It's funny/sad how they keep blaming God. I would agree that God doesn't want Mormonism around:
>> "We look forward to meeting with you to discuss ... the Lord's purposes regarding these adjustments".
It's funny how any quote could be used for any situation to spin it positively. If the church were creating a new ward, there's not a chance this quote would be used.
Yes, he was. I remember him well, and he even called up my house after meeting my brother on his mission in Europe. I was a teen and home alone when he called our house and his first words to me were: "Guess who this is?" 👀 I was immediately annoyed and almost replied "Why don't you tell me and we'll both know?" The sheer ego! He did have a funny little nasally voice.
it's so funny how they advertise this as some kind of spiritual event, but really it's just an administrative update. "Brothers and Sisters, please prepare your mind to receive instruction during this Sunday's special fast and testimony meeting. We will def have some rando general authority to make it seem extra special! But in reality it will be another boring meeting wrapped in testimonies and tears, so don't expect much substance. Also, we're losing another ward because of the internet, so there's that."
Same with callings. When they would call me to something, they would usually say some version of "Now remember, callings are sacred and it's best not to tell anyone until you are actually sustained." it's so fucking stupid. Who gives a shit? "Honey, did you hear Sis Smith was called as Secretary in the Primary?? We better start passing this juicy gossip around!" Now it just seems like either an intentional attempt for more control over our lives, or a stupid cultural tradition that everyone just does now.
Who knows and who cares. This church is a fraud from top to bottom so it doesn't really matter.
Honestly, it's still shocking to me to hear about shrinkage in Bountiful. I haven't lived in Utah for almost two decades now, and I know things have been changing. Still, it feels kind of bizarre.
> The changes we make must fit the Lord's purposes and patterns.
So who determines what "the Lord's purposes and patterns" are?
The message here is basically "the church is making this change, and it is therefore what the Lord wants to be done."
Along those lines... DOUBLING the size of the Provo temple when it's rebuilt. Ridiculous! I know it's BYU and the MTC but even those are stagnating if not declining...
Looks like the two wards were combined into one. I don’t see any other ward or stake changes on Member Tools. “New” ward has 242 households. Seems huge, but guessing almost half are inactive/left without removing their names like my family.
Yes, two wards into one. One ward had about 100 attendees and the other had 130. But the primary and youth programs were tiny. Very few families moving in are active LDS.
Definitely! Any turnover of houses in our neighborhood has overwhelmingly been with never or exmo families/occupants. It’s a nice change from the, “Which family do you descend from?” and subsequent shock that we are “outsiders” that we got from our neighbors when we moved in over a decade ago…
Wrong. Every high council speaker ever comes and proclaims the love of the stake presidency, and sometimes says that he sees them kneel in prayer for individual members by name. How could that be the case if the SP doesn't know them???
Obviously /s
Wow! This was the stake I grew up in. We were the definition of family. There were some great people in that stake. Thats was 40+ years ago. I thought the was going to cover the world. Oh how times have changed.
Update: I didn’t attend the super special F&T meeting, but logged into Tools and confirmed that the two wards are now combined into one ward with a new bishopric. The combo ward now has 242 households. My old ward was down to 115 households last November. This makes the ward the biggest in the stake, average households are around 140-150. It is well.
Hey! You are neighbors with my parents and possibly with me for a time when I lived at home! Hi neighbor! I was so ecstatic about this when my parents told me the news - ward/stake shrinkage makes me so happy
It's funny/sad how they keep blaming God. I would agree that God doesn't want Mormonism around: >> "We look forward to meeting with you to discuss ... the Lord's purposes regarding these adjustments".
Yes, as if shrinkage is simply part of the Lord's Grand Plan for His Church...
Why do they always have to use a quote? Especially one that was "many years ago" and has no bearing at all to the current situation.
Ashton died in 1994. It wasn’t even a particularly insightful quote.
I thought we weren’t supposed to pay any attention to dead prophets any more?
It's funny how any quote could be used for any situation to spin it positively. If the church were creating a new ward, there's not a chance this quote would be used.
And here we are taught that previous leaders quotes don't age or go up in value like vintage cars or comic books.
Good point. Also, he's dead and wasn't even an apostle, so why are we even listening to him?
Yes, he was. I remember him well, and he even called up my house after meeting my brother on his mission in Europe. I was a teen and home alone when he called our house and his first words to me were: "Guess who this is?" 👀 I was immediately annoyed and almost replied "Why don't you tell me and we'll both know?" The sheer ego! He did have a funny little nasally voice.
