I have a dilema...

[jman]

First off let me say hello. I'm new to the site and am impressed with the activity here. I remember many years back when Beliefnet.com was the active place to talk about our beliefs/problems/concerns. It is not as active and far to open to the 'anti-mormon'. It's nice to see a pretty fair balance of opinions here. I think I'm going to enjoy it here.

Now on to my dilema. I am an inactive member of the church. I am inactive not because its something i nessecarily choose but because I work weekends. I am a Park Ranger by trade and weekends are quite simply the busiest time of the week. My weekends are mid-week and my 'sundays' are typically Wednesday or Thursday. I open my park and am at work from 5:30am until 2pm. So this pretty much rules out going to church. Our church is not the most open to those who can't make it on Sundays.

I know I'm not the only member who faces this dilema and I'm wondering how others go about being active when they work Sundays. I listen to a lot of podcasts, I have the Mormon Channel app on my android phone and listen to that a couple of times a week at lunch and what not. I read the Ensign and the scriptures fairly regularly as well. I recently listened to a talk given to BYU by...you know now I forget who gave the talk but essentially the speaker was expressing his opinion that the spirit of the church is not in the church buidlings but rather in the family, and more precisely in our own hearts. I took that to heart and don't feel distant from Jesus or God but I do feel distant from the church I've chosen to belong to.

Thanks in advance for any advice, anecdotes, and what not that you all might be able to provide.

[skippy740]

Welcome to the forum!

Serious question: Can you take 1 Sunday off per month (or start your shift later) so you can attend a Sacrament meeting - and partake? Or even go during a lunch hour?

Aside from the fellowship and spiritual nourishment from the lessons & talks, that's the main thing you're missing out on.

[Roseslipper]

hello and welcome. Maybe u can go to a instutude class in the evenings, or some of the functions that go on. you can also look at some of the internet stuff theres lds.org, byu, LDS Songs, Mormon Music for LDS Church members at yourLDSradio.com etc etc.

[john doe]

Depending on where you live, there may be ward near you that meets in the 1-4PM block. If that is the case, you may be able to catch an hour or so after work if you hurry. I would suggest that you meet with your bishop and explain to him your situation, and request that you receive good home teachers who will visit regularly.

[MsMagnolia]

The most important part of the Sabbath worship is the partaking of the sacrament and renewing our baptismal covenant. Through the sacrament will literally become clean again if we partake worthily. My husband has to work some sundays and he always feels the loss of the sacrament on those sundays. He likens it to his spiritual bucket getting low. I hope you can work something out so that you can partake of the sacrament sometimes.

Mags

[mrmarklin]

First off let me say hello. I'm new to the site and am impressed with the activity here. I remember many years back when Beliefnet.com was the active place to talk about our beliefs/problems/concerns. It is not as active and far to open to the 'anti-mormon'. It's nice to see a pretty fair balance of opinions here. I think I'm going to enjoy it here.

Now on to my dilema. I am an inactive member of the church. I am inactive not because its something i nessecarily choose but because I work weekends. I am a Park Ranger by trade and weekends are quite simply the busiest time of the week. My weekends are mid-week and my 'sundays' are typically Wednesday or Thursday. I open my park and am at work from 5:30am until 2pm. So this pretty much rules out going to church. Our church is not the most open to those who can't make it on Sundays.

I know I'm not the only member who faces this dilema and I'm wondering how others go about being active when they work Sundays. I listen to a lot of podcasts, I have the Mormon Channel app on my android phone and listen to that a couple of times a week at lunch and what not. I read the Ensign and the scriptures fairly regularly as well. I recently listened to a talk given to BYU by...you know now I forget who gave the talk but essentially the speaker was expressing his opinion that the spirit of the church is not in the church buidlings but rather in the family, and more precisely in our own hearts. I took that to heart and don't feel distant from Jesus or God but I do feel distant from the church I've chosen to belong to.

Thanks in advance for any advice, anecdotes, and what not that you all might be able to provide.

You are more active than most that actually go to church. You are a good LDS person, because God is in your heart.

[jayanna]

You know, when I haven't been able to go to church in the past for illness, I was able to receive the sacrament in my home. My home teachers did that for me and my children, because the were little. Do you have home teachers? Maybe you could call the elders, who teach inactive members as well, if they could help you with that.

Also you could invite the elders over for dinner, they usually have a spiritual message...if you want you could tell them to invite an investigator that they are teaching to have a discussion in your home. That way you could make friends, get a spiritual message brought to your home by someone else, and do missionary work, all in one evening!

[Moksha]

Jman, out of curiousity what name did you use at Beliefnet?

[MormonMama]

I also worked a job for many years that required me to work all day on Sundays and that may be the case again very soon. I made sure to do my Visiting Teaching, made sure I had VT's and HT's come to me regularly, did personal and family prayer and scripture study each day as well as FHE every week and also got involved in any other church activities that I could. No one ever offered to bring the Sacrament to my home and it wasn't something I knew I could ask for, but maybe you should talk to your bishop about that.