posted
The first Pres. contacted us today and told us to be prepared to move to Jackson County within the next 30 days. We need to be ready at a moments notice. Anyone else get contacted?!?!?!
This is so EXCITING! Posts: 2801 | Registered: Mar 2006
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No, she laughs because we all got our invites months ago, and in fact we are all posting from our actual houses in Jackson County. This is more then just a "virtual" city!
Posts: 1640 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I heard they still have to shovel snow sometimes in Jackson County, so I just filed my invitation in the round file.
Had they asked me to go to Nauvoo instead that would be a lot harder to decline because I've grown attached to that area, but I've shoveled enough snow in that part of the world to last a lifetime.
Posts: 3437 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Shiz, I'm so glad they are finally getting around to sending those out to 'the help'. I like my grass cut a little long and the hydrangea needs trimmed. It's been a real pain for us elect to try to slog it out without the little people that make things so much easier.
Oh, and light starch.
Posts: 8105 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I'm so glad when I get a joke! Yeah!! Now that makes me think, today my neighbor (who is moving) offered me his cat. I will at least watch the cat while they sell their house. However, remembering the date, now I wonder if he is serious about the cat or if it was a joke! Posts: 8606 | Registered: Feb 2005
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It's late 1960s in the Park Ward. (I live in a neighboring stake but I'm there to listen to my brother perform)
A young man is getting up to report his mission. The stake president is on the stand, the chapel is full, folks from all over town have come to listen to the young elder tell about his mission.
The sacrament is passed, a dull HC gives a few dry remarks, my brother and his friends who have been asked to participate on the order of service get up and do their musical thing.
Finally the young man gets up and starts speaking. He tells a few stories (and this wasn't April fools day mind you) and while he is speaking the stake executive secretary walks in at the back and up to the stand with what apears to be a letter and hands it to the stake president. The young man continues to speak but now many eyes are on the SP who reads what appears to be two or three pages. The SP begins to wipe tears from his eyes. He gets up and interupts the young man who is speaking.
With tears and a voice chocked full of emotion he tells them that a telegram has arrived at the stake center from Salt Lake City and his exec. secretary has found him. He says he can't think of a better place to give the folks of the Park Ward the news he has just received than in a Sacrament Meeting... (This was one of those olden days 90 minute evening meetings)
He begins to read a letter from President David O. McKay. I was just a VERY young kid at the time but I remember it well like it was yesterday.
"The time has come for the return of Our Savior Jesus Christ. At long last, some of the saints have been called to return to Zion, Jackson County, Missouri to beging building God's Last Great Temple." (He has EVERYONE'S attention now)
The following families are to report at the stake center with the belongings that they can take back east after their affairs are as settled as they can be, this coming Friday morning. (He spoke of some of the equipment that they would need to bring including tents etc.. )
I am to lead the following famlies from the Park Ward back to Jackson County to begin preparations for Temple construction and the return of Our Savior to the Earth.
I was sitting back next to the wall on the north west part of the chapel as the names of families started to be read.
I watched as some husbands and wives reacted with joy and I also watched a couple in front of me who whispered to each other "we are NOT going". There was a man in back of me who said to his wife, "I hope he reads our name".
As he finished reading the last name on the list from the Park Ward, he asked for a sustaining vote. Those who recognize David O. McKay as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and who support this move, please manifest it. I was surprized to see some of the hands not go up. (I was a little kid and remember raising my hand) He then excused himself with the executive secretary to go to other sacrament meetings being held at that time in the city and turned the time over to the young elder.
The young elder stood at the pulpit with a stunned congregation and sobbed a little and said, 'Wow, the Lord is really going to start preaching sermons now!"
Of course then he said, "If your name wasn't read, don't you wish it had been?" "Were you truly ready to leave everything and go serve when your living prophet asked you to?" "If this letter had been real would you really be ready to go?"
I noted some sighs of relief, I noted some disappointment, I heard some laughs and giggles... the kind where folks realize they've been had. The Stake President walks back in with a great big grin, stands next to the young man and says... "The lengths some kids will go to these days for an object lesson in Sacrament Meeting" and sits down.
