Comments on: Service Lessons

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:09:27 +0000

In reply to Suzanna. Thanks for posting this, Suzanna. That is some good stuff there.

By: Suzanna

Suzanna — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:53:43 +0000

I know this is a few years late, but I am preparing a lesson on the said topic…it’s tough as we’ve heard it all before and know all the answers, but I did come across an article which gives a whole new angle to the discussion on service and why it’s good for us to engage ourselves in it. Check out the following link and see what you think- http://health.msn.com/health-topics/depression/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100167285

By: J.

J. — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 20:52:05 +0000

I’ve been a convert now for almost 30 years and I have seen that members willingness to provide “service” has declined – not in all cases of course, but as a general rule – I’ve have also seen that the SAME PEOPLE provide much needed “service” over and over again –
Old Testament lesson here – the children of Israel were quite quick to “forget the Lord who had led them from Egypt” and repented only after they were afflicted (or as I put it “knocked upside the head”) – it is NOT an accident that messages-that-are-obvious are repeated continually :D

By: Ariel

Ariel — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 04:54:01 +0000

Annegb, I’ve seen several scouts go inactive (or reactivate and then change their mind) because of that; I’d estimate 5-10 in 6 years. And, yes, it is a “really sucky” ward, with lots of problems you wouldn’t believe, and it’s in Jelloville. Thankfully, I don’t live in that ward during the school year.

By: annegb

annegb — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 01:48:21 +0000

Ariel, how many scouts have you known to be traumatized by service?

You’re either exaggerating the problem or you live in a really sucky ward.

Rick, I totally agree with everything you said. My daughter is so spoiled I think it would have been good for her. She’s clueless.

By: rick

rick — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 21:51:00 +0000

If you want to teach young adults about service, ask them to take care of children during sacrament meeting.

If that’s not a helpful service, I don’t know what is.

If you want to teach adults about service have them swap yard-care duties with each other for the summer (probably easiest if you match family sizes).

It will act as both a fellowshipping tool and may encourage non-Sunday socializing of adults in a not-a-church-activity sort of way.

Never underestimate the ability of neighbours acting neighbourly as a method of social enrichment.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 14:54:03 +0000

Ariel

Maybe it’s different where we are, but this doesn’t happen here. Truly it is the EQ that ias expected to do the most, but even then I don’t see any branding happening here. Too bad it happens that way in your area.

By: Ariel

Ariel — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 06:57:25 +0000

I think it’s great for scouts to do service. I think it’s great to provide them with opportunities for service. But what I see in the church isn’t really “providing opportunities.” The scouts either do it, or get branded as uncharitable and chastized in priesthood meeting, or they go inactive entirely to avoid the first two options. And the third happens more than we would like to think. But I’m done ranting about it.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 03:22:14 +0000

annegb

I know exactly what you mean. I too enjoy visiting teaching, but I know what you mean about “nagging”. Actually I have an ex-companion (last ward) who took great offense to me phoning her to see when she could go VT. Honestly, I didn’t care if she came or not, all she had to do was tell me, but she decided I was the horrible person, proceeded to gossip about me and it took me forever to find out why (because I do not go out of my way to be mean to anyone, actually I go out of my way NOT to).

Kim could tell you stories about moving too, lol. Actually one I remember (this was back in BC) was someone who had packed everything in garbage bags. Including the TV. And then, yep, the ones who hadn’t even started packing.

By: annegb

annegb — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 02:38:04 +0000

I’m the visiting teaching supervisor in (am I spelling that right?) our ward. This is my second round at that oh-so-special calling. I hate it. Honestly, I hate it. I hate a good one fourth of the ward most of the time and the rest of them the rest of the time. It brings out my inner witch like nothing else.

I have also twice, for several years, been the compassionate service leader. That calling, that calling rocks. I mean I loved it and I loved everybody when I was compassionate service.

I don’t understand the dichotomy of that. I’m not sure if dichotomy is the right word, but it’s an intelligent sounding one and I heard Sylvestre Stallone use it once and I thought, “I must find out what that word means.”

But there is something to service. I love those I serve, honestly, not to sound hokey. I’ve seen a lot of families around this ward where I’ve lived 25 years through birth and death and sickness and divorce and house floodings and you know, thank God those people finally moved.

I was filled with love then. And I don’t know why I’m not now. I love visiting teaching, it’s not that, it’s just hard to be the ward nag. And my very best friends all started out as my visiting teacher or vice versa.

When we were first married, Bill was an absolute butthole about helping others. He’s down with it now. But I bet moving people could get real old real quick. I remember going over to help a lady pack and she had done nothing. Not even her dishes. Oh, the stories I could tell.

In the long run, if you have to choose, choose to serve. And you know, those scouts, heck, they are young and their youth is wasted on them. They should be stacking somebody’s woodpile. If I felt as good now as I did when I was 14, I could so kick butt. At serving.