I was showing a neighbor our beautiful Ward Church and we were standing outside the Stake Presidents office. I explained about Wards and Stakes and she asked if there was an apartment behind the door. Did he live there? I explained about our Lay Ministry which in my mind is so phenomenal. When I was a girl I remember a couple of men coming and preaching to our small Baptist congregation. Rather than being guest Preachers as I thought they were, it was more of an audition. One of them was hired.
Our "preachers", our "overseers", our "pastors", our "bishops", our "etc." do not receive a plug nickel! They don't audition, campaign, send resumes, solicit votes, take classes at seminary schools, lobby or anything akin to it. They are all regular men, with regular jobs, regular families, with struggles and challenges that come with experiencing mortality. They are not superheroes, polished public speakers. They are not self-help guru's, magicians or sorcerers. They all have one thing in common....they are LDS men. they have the Priesthood. they have a Temple Recommend. they have a testimony. they have a willingness to serve. To me each has something that the Lord wants them to do in the brief time of their calling.
Things don't always go as we think it will in line of those callings. Sometimes things seem in place, for obvious events to happen, that certain men will for sure be called. I can think of 3 instances off the top of my head.
1-Shortly before our present Bishop was called and sustained, a man was called to fill in for one of the Counselors. Just a few weeks later a new Bishop was to be called and we all just knew it would be that new counselor. We just knew he'd been placed there for that brief time and prepared and yesiree, he'd be the one. Absolutely!! For sure! NO.
2- Years ago in our Alaskan Branch, a Branch President was called and served 1 year, and then he became our District President for 3 years. He felt we were missing out on so many blessings because we were not a Ward in a Stake. He wanted for us to experience Section 115:5-6. He found out what we'd have to do to qualify to become a Stake so we could have Bishops, Patriarchs, and the full protection of a Stake. He sort of became our Pied Piper of goodness and growth. We rallied and increased and enlarged upon all he asked. 3 years of work the man did and finally!...an authority was coming and we were going to become a Stake and we knew, as they say--without a shadow of doubt, that he would be our very first Stake President! He deserved it. He earned it. We all wanted that for him. The big day. Was his name read for all of us to inwardly applaud? No! The "called" man was the CES supervisor. Not even a "real" Alaskan!! (he was outstanding, of course, and went on to become the first Temple President in the Anchorage Temple)
3) When we moved here from Alaska it was interesting to see little small towns abutted. Each with their own local governments, school boards, Churches etc. We were use to miles between town. Miles and miles. Here we met in a Church in a connecting town. Then the Ward grew and they divided it and created 2 Wards.
Our first Bishop, in our new Ward, was a personal friend from our small Alaskan town. Not even a "real" Washingtonian! (actually he had been born and raised in Washington!) He felt strongly that we needed our own building, in our own town, and started planting that seed in our minds. There were others that had long felt that way.
Eventually the 1st Bishop I served with was called. He worked for years with tedious details, endless meetings, blueprints, permits, approvals, inspections, looking and showing land. He was a builder and understood all the stacks of necessary paperwork. Finally it was all approved!!! a blueprint! we got to choose interior colors and wood and exterior colors and carpet colors and art work. We did it all. We had a date!!! Excited!! We were so appreciative of all our Bishop had done and he'd get a building on his watch! And then?....others needed a building more and ours was not on the list anymore. No building! Gloom. Shock. Sadness. And then he was released on a November day and a new Bishop was called.
Within a month or so a big unexpected announcement came...yes, we were going to get a building! Our current Bishop felt sort of bad, that all of the essential preliminary work was done by his predecessor, and yet he'd be the Bishop to dedicate and care for the new building. Our Bishop had things that were his to do, just like our other Bishop had his things to do. Both were needed to accomplish a monumental task.
We never serve long enough to claim ownership of the Church calling extended to us. It's the Lord's Church and through inspiration of rank leaders, those to accomplish certain tasks, will be called with time to do their duty. I believe we each have specific things to do. The specificity may not be apparent to us at the beginning but as we pray and ask we will be told what we need to do to build the Kingdom. It's a great plan!! It keeps the Church alive and growing and we each get to be a part of it!!
I'm having vent week here!! more tomorrow!!!
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