a counselor in a Relief Society presidency. I have never refused a calling (I'm sure there are a few I have forgotten), but I have had an offer rescinded once the bishop realized how hard a time I was having just working up the guts to answer. And the best callings were the ones where I gave the most of myself, or, in church terms, I magnified my calling.

Now, about the rescinded calling--I had been asked to work in one of the college newlywed ward nurseries. This was before I had my little boy, and before him, I absolutely hated working with babies. (To be honest, I'm still not a big fan of other people's children, but I am much less anxious around them and can now handle caring for young children for short periods of time.) I had no idea where anyone got the impression that putting me in a room full of toddlers for two hours every Sunday was a good idea--I had never indicated any liking for very young children. I wasn't one of the women constantly cooing over all the babies in sacrament meeting, or one of the women who helped the new mothers in Sunday School or Relief Society. But I had also never turned down a calling. 

A couple weeks passed without me giving a definite answer, so my bishop at the time called me in to his office for a chat. He could sense how hard this was for me, and that's when he rescinded the calling. He said that in this ward, he could pull a name out of a hat for any position, and the ward would be just fine. I'm not sure if that meant they really hadn't thought very hard before asking me, or if it was merely to reassure me they would easily be able to find someone else to work in the nursery. Whatever the reason, I felt tremendous relief. But the Lord wasn't going to let me off that easily. I am now the Primary chorister, which, in our ward, means the Nursery chorister.

That's right. I sing to toddlers every Sunday now. I'm sure it's great for my little boy to have me there, but honestly, I don't know why people think it's a good idea to call parents as Primary and Nursery leaders. I LIKE getting a two hour break from my little one once a week--I'm with him every day, all day for six days of the week. We both need a break from each other! Anyway, I'm only required to be in the nursery room for ten minutes each Sunday, just long enough to sing with the children and break up the time they are in there. However, I usually end up staying for about an hour, if not longer. 

At least making the props for the little ones was fun. Since they're so young, their musical experience consists more of listening and waving or shaking things. I found some shakers and mini tambourines at the local dollar store, redecorated them with Jesus stickers, and I just have them shake to the rhythm of various Primary songs. I can at least see the calming effect music has as I play reverent songs at the end of the ten minutes. It is possible to calm down a bunch of energetic toddlers by playing familiar, soothing melodies. So, all in all, not the worst calling I've ever had, maybe just a little boring.