It was a meeting that no one who was present will ever forget. It was electric. I think the young man then followed up with some questions like these....
Are we truly ready to follow the prophet? Do we do our home and visiting teaching? Do we have our years supply in store? Are we having family home evening? Family Prayer? Family scripture study? Are we doing what a prophet of God has already asked us to do? Is the giving of our tithe full? Do we share the gospel with those around us? Have we searched out our kindred dead? Have we repented and cleared up everything in our lives that needs to be cleared up with proper priesthood authority?
Could we leave at a moments notice or even by the end of the week if the prophet of GOd asked us to? Would we be willing to leave all of our possesions, our comfortable homes and nice beds and walk back with tents, sleeping bags and cooking equipment and start preparatons to be a part of building the Last Great Temple?
The end is near. It will come as a theif in the night. Will we be ready? Can we discern the signs of the times.
posted
I can totally believe that some returing missionary would try to pull something like that, but it would take a very special stake president to go along with it. Someone with a flair for the dramatic. All my stake presidents have been bankers and mid-level managers and the like - fellows who are used to doing things the same old way all the time.
Posts: 1378 | Registered: Sep 2000
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I can see that happening much more in the 60s than I can today. Things have become so much more rigid lately ~ types of musical instruments, arrangements only from the hymnal (at least, in my stake) by the choir, assigned talks all the time, no visual aids in talks.
Posts: 2731 | Registered: Feb 2000
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It has gotten rigid but there have been reasons for this rigidity.
I've seen some pretty interesting things at the pulpit before and I think the Brethren who can't patrol every sacrament meeting finally just had to stop some of the... shall we say 'creativity'.
Priesthood lessons are one thing... Sacrament meeting is entirely another.
The reason I 'resurrected' this thread is because of what I had experienced as a child. It has never left me.
Posts: 700 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Some of the things I saw done in Sacrament meeting as a child were pretty outlandish, so I can agree to a certain point that the rigidity (not sure that was my best word choice, but oh well) has been a good thing. Sometimes I just wish I could use a visual aid in a talk. I guess it's the teacher in me wanting to come out. I have to remind myself that a talk in sacrament meeting is not the same as classroom teaching, or the same as public speaking either. It's its own particular species. (Cool, I don't think I've ever done an it's its before!)
Posts: 2731 | Registered: Feb 2000
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People use visual aids fairly often in sacrament meeting talks in our ward. I was thinking they were reasonably effective teaching tools until I tried to remember what the point of the last few of them were and couldn't (although lately "effective" is synonymous with "able to distract the kids into paying attention for a second or two").
One of the priesthood meetings in General Conference that I remember best involved one of the speakers winding up a little toy robot and walking it across the podium. I think it was supposed to demonstrate the lack of agency inherent in Satan's version of the plan of salvation... or something.
I've seen nothing that makes me think visual aids are discouraged in sacrament meeting, though I think a good rule of thumb is that if people won't remember why you used the thing, you shouldn't bother.
Posts: 394 | Registered: Mar 2003
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You know the one that bugs me? When someone has everyone in the meeting stand up and play Simon Says. Is there a point? I don't think so but I can't remember.
Posts: 4371 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Jen- are you saying you have had people play simon says in sacrament meeting (or any church meeting?) Except for possibly primary or nursery, I can't visualize that being done!!! Posts: 8606 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Yes, Nita. I think it must have been in one of those blasted Especially for Mormons books. It's usually a youth speaker.
"Everyone stand up. Simon says touch someone's ear. Simon says raise your arms. Simon says turn around. Sit down. I didn't say 'Simon says'! Okay you can sit down."
By that time I'm so annoyed at the lack of reverence that I'm checked out, so I don't know if there's a point. This just happened again 2 weeks ago in Sacrament meeting.
I was annoyed for a minute that people went along with it, but then I thought how dumb the poor girl would feel if we didn't humor her for a minute. DH won't participate, though.
Posts: 4371 | Registered: Jul 2004
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