New Church policy regarding Bishop and Stake President interviews

[John_Pack_Lambert]

One issue with an earlier statements. Here in Michigan less than 0.5% of the population is LDS, so it is hard to say we are high densisity LDS. Yet the Church has an LDS Family Services office here in Michigan,. employing multiple full time conselors. 

[John_Pack_Lambert]

An additional issue is that some of us have dealt with issues of addition to pornography and masturbation, and we are less than sure that regular counselors will recognize these as issues. Especially when as a teenager we had a psychiatrist who interpreted our not presently having a girlfriend as "not liking sex" or something like that. I don't remember exactly, but my mother felt red flag worry. I think my health plan has a $20 co-pay per visit to a counselor, and yet these counselors often want to at least start out on weekly visits. Some want to standardize to 2 visits per month per year, that adds up to $420 dollars annually. 

 

Another issue is that American medical treatment is over dependent on medication. Some of us neded medication for sure, and periodic visits to psychiatrists, which are another set of $20 co-pays. Some plans even count psychiatrists as non-primary physicians and will bill $40 co-pays per visit. Psychiatrists are not meant to be counselors, but many people like me absolutely need medications. Even if I was doing biweekly visits to a counselor I would still need my medications. 

 

So yes, LDS family services is a good option. Even more so for pre-marital counseling, which is one of the ones I did. 

[John_Pack_Lambert]

In my stake we have the personal storehouse project. A lot of this focuses on helping those, especially in the inner city and YSAs, who are marginally employed, living in povetrty etc. However it is also partly focused on identifying and connecting with resources. This is also a long standing issue with the bishop's storehouse.

 

In the 1930s when the modern bishop's storehouses were begun it was largely about food and other physical resources. We still have storehouses that house such. However there is also a storehouse of less tangible goods. In my region and probably elsewhere the Church had developed a list of people with various skills, from plumbers, to electricians, to counselors to lawyers. If a member needs electrical work, or a laywer to help with non-payment of say contract work as a carpenter's assistant, the bishop contacts someone in the bishop storehouse. A contract is drawn up with the member with those skills, and they are paid through fast offering funds to wire a house, fix plumbing, write a letter to someone who has not paid a needed debt, such as for time as a nanny or what have you, or to provide mental health counseling. 

 

I am not sure I have fully explained all that is involved here. However it is not just diapers, canned corn and macaroni noodels that come from the bishop's storehouse, but various other services that are needed to met the necesities of life.

[mordorbund]

1 hour ago, John_Pack_Lambert said:

In my stake we have the personal storehouse project. A lot of this focuses on helping those, especially in the inner city and YSAs, who are marginally employed, living in povetrty etc. However it is also partly focused on identifying and connecting with resources. This is also a long standing issue with the bishop's storehouse.

 

In the 1930s when the modern bishop's storehouses were begun it was largely about food and other physical resources. We still have storehouses that house such. However there is also a storehouse of less tangible goods. In my region and probably elsewhere the Church had developed a list of people with various skills, from plumbers, to electricians, to counselors to lawyers. If a member needs electrical work, or a laywer to help with non-payment of say contract work as a carpenter's assistant, the bishop contacts someone in the bishop storehouse. A contract is drawn up with the member with those skills, and they are paid through fast offering funds to wire a house, fix plumbing, write a letter to someone who has not paid a needed debt, such as for time as a nanny or what have you, or to provide mental health counseling. 

 

I am not sure I have fully explained all that is involved here. However it is not just diapers, canned corn and macaroni noodels that come from the bishop's storehouse, but various other services that are needed to met the necesities of life.

Hi John,

As you can see a poster can quote an earlier post that prompted a response. It would be a lot easier to follow your posts if we had that context.

For future posts, you can click on the "Quote" link at the bottom of the post you're responding to.

[zil]

Welcome (back), @John_Pack_Lambert!

[An Investigator]

I will admit I haven't read through this whole thread .... I have essays to write and I am procrastinating hahaha

I actually welcome this change,  I have two children under 6 and I view it as mine and my husbands responsibility to teach my Children what the law of Chastity is NOT the Bishop.  I don't mind a question about if its obayed but anything added to that is inappropriate in my opinion unless specifically brought up by my Children.    I grew up a Catholic and the whole world view of equating one's body with shame, an over emphasis on modesty and being/ doing something dirty is not conducive to healthy relationships and body image in my opinion.   For this reason I fully intend to attend my children's interviews until they are 14 or so and then they can decide themselves.

Also I went to my Bishop with a problem and he specifically said I don't want to know, I can get the Church to pay for some therapy if you need it and are unable to pay, but I am not trained in this type of thing,  which I really appreciated as the way I was feeling at the time he could have totally made it worse.   

Edited April 5, 2018 by An Investigator

[Guest]

I'm not sure why this is big news.  One reason why they announced this was that no one was aware of the already existing policy that already allowed for such.

[zil]

47 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I'm not sure why this is big news.  One reason why they announced this was that no one was aware of the already existing policy that already allowed for such.

I had not read much of HB2 until I got my current calling.  At that point, perhaps because I felt desperately unqualified and unprepared, I read all the chapters which weren't specific to any auxiliary / calling, and the RS chapter (no time to read the entire thing).  I was shocked and impressed.  I expected it to be as dry as the worst legal contract ever written (sorry, @Just_A_Guy, but legalese is the definition of yawn-inducing).  What I found was one of the best gospel lessons ever written.

Thereafter, in appropriate settings, I enthusiastically encouraged the sisters in RS (and my presidency, after they were called) to do the same.  If anyone took me up on that recommendation, they haven't let me know it, which I take to mean few if any did (which may be wrong, but I figure if it can get me excited enough to share, surely it would get others excited enough to express their reaction).  I find this depressing (I'm kinda hoping my depression is unwarranted, but the cynic in me says it's not).