Three Calls
Well, two calls and a note. Ten days ago, a member of the RS presidency called and asked me to teach RS the following Sunday. I told her I was sorry, I can’t teach. That it’s not ethical.
Two or three days ago, a member of the primary presidency called and asked me to substitute on Sunday. I told her I don’t teach. I called her back the next day and clarified that I’m willing to help, but I can’t teach. She asked what I could do. I said I can work in the nursery and help with music and crowd control.
Today, I got a letter from the RS secretary. It was a visiting teaching list. The list was all typed up, with supervisor and visiting teacher and visiting teachees. My name was handwritten in. I opted out of visiting teaching well over a year ago (it may have been two), but we have a new RS president who doesn’t know that I’m an unbeliever. I got put on the spot once when someone asked me what I thought of the Book of Mormon. I told her. Ouch. I’ve not been out since, and when I told the last RS President what had happened, and that I wasn’t going back out, she couldn’t cross me off her list fast enough.
I’m not sure how to deal with these events. My ward has shrunk significantly, and they probably really need me. I feel not at all guilty about this. It’s not my fault that there was a hurricane and half the town was wiped out. And the fact that there was a hurricane doesn’t oblige me to behave unethically - and teaching in any form is unethical.
I am thinking of volunteering for something I can do, so they’ll stop asking me to do things I can’t. I used to be activities committee chair, but I lost that gig when I left town for three months. However, I do think I could do compassionate service. I’m in town all day, I’m organized, and I have a good feel for the kinds of things that are required. It’s a way to contribute in an important way and to put shoe leather on my Christianity (so to speak). I volunteered for my last calling, and it worked great. I’m not sure how to go about doing so this time, though. New bishop.
Two or three days ago, a member of the primary presidency called and asked me to substitute on Sunday. I told her I don’t teach. I called her back the next day and clarified that I’m willing to help, but I can’t teach. She asked what I could do. I said I can work in the nursery and help with music and crowd control.
Today, I got a letter from the RS secretary. It was a visiting teaching list. The list was all typed up, with supervisor and visiting teacher and visiting teachees. My name was handwritten in. I opted out of visiting teaching well over a year ago (it may have been two), but we have a new RS president who doesn’t know that I’m an unbeliever. I got put on the spot once when someone asked me what I thought of the Book of Mormon. I told her. Ouch. I’ve not been out since, and when I told the last RS President what had happened, and that I wasn’t going back out, she couldn’t cross me off her list fast enough.
I’m not sure how to deal with these events. My ward has shrunk significantly, and they probably really need me. I feel not at all guilty about this. It’s not my fault that there was a hurricane and half the town was wiped out. And the fact that there was a hurricane doesn’t oblige me to behave unethically - and teaching in any form is unethical.
I am thinking of volunteering for something I can do, so they’ll stop asking me to do things I can’t. I used to be activities committee chair, but I lost that gig when I left town for three months. However, I do think I could do compassionate service. I’m in town all day, I’m organized, and I have a good feel for the kinds of things that are required. It’s a way to contribute in an important way and to put shoe leather on my Christianity (so to speak). I volunteered for my last calling, and it worked great. I’m not sure how to go about doing so this time, though. New bishop.
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