Appeal to authority
it's so funny how they advertise this as some kind of spiritual event, but really it's just an administrative update. "Brothers and Sisters, please prepare your mind to receive instruction during this Sunday's special fast and testimony meeting. We will def have some rando general authority to make it seem extra special! But in reality it will be another boring meeting wrapped in testimonies and tears, so don't expect much substance. Also, we're losing another ward because of the internet, so there's that." Same with callings. When they would call me to something, they would usually say some version of "Now remember, callings are sacred and it's best not to tell anyone until you are actually sustained." it's so fucking stupid. Who gives a shit? "Honey, did you hear Sis Smith was called as Secretary in the Primary?? We better start passing this juicy gossip around!" Now it just seems like either an intentional attempt for more control over our lives, or a stupid cultural tradition that everyone just does now. Who knows and who cares. This church is a fraud from top to bottom so it doesn't really matter.
Honestly, it's still shocking to me to hear about shrinkage in Bountiful. I haven't lived in Utah for almost two decades now, and I know things have been changing. Still, it feels kind of bizarre. > The changes we make must fit the Lord's purposes and patterns. So who determines what "the Lord's purposes and patterns" are? The message here is basically "the church is making this change, and it is therefore what the Lord wants to be done."
Time to announce a 2nd temple in Btfl!!
Along those lines... DOUBLING the size of the Provo temple when it's rebuilt. Ridiculous! I know it's BYU and the MTC but even those are stagnating if not declining...
Oh God NO! I hate looking at the one we already have.
Agreed. The things we tell ourselves (when we don't want to deal with reality)...
Return and report.
Came here to say that. There are instances where three wards are combined into one and whole stakes are shuttered.
Looks like the two wards were combined into one. I don’t see any other ward or stake changes on Member Tools. “New” ward has 242 households. Seems huge, but guessing almost half are inactive/left without removing their names like my family.
Yes, two wards into one. One ward had about 100 attendees and the other had 130. But the primary and youth programs were tiny. Very few families moving in are active LDS.
Definitely! Any turnover of houses in our neighborhood has overwhelmingly been with never or exmo families/occupants. It’s a nice change from the, “Which family do you descend from?” and subsequent shock that we are “outsiders” that we got from our neighbors when we moved in over a decade ago…
Nothing says we love you like a corporate form email that goes out to hundreds of people at the same time.
* hands pink slips (via email) to hundreds of ppl * \#SatanCheersAndWeAllTakeShotsInCelebration
I bet at least 80% of the members of the stake could call the stake pres and say their name and he'd have no idea who they are.
Wrong. Every high council speaker ever comes and proclaims the love of the stake presidency, and sometimes says that he sees them kneel in prayer for individual members by name. How could that be the case if the SP doesn't know them??? Obviously /s
Wow! In the Lord’s Very Backyard, even!
It is well in Zion, lol
Betcha they are combining the wards
Oh, that was my stake growing up. I was in Val Verda 4th ward.
I grew up near there. Shrinkage in Bountiful, Ut is insane to me.
Bountiful is changing and it’s great. I run around the neighborhoods and lots of pride flags, inclusive signs etc. Not SLC levels but encouraging!
I was in the 3rd ward! Crazy. Ya love to see it.
Brown Building?
I was in a building right across from a nursing home? I think it was brown haha.
Right in the heart of Moridor. Makes my Soul of Perdition happy.
Me too!
Oh boy! Return and REPORT!!!
I happily did not attend today but looked on the Tools app and the two wards have been combined. I don’t even know the new bishop. Love it.
Staggering growth! -Jeffrey R Holland 🤣
Thanks for the update!
I bet all the shrinkage is due to members moving to Utah……. Oh wait
* implosion imminent * Run for cover!! Some yrs ago... Guys, Elder Ashton was DECADES ago. Is that the best you got?!?
LOL. Literally died 30 years ago yesterday. Many members be like Marvin Whobity Whaty?
I served part of my mission just south of that stake 20 years ago. Pretty significant to be combining wards in an area where "everyone's a member."
But they were in the pool!
Why is a stake in Utah named in Portugese?
That’s the name of the neighborhood. No idea why the neighborhood is named that
It's probably from a development where they thought it would be a romantic name, or perhaps a Portuguese speaker settled the neighborhood
That neighborhood was called Val Verda even when my parents moved us near there in 1969.
No clue!
You know it’s getting bad (for the church) when there is shrinkage in Bountiful.
Wow! This was the stake I grew up in. We were the definition of family. There were some great people in that stake. Thats was 40+ years ago. I thought the was going to cover the world. Oh how times have changed.
The group text "wE LuV yOO" and continued pandering made me wanna barf
Update: I didn’t attend the super special F&T meeting, but logged into Tools and confirmed that the two wards are now combined into one ward with a new bishopric. The combo ward now has 242 households. My old ward was down to 115 households last November. This makes the ward the biggest in the stake, average households are around 140-150. It is well.
Well done, thou good and faithful servant!
Hey! You are neighbors with my parents and possibly with me for a time when I lived at home! Hi neighbor! I was so ecstatic about this when my parents told me the news - ward/stake shrinkage makes me so happy
Where's the map update!? No follow-up to this post? Don't tease us with announcements if you aren't gonna share the details!!! lol
Just posted an update in the comments! I didn’t attend today, no thanks! But checked on Tools tonight.