what can you do when no one seems interested in church?

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

I had been wondering what else can i do when no one seems interested in church activities

I am a counselor in the YW.. so fa no one has attended mutual, we talked to the

girls and tried to make them understand the importance of responsability, but they

just dont take responsability, we told them if for any reason they cant go just

let us know via text message...

yesterday my bf and some friends threw me a party for my bday and i had to go earlier because of the mutual just to find out that no one was there... i would be lying if i say i did not get mad.. I dont know what to do I want to be patient but i cant.

oh and we had planned this mutual because soemtimes they say it's boring but the activity we were gonna do was their suggestion and they expressed their desire to learn this but they didnt show up..

what can I do? i just feel like giving up.

[BenRaines]

For how long has no one attended YW? Is this a new? My wife has worked in YW for over 20 years. The girls are the ones who plan and carry out the activities. Not the leaders. Leaders support the girls plans. That might be where to start.

Ben Raines

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

long time ... sometimes 2 or 3 would go but since more than a month no one is attending but the problem is they all say they are going (by all of them I mean 6 currently active)

they were the ones that planned this activity this is why i was puzzled when no one showed up...

[Snow]

I had been wondering what else can i do when no one seems interested in church activities

David Hasslehoff. People love David Hasslehoff.

[Dove]

I had been wondering what else can i do when no one seems interested in church activities

I am a counselor in the YW.. so fa no one has attended mutual, we talked to the

girls and tried to make them understand the importance of responsability, but they

just dont take responsability, we told them if for any reason they cant go just

let us know via text message...

yesterday my bf and some friends threw me a party for my bday and i had to go earlier because of the mutual just to find out that no one was there... i would be lying if i say i did not get mad.. I dont know what to do I want to be patient but i cant.

oh and we had planned this mutual because soemtimes they say it's boring but the activity we were gonna do was their suggestion and they expressed their desire to learn this but they didnt show up..

what can I do? i just feel like giving up.

Ohh, I feel for you....this would be so hard!

There have been so many times my mom and stepdad have invited "investigators" over for dinner to discuss religious beliefs. So often, after spending a lot of time, effort, and money to prepare the meal, they have been stood up....My mom expressed discouragement over this as well....

Some ideas are;

Maybe working with their parent's, to see if they are in the loop as to the activities that are scheduled....

Maybe focusing on offering a loving friendship to the girls....maybe releasing your expectations of what they should or shouldn't be doing (like attending the activity) to make yourself feel better....Think of their needs more than fulfilling your calling through the beaten path of scheduling activities....It may be well to choose a different, unorthodox approach to reach these girls. Remember, the church activity is their for them, rather than the other way around. Prayerfully consider how you can reach out to them to help them develop a testimony of the Saviour's love for them. After all, you are His example to them right not as a young women's leader.

Schedule something fun, for you and for them. Maybe an LDS movie, or going to a roller rink, or hike, or whatever. Bring a friend of yours along, so if they continue to stand you up, you can still make it worth your while/time/effort for doing it by enjoying the activity anyway......

I was so grateful to be a visiting teacher! I felt it an honor to go and visit with sisters in the ward.....I developed great friendships to those who were open to it. We had dinner together with one sister, she invited me to her daughers wedding long after I was released from that calling. Another person I visit taught I just friendshipped. I don't think in all the time I knew her I gave her a VT lesson. She was quite inactive and not interested/felt pressured by that. I just loved her. She would pray for me frequently. We were good friends. I believe she knew that I loved her. I felt loved by her.

Ironcically, I had a visiting teacher who met with me only once over the course of a year. I assumed she had been released, only to find out when I asked to be assigned one, that she had been reporting that she had been visiting me without actually doing so.

I admire your efforts to magnify your calling. This situation sounds strongly like it needs an imaginative, inspired approach. Just remember what it's really all about;

Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are adesirous to come into the bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; 9 Yea, and are awilling to mourn with those that bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being abaptized in the bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? (Mosiah 18: 8-10)

You are doing a great job, my thoughts and prayers are with you.....

[Guest Utahrulzz]

It sounds as though this is a symptom of a deeper problem. Keep working and don't give up! Dove's advice is sound, start talking to the parents and see what you are able to find out.

We are with you!

Thank You.

[Guest Utahrulzz]

David Hasslehoff. People love David Hasslehoff.

Wow, I didn't even realize he was LDS.

Thank You.

[bytebear]

Is that why he likes those Utah cloggers?

[Generally_Me]

Glow-in-the-dark:

We have the same problem in my ward. I have an achievement days calling, I never had more than one girl show up and each girl only showed once. I recently got a RS calling; tonight is my first home enrichment planned by me; there are over 180 women in the ward. It's going so well that 3 of the 10 in the opening skit have begged off; that's the ones who called me first, we'll see how it really goes...

Sorry, I don't have any advice right now. I will let you know if I stumble on anything that works though.

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

David Hasslehoff. People love David Hasslehoff.

we're talking about YW in the present not from the 70's...............

[Dravin]

Don't tell me this wouldn't cause the Young Women to swarm the mutual activity like a swarm of locusts! :)

[Snow]

we're talking about YW in the present not from the 70's...............

I'll say it again. People - Germans to be specific - love David Hasselfhoff. You want to get Germans interested in Church activities, you've got to think David Hasselhoff.

[Moksha]

Wonder if this might be an analog to the scouting program in my ward. If you look at the total number of boy' who could be participating in a young men's type of activities and the total that participate, it is understandable why so many young men get lost along the way. The program that is offered is not one they are interested in attending.

