attending ward out of boundary

[dahlia]

Gang -

My son, who lives across the street from me, is looking for a new house; not right away, but he's in the market. My ward boundary ends at a highway that divides the town. All the cute, new housing is north of the highway.

I'm also looking to retire in the next 10 months and to move to something smaller. There is cute, new, smaller housing north of the highway. 

I have only known the 1 ward I am in. Buying a house north of the highway would add a big 5-7 minutes to my distance from church. I am a single; widowed; 'young old'; only 1 child to help me in my old age, including taking me to church activities; person. Obviously I'm trying to make a desperate case here. 

The two wards share the same building, so it's not even like I'd have to go someplace else if I went to a new ward. 

Given the above, what are the chances in Hades that my bishop will let me stay in my current ward?

[Guest MormonGator]

1 hour ago, dahlia said:

Gang -

My son, who lives across the street from me, is looking for a new house; not right away, but he's in the market. My ward boundary ends at a highway that divides the town. All the cute, new housing is north of the highway.

I'm also looking to retire in the next 10 months and to move to something smaller. There is cute, new, smaller housing north of the highway. 

I have only known the 1 ward I am in. Buying a house north of the highway would add a big 5-7 minutes to my distance from church. I am a single; widowed; 'young old'; only 1 child to help me in my old age, including taking me to church activities; person. Obviously I'm trying to make a desperate case here. 

The two wards share the same building, so it's not even like I'd have to go someplace else if I went to a new ward. 

Given the above, what are the chances in Hades that my bishop will let me stay in my current ward?

This is a major problem for some of us. Like it or not, how you fit in with a ward matters. If you feel out of place-it makes it much, much harder to attend services. I feel your pain @dahlia. I hope it works out for you. 

[The Folk Prophet]

2 hours ago, dahlia said:

Given the above, what are the chances in Hades that my bishop will let me stay in my current ward?

That's really a question for your bishop.

[Vort]

Just now, The Folk Prophet said:

2 hours ago, dahlia said:

Given the above, what are the chances in Hades that my bishop will let me stay in my current ward?

That's really a question for your bishop

I believe that is actually a matter for the stake president.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, dahlia said:

Gang -

My son, who lives across the street from me, is looking for a new house; not right away, but he's in the market. My ward boundary ends at a highway that divides the town. All the cute, new housing is north of the highway.

I'm also looking to retire in the next 10 months and to move to something smaller. There is cute, new, smaller housing north of the highway. 

I have only known the 1 ward I am in. Buying a house north of the highway would add a big 5-7 minutes to my distance from church. I am a single; widowed; 'young old'; only 1 child to help me in my old age, including taking me to church activities; person. Obviously I'm trying to make a desperate case here. 

The two wards share the same building, so it's not even like I'd have to go someplace else if I went to a new ward. 

Given the above, what are the chances in Hades that my bishop will let me stay in my current ward?

I'm not sure I understand the dilemma.  You say that your current ward and the one you'd be moving into share the same building.  Why is that changed if you change your ward?

If you're talking about simply not knowing anyone in your new ward -- well, yes, that could happen.  On the other hand, there could be a very welcoming ward there.  Either way, that's life.

I've been in this current ward for about four years now.  I think I only made friends with someone about 6 months ago.  And I have been fairly outspoken and have participated in virtually every activity and  service project, and done my home teaching, now ministering.  And I've done all the stuff you're supposed to do to be social.  And I can only say that I've really only made one friend.  

This may sound like complaining.  It isn't.  It is a recognition of how things tend to be.  You see, I have this problem that my wife only recently told me about.  I appear to be somewhat intimidating.  I had no idea.  I usually spend most of my time worried and scared of everyone else.  To think that I'm intimidating is a joke.  ABSOLUTE JOKE!!!

But apparently a lot of people are afraid to talk to me because I simply don't smile enough.  And without a smile, I'm apparently ... intimidating.

Smiling... So, is that the thing people do with the teeth and stuff?  I always thought that was an aggressive expression where people wanted to eat you or something.  It simply wasn't recognizable.  I just couldn't place it.

Anyway, I've been making an effort to smile more.  I don't know if it is working.  I'll see in a couple more years.

[The Folk Prophet]

12 minutes ago, Vort said:

I believe that is actually a matter for the stake president.

Perhaps authority-wise. But it's still worth asking the bishop.

[Colirio]

58 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Smiling... So, is that the thing people do with the teeth and stuff?  I always thought that was an aggressive expression where people wanted to eat you or something.  It simply wasn't recognizable.  I just couldn't place it.

Anyway, I've been making an effort to smile more.  I don't know if it is working.  I'll see in a couple more years.

[Sunday21]

@dahlia Better to attend church than not to attend church. If you really feel that you need to attend a particular ward, do so. My city once had two wards. Lots of people attended ‘the wrong ward’. No one is going to stop you and in the places that I have lived the bishop and stake pres’s are way too busy to try to force people to obey such rules. Now if you open a casino, they might find you, smirk 😏!

If someone says something, just give them a big 😃 

[Guest MormonGator]

38 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

@dahlia Better to attend church than not to attend church. If you really feel that you need to attend a particular ward, do so.

@dahlia and I are both in the same boat. If the church made it easier for those of us like her and I to attend church, attendance might go up. Keeping people happy is a great way to keep them active. 

[Manners Matter]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 4:56 PM, The Folk Prophet said:

Perhaps authority-wise. But it's still worth asking the bishop.

Only if the bishop knows he's not the one deciding. It was discovered that a family moved in to our boundaries but going to the other ward. Apparently, they got the ok from that bishop. Problem is is that at the time, my ward was seriously struggling numbers-wise and could've benefitted from having that family attending with us and the other bishop should've known that.

Dahlia - Talk to your stake pres and see what he says. You might be pleasantly surprised either way. 

[Sunday21]

21 hours ago, Manners Matter said:

Only if the bishop knows he's not the one deciding. It was discovered that a family moved in to our boundaries but going to the other ward. Apparently, they got the ok from that bishop. Problem is is that at the time, my ward was seriously struggling numbers-wise and could've benefitted from having that family attending with us and the other bishop should've known that.

Dahlia - Talk to your stake pres and see what he says. You might be pleasantly surprised either way. 

A stake representative, with no warning and completely out of context, told me this story about a similar situation. A single mother with 4 young kids was told by a local bishop that she had to attend church not in the chapel around the corner but 45 minutes away. This 45 minutes in snowy Canada on a Sunday (no plows out) becomes frankly white knuckle dangerous especially in a rural setting. So what happened? We lost that family.

Eternal consequences for generations. 

There are times when local representatives need to use their heads

Edited October 30, 2018 by Sunday21

[dahlia]

17 hours ago, Manners Matter said:

Only if the bishop knows he's not the one deciding. It was discovered that a family moved in to our boundaries but going to the other ward. Apparently, they got the ok from that bishop. Problem is is that at the time, my ward was seriously struggling numbers-wise and could've benefitted from having that family attending with us and the other bishop should've known that.

Dahlia - Talk to your stake pres and see what he says. You might be pleasantly surprised either way. 

Thanks. I didn't know it was a stake kinda thing.

[bytebear]

What an opportunity.  You get to meet and become a member of a while new ward, and still get to see and associate with your old ward family.  Win-win.