moving guidelines

[sweetisthework]

Does anyone have any ward guidelines for moving that they could share? A sometimes-active family in our ward has asked for help in moving their family from a second floor apartment to another second floor apartment across town. By way of assistance, they need boxes, trucks and bodies. They want to move on Good Friday because "isn't everyone off Good Friday?" (We live in eastern US, some folks are off on Good Friday but not all). A Good Friday move is necessary for them, as they cannot move Saturday because their child is being baptized on Saturday (yes, during the move). They stated friends and family cannot help them move, so church family must move them. The EQP (new in this role) wants to be of service, but feels like he now "owns" this problem. Any advice?

Thanks for allowing me to post this. I enjoy reading the forum.

[estradling75]

Get as many people as you can... More people generally means quicker and less tiring.

You've got two sets of stairs try bucket brigading the stuff. (ie have people hold still and pass the stuff along)

Make sure they are packed and ready to go before the moving groups get there.. (Usally the night before) All people are volunteers and they are willing to help but that fades quick if they have to stand around waiting.

[Dravin]

Make sure they are packed and ready to go before the moving groups get there.. (Usally the night before) All people are volunteers and they are willing to help but that fades quick if they have to stand around waiting.

This!

Some 'rules':

1) Only furniture and boxes are going to be moved (Well and maybe things like bags of clothes). Baring physical disability everyone is capable of packing boxes, not so much with moving a refrigerator by themselves.

2) Get a handle for how much stuff is being moved and how far as it effects how many trucks you need to not get bottlenecked. It may not even be a bad idea to ask the movee to help arrange a truck(s) if you can provide them with names or they have family who can lend one.

3) Unless there is a reason they can't, they really should probably provide their own boxes. Have them call grocery stores (if you catch them before a shipment you can ask them to not break down the boxes but leave some for you). Places like Costco also sometimes able to provide free boxes.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Dravin

[sweetisthework]

EQP is going to ask for volunteers from the ward and ask for assistance from home teachers and the youth. What if few, if any, volunteers step forward? How much responsibility does EQP have? EQP asked bishopric for feedback, but our (new) Bishop is out of town for the next few weeks (conference and seeing family out in Utah), and the counselors just tossed it back to EQP (all are new in their roles). I want to be of service but I do not want to be moving members during Easter weekend (many of us are converts and Good Friday holds special meaning to us).

[slamjet]

One EQP I had made sure that the family that was moving was prepared for them and that they understood that they need to box up their stuff and have it ready. That the EQ was going to help them move, not pack.

I know when I moved my family last, the EQ president came in and was shocked. Everything was boxed, 75% of it was piled in the living room, the beds were disassembled, and the truck was purposely oversize for what we needed, and we bought two handtrucks. My apartment was cleaned out and packed in less than 1.5 hours. My ex and I are pragmatic people, so we did our best to show our appreciation by doing our part of the work.

[estradling75]

EQP is going to ask for volunteers from the ward and ask for assistance from home teachers and the youth. What if few, if any, volunteers step forward? How much responsibility does EQP have? EQP asked bishopric for feedback, but our (new) Bishop is out of town for the next few weeks (conference and seeing family out in Utah), and the counselors just tossed it back to EQP (all are new in their roles). I want to be of service but I do not want to be moving members during Easter weekend (many of us are converts and Good Friday holds special meaning to us).

This is a problem all EQP face in this issue and the answer is get as many as you can. Sorry no magic answer there. Simple math. The more people you have and the the better prepared the family is, the faster it will go. Less people the longer it takes... and it not like you aren't going to do it if only a few show up.

[Guest mormonmusic]

Here is my philosophy of moving:

1. If someone is moving into the Ward, we will provide a full-service move where we meet the person with the truck at their home in our Ward, having arranged all volunteers. This is to help the new family feel welcome in the Ward, and also meet existing expectations for what friendly Ward does.

2. If someone is moving within, or out of the Ward, the priesthood leadership's role is limited to making an announcement in various meetings on Sunday. The family moving is responsible for raising their own volunteers.

3. We have a checklist we distributed to everyone indicating the things THEY should do before moving day, and this includes finding a truck, finding boxes, being packed up, and making sure they give a lot of notice so there is time for people to check their schedules.

4. We were willing to make exceptions to this rule when the person was unable to do these things for themselves.

I felt this was fair given the number of times people have expected us to arrnage everything -- from a truck to volunteers to packing, spending the whole day moving when people could have done that work themself....there is a fine line between service and free labor.

