Last week our bishop announced that we would have a special meeting next week (today) and 2 new wards (or congregations) would be created. There were 6 wards involved in this meeting. We knew these changes had been in the works for a while, but it was still a bit of a shock that the change was finally here.
There are always lots of changes in our church. Every year we have new classes and teachers for the children. Since we have a lay clergy (volunteer, non-paid) all the positions keep changing. Our Bishop usually changes about every 5 years or so. Presidents of different organizations change every few years. That's just the was it is, we all take our turn filling different needs.
Attendance boundaries are different. They don't usually change. But sometimes they need to. The ward I grew up in no longer exists. It was dissolved because there weren't enough members to keep it going. My parents (who still live there) are now part of a different ward. This area is growing so fast, fastest in the country. In the 8 years we have lived here, this is the 3rd time our boundaries have changed to create a new ward or wards. Our boundaries work much the same way school boundaries do. People get their feathers ruffled at the thought of changing the boundaries, but then it settles down and always works out. The first 2 changes happened soon after we moved here. It changed things, but we didn't mind much since we hadn't made any great friends yet.
This time is different. We have lived her longer now, we know practically everyone. And when you live so far away from family, the people in your ward become your family. It seems silly that it would change anything because it's not like you our your friends have moved away. But when you are so involved in church things as we are, it is hard to foster those friendships when you no longer see them at worship services or the activities during the week. And the only thing that changed is that they now go to church at a different time than you.
We are no longer part of the Goose Creek Ward. That ward got it's arm and it's leg cut off (geographically speaking). We are now part of the newly organized Potomac Crossing Ward. We have been released from all our responsibilities in our previous ward and now wait to see how we will be asked to serve in our new ward (the waiting is the hard part). We are very sad to be in a different ward than our dearest friends. That is a hard adjustment to make. We still have some good friends who moved with us into the new ward. And there will be many new faces that we will get to know.
Change is hard, but change is good. It helps us to grow and to become a better 'me'.
1 comment:
Oh no! That makes me so sad for you. Even when you live close to relatives, your church family becomes more like real family, and to lose them like that is sad. It's easy to maintain and deepen friendships when you see them all the time, but much more difficult when you have to go out of your way to made time to see them. Hopefully you will make additional friends right away!
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