lullabyman

I'm the PFR so it falls on me too. Been doing it for a year. It's always the same people that volunteer. You learn a lot about people in this calling. Those who do it regularly take pride in having a beautiful church in which to worship. They have a sense of ownership in that, and they should. It feels good when you're done, and if done right, even with a skeleton crew, you should be able to get it done in an hour. When I know it will be a poor showing I'll get there an hour early and do all the windows, and some other stuff, so we still get done in 1 hour. There's a feeling of brotherhood and camaraderie you get with any kind of service like that that you don't get on Sunday. It's a good way to start out a Saturday too ... we go from 9:00-10:00. Many families see this as a great opportunity to teach their kids to respect the church. The kids don't do much cleaning-wise, but it does leave an impression. I feel my #1 priority is not to clean the church, but to make it a good experience for those who do, especially the kids. Last time we did it I brought cookies for anyone who stayed the whole hour. If you don't have the means to do that you might want to ask the Bishop if the ward budget can spring for it ... it's only what ... 12 times a year, and a decent sized box of cookies costs $3. Cheap. When you have not too many people, do it for an hour, and then on Sunday tell the Bishop "this is what you get when nobody comes". He won't want to hear that, will probably have some advice that won't help at all, but he'll eventually get the message when you keep telling him "I did a duty roster like you said", or "I did ____ like you said", or "I reminded everyone in triplicate like you said", and eventually he'll come around to making a deal out of it with those who aren't showing up. Really, it is more about teaching, learning, and serving than it is about cleaning. It's not a big chore if you do it right, and don't feel bad when it isn't done right. Never make people stay more than an hour, and when it isn't enough, be happy that you did your part and let those who lead the ward know it's on them because you're doing your best.