[lizzy16]

Moving people is a big problem in my ward. MormonMusic list sounds great.

Usually in my ward its my brother and a few old guys in there 60's and mostly unable to really lift.. showing up and helping all day. And, no one else....

[estradling75]

My ward does a lot of moves we have a list similar to mormonmusic. Basically barring special needs we are there to do heavy lifting no more.

Now it seems like the OP is a bit worried about getting people to show, and that is a more universal problem. And the only real answer is follow up, ask for help (invite) in the meetings, and the night before call with a reminder. It is alot of work, but it really the only way other then just trusting that people will show.

[NeuroTypical]

They stated friends and family cannot help them move, so church family must move them.

The church "must" do no such dang thing. In the training supplied for the new auxiliary handbooks, moving was specifically mentioned as something the EQ might choose to do less, so they could focus on spiritual needs more. The Bishop is over the temporal needs of the ward. If he wants to help buy them boxes, that's his call.

Now, all that said, there are blessings that spring from service. Even when serving difficult people or personalities.

[Dravin]

The church "must" do no such dang thing. In the training supplied for the new auxiliary handbooks, moving was specifically mentioned as something the EQ might choose to do less, so they could focus on spiritual needs more. The Bishop is over the temporal needs of the ward. If he wants to help buy them boxes, that's his call.

Now, all that said, there are blessings that spring from service. Even when serving difficult people or personalities.

I just say it would completely blow my mind to see the Deacon, Teachers, and Priest's take point and providing most of the bodies on something like that.

Edited March 31, 2011 by Dravin

[lizzy16]

I just say it would completely blow my mind to see the Deacon, Teachers, and Priest's take point and providing most of the bodies on something like that.

I find it rather attractive when the young men step up and help :)

[Wingnut]

The church "must" do no such dang thing. In the training supplied for the new auxiliary handbooks, moving was specifically mentioned as something the EQ might choose to do less, so they could focus on spiritual needs more. The Bishop is over the temporal n

I remember hearing that, and I've been wanting to say it, but I couldn't find it in the handbook, and wasn't sure if it was written as an example, or if it was just stated (albeit multiple times) during the training sessions.

[Guest saintish]

My personal philosophy about requesting help (in general not just concerning moving)has always been; only ask when you really need help i.e. your not just being lazy, don't expect any help and be gracious for the help you do get even if its only one or two people, and make it a priority to help someone else after you have received help.

[MorningStar]

Why does their child have to be baptized that weekend? That certainly complicates things.

When it comes to moving, I don't have any tolerance for people who won't help themselves. Of course, some people can't help themselves. The ward completely moved out a single sister who had cancer and she was a wonderful woman who always helped others and was self-reliant. We had an able bodied family who had packed almost nothing even though they knew they were moving for 3 months and they didn't rent a truck. They expected to go back and forth to their new house in the ward with just a borrowed trailer. My husband went to help and he said it was the worst move of all time. He had just started his new job and had to get up at 4am and was there until 10 at night. They weren't able to finish moving everything and the wife called at 8:30pm the next night asking if he could come help with the piano and furniture. Oh heck no. This family is known for having a sense of entitlement and I just ignored the message.

I think every EQ pres. who is put in charge of this kind of thing should make it very clear that the boxes should be packed for people to load or they can hire someone. We had 3 families move in or out in one week.

With one family, their stuff wasn't packed completely, so some women went over to help. The wife kept complaining about the stuff she wasn't ready to have packed yet for sentimental reasons. She said she wanted the picture frames to be the last thing taken down. Are you kidding me?! People come to bail her out and she's complaining. I told her she either needed to set aside the things she didn't want packed or expect that it would be packed. Her husband was sitting around doing nothing a lot of the time and I wanted to scream. Then they needed help cleaning their apartment.

[Jennarator]

I just moved yesterday, no one from either ward showed up. Even tho both wards offered services. I was glad my husband's family lives close, it took a while, but we got it done.

[Dravin]

I find it rather attractive when the young men step up and help :)

It's never really been a turn on for me, probably for at least a couple of reasons.

[slamjet]

I helped one family move. The dad was indecisive and ineffectual. They were packing while we were moving them (even though they KNEW they were moving long before) and because of my big mouth, ability to make a decision and no one else stepped up, I became the default leader in charge. I was the one deciding which of the two trucks stuff went into (they needed at least a couple of semi's); storage or house. I finally had enough and left when the mom was fussing over whether to keep these old Targeteer button things that haven't been used in a decade, and the dad was fussing whether to keep two grand pianos that were in the garage, stripped down to nothing including the finish, water damaged and he admitted to them both having sat there for decades.