Sort of like Grace Brothers in the old British comedy, Are You Being Served? They wanted to increase their sales, but all their styles were outdated and not what the customers wanted.

[Traveler]

I think one of the problems is the age of YW. Many in our society of YW or YM age live a very shallow existence concentrating on things that will contribute very little to becoming responsible adults. Perhaps one of the most difficult problems for those called to serve in YW and YM is that often the bonds of friendship of youth in a given class are shallow and even antagonistic among small groups of youth residing in a ward. When youth (or adults for that matter) are divided in friendships there is little leaders can do to inspire activities based on love and compassion with those they really do not care that much about.

Sometimes the reward of loving and caring for others is not realized within the time frame we are looking. It has been my experience though, that youth (or adults) respond better when they realize you care more about them than you care about them showing up to your activities.

The Traveler

[Generally_Me]

Well the FHE meeting I planned the other night went all right; bunch of cancellations, but we had around 20 sisters show up. I cut a lot out of the opening skit, and that went all right as well. We did make an early night of it though.

Now for the other 160 sisters

[Guest Alana]

This might not help at all, but it's my only suggestion. Give the girls specific assignments of other girls whom they are supposed to call and get them to come. When I was in young women, I enjoyed the activities, but sometimes it was hard to get there. Knowing that I had called 3 other girls who had given me tentative yeses that they would be there made sure that I got there because they were expecting me.

[Kenny]

I had been wondering what else can i do when no one seems interested in church activities

I am a counselor in the YW.. so fa no one has attended mutual, we talked to the

girls and tried to make them understand the importance of responsability, but they

just dont take responsability, we told them if for any reason they cant go just

let us know via text message...

yesterday my bf and some friends threw me a party for my bday and i had to go earlier because of the mutual just to find out that no one was there... i would be lying if i say i did not get mad.. I dont know what to do I want to be patient but i cant.

oh and we had planned this mutual because soemtimes they say it's boring but the activity we were gonna do was their suggestion and they expressed their desire to learn this but they didnt show up..

what can I do? i just feel like giving up.

There are many reasons why people for one reason or another don't attend activities and none of it is a leader’s fault.

The church is perfect, the program is perfect, have faith in that and do all that you can. If nothing else it will teach and advance you in your understanding of God's plan.

We had in our ward a disabled man in a wheelchair who only had the use of one arm. He is a humble, faithful man that never doubted when they called him as Young Men’s president. He did not try to improve things just followed the program to the letter.

In the beginning he had no councillors just the support of the bishopric. Few young men attended at first but he prevailed and the numbers grew. He would never take any credit because as he always said the program is what brought the youth back all he had to do was hold the reins.

You are a choice sister and child of God clearly willing to sacrifice personal needs to serve. You have been given a sacred opportunity to further the Lords plan for the young souls in your ward. All you really have to do is love them and stick to the plan. Those that are listening to the spirit will respond, grow from the experience and be blessed.

If the Lord were to come into your ward on Sunday I believe the first thing He would do is thank people like you for all your hard work and dedication.

[Gemma]

I would definately work on the parents! Do your YW rely on their parents for transport? It may be that they have a hard time getting to the chapel. You say you have 6 active young women, are they involved and happy on sundays or are they there because they're dragged there - it makes a big difference to how I'd try to solve this.

I wouldn't overemphasize the 'responsibility' factor, as a YW I never thought of mutual as a responsibility, but I always went because I had fun! Once you've got them coming out you can introduce activities with more of a learning/serving emphasis.

If they don't text to say they're not coming how about calling them before hand? No pressure, just hi, are you coming tonight, do you need a lift, we're so excited to see you or we're sad your not coming we'll miss you.

Keep trying, the Lord loves you and will bless you for your efforts and even if you never see it working there will probably be a day when one of your girls remembers that her YW leaders love her and it makes a difference in her life.

Gemma

[Dravin]

On a more serious note. While it's from the perspective of a young man not a young women. I was disinclined to go because I simply wasn't interested in the activities and I could generally find something else to do with my time. Of course I had the scout program to content with, scouts being so tied into young mens and not really being interested in getting an Eagle (or other Scouting awards) I figured there wasn't much point to going. Now if they would have played basketball every Wednesday I probably would have showed up more often, much as I was out of shape I did enjoy basketball.

[Hemidakota]

I had been wondering what else can i do when no one seems interested in church activities

I am a counselor in the YW.. so fa no one has attended mutual, we talked to the

girls and tried to make them understand the importance of responsability, but they

just dont take responsability, we told them if for any reason they cant go just

let us know via text message...

yesterday my bf and some friends threw me a party for my bday and i had to go earlier because of the mutual just to find out that no one was there... i would be lying if i say i did not get mad.. I dont know what to do I want to be patient but i cant.

oh and we had planned this mutual because soemtimes they say it's boring but the activity we were gonna do was their suggestion and they expressed their desire to learn this but they didnt show up..

what can I do? i just feel like giving up.

Reminds me of the Ten Virgin parable....just keep being an example. When you pray, ask GOD to softened their hearts in this matter.

[Churchmouse]

I know how you feel. I really do.

Years ago I was serving as Ward Mission Leader. I worked very hard to set up an Open House. Even had it announced in the newspaper. Noone other than current members showed up.

You can only do your best. You can't earn anyone else's salvation, only your own. (Except for certain cases).