I reserve the right to abandon the move when it goes from ridiculous to futile to just plain asinine. And I REFUSE to box up anyone's stuff if they are able to do it themselves. Lack of planning their move on their part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

Edited March 31, 2011 by slamjet

[NeuroTypical]

Yep - helping folks who can't do for themselves - absolutely. Helping folks who are doing the best they can - no problem. Sheltering people from just consequences springing from their own choices - well, sometimes that's what 'help', 'love', or 'service' looks like. But sometimes not.

Edited March 31, 2011 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[applepansy]

True service is rarely convenient.

:)

[beefche]

Our ward has new rules (well, new as of 4 years ago). All ward moves are to be run through the EQP. He will inspect home (a quick walk through)--if the home is unsanitary, no help in moving. Too much liability for the church if someone gets sick or something. After the walk through, the family is instructed they are required to pack their things. If they need help packing (due to disability or some reasonable reason) then we can organize people to help pack. The family is to provide trucks (either ask friends or rent a truck). The EQP will be at the house on X date and will help move for X time. They will only move large items (such as furniture) and boxes that are packed.

With those rules, people seem to take more responsibility and realize that the church is not a moving service. The church is liable if anyone gets hurt during the move (I know a guy who hurt his back moving someone and the church paid for his medical bills), so our ward decided to reduce the requests of those "I've known I needed to move for 6 months, but now I have to move out by tomorrow at midnight and I've not packed anything because I thought the whole ward would just show up and do all the work" demands.

Of course circumstances vary, but the EQP is pretty good at recognizing true need with laziness.

[Madriglace]

Our ward has new rules (well, new as of 4 years ago). All ward moves are to be run through the EQP. He will inspect home (a quick walk through)--if the home is unsanitary, no help in moving. Too much liability for the church if someone gets sick or something. After the walk through, the family is instructed they are required to pack their things. If they need help packing (due to disability or some reasonable reason) then we can organize people to help pack. The family is to provide trucks (either ask friends or rent a truck). The EQP will be at the house on X date and will help move for X time. They will only move large items (such as furniture) and boxes that are packed.

With those rules, people seem to take more responsibility and realize that the church is not a moving service. The church is liable if anyone gets hurt during the move (I know a guy who hurt his back moving someone and the church paid for his medical bills), so our ward decided to reduce the requests of those "I've known I needed to move for 6 months, but now I have to move out by tomorrow at midnight and I've not packed anything because I thought the whole ward would just show up and do all the work" demands.

Of course circumstances vary, but the EQP is pretty good at recognizing true need with laziness.

Great rules! We have had a rash out break of people wanting help moving and then when help arrives nothing is packed ... they aren't even out of bed. Making the rules very clear is primary ... also walking out if they don't do their share should be right up there. Get the RS pres involved... especially if they have been in the position for awhile ... after being in the calling for a few years they tend to have a backbone of steel and get things done. Moving on Good Friday will probably get HP out to help, unfortunatly most Elders work for a living ... we had one lady said she didn't want anyone to come over age 60 ... she had moved herself. Service is what we in the church are all bout but sometimes service has to be about teaching as well ... if we do everything for people what are we teaching them?

[Guest saintish]

personally i think its pretty sad that rules like that need to be established but they are completely understandable.

[Guest jackymark001]

As soon as you know about the move:

*

Assign a lead person to coordinate meetings and assign responsibilities.

*

Start planning meetings with affected staff.

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Meet with space planners (probably someone in your Facilities office) about move dates, space allocations and what's happening with existing equipment.

*

Discuss any special records management requirements such as reinforced floors for certain types of filing equipment, electrical outlets for PCs, etc.

*

Develop a timeline - Who does What and When.

[Moorco]

Plenty of good advice here, but I might suggest enlisting the help of a moving company if it's not that far and there's two sets of stairs involved. My father-in-law got hurt pretty badly falling on some stairs last time they tried doing it on their own. I know the cost may seem prohibitive, but you can usually get a couple guys for an hour or two, at least for the heavy stuff, without breaking the bank. I've used 3 Movers in the past just to have some extra hands on deck for the stuff I didn't want to deal with and it wasn't too much.