Talking to other emergency preparedness coordinators, they sometimes expect things to be a bit different for a singles ward. It ends up being very similar in some ways. Getting married people to focus on preparedness is about as difficult as it is with single people—it’s natural to focus more on what is happening than what might happen.
The key difference is with maintaining the emergency plan. We will be sending out more about this later, but for now you should know that every ward needs a plan to check on the safety and needs of the members in the event of an emergency. With our ward that becomes more difficult, because in addition to covering a larger area than most wards, our membership changes more frequently. One plan update involved twenty-two record changes, and even then there were six people that I knew would be leaving soon.
How does this relate to having a good ward? Well, when I was asking for ideas on what constituted a good ward, someone asked if I meant a singles ward or a family ward. My initial thought was that there should not be any differences, but there are probably a few.
Even trying to define what makes a “good” ward seems dicey, but it is probably reasonable to expect that in such a ward there will be opportunities for spiritual growth and fellowship.
There is organization in place for this. Part of this is home and visiting teaching, where we serve others and make sure needs are met, as well as building relationships—but this was covered in the February newsletter.
A big part of it is also that when you come there will be speakers, prayers, hymns and lessons. There are also activities that may be educational, social, or service-based. This gives you regular opportunities to learn, and to feel the Spirit, and to socialize. All of those opportunities require individual participation before they can do any good for the individual.
In turn, the mechanism for putting all of that into place involves church callings, where people are given specific responsibilities. Not only does this make you an active participant in the running of the ward; it also allows the development of talent and spirituality and socialization in multiple ways.
The key word is “allows”. Some callings have more guidelines than others, but there is usually also room for going beyond that.
We expect that someone who is called as a Gospel Doctrine teacher will learn something about the scriptures, even with a cursory review of each lesson. (That is unless you think that people are only called to do things that they already know about, and so the Gospel Doctrine teachers are already experts on the scriptures. Let me assure you that this is not automatically the case.)
The teacher can once a month prepare and give a lesson, and that preparation can lead to greater knowledge for the teacher and class, and for some spiritual growth. On another level, the teacher can try and keep up with all of the lessons, because when you are not the teacher you are a class member, and scripture study is important. The teacher can point at people who raise their hands when questions are asked, or the teacher can make an effort to learn names, creating a warmer environment in the class. Also, preparation can include merely reading over and organizing the material, or it can include prayerful preparation requesting inspiration, where you may even find yourself calling quieter members of the class in advance and asking them to participate in specific ways.
This principle is true for any calling. It may mean an employment specialist including the unemployed members of the ward in personal prayer, or the family history specialist creating a survey to get a grasp on the current situations and needs, but it is always possible to consecrate your service. In some way you have a service to provide to the ward members, and since you are important and they are important, it is an area where you can receive inspiration. Then, as you receive inspiration, you will have a greater understanding of the calling’s importance, which is primarily because of the importance of the people that you serve.
When one friend was asking me about church discipline, all I really knew to tell her was that they don’t let you pay tithing or hold callings, and somehow that does not sound like a vacation to us. It is a privilege to serve, even while it is necessary for our growth and the harmonious operation of a ward. The more people you have trying to really fulfill their callings, the greater your chances of feeling like you have a good ward.
So, how are we different from a family ward? The most obvious way is the lack of families, meaning that no matter how many people need callings, no one is going to get one in Primary or Youth or Nursery. We have Family Home Evenings as a ward, which a family ward should not need. Those are noticeable differences, but they do not change the critical needs of growth, service, and fellowship, nor do they change the opportunity for those things to occur. (In fact, the quieter meetings may help some people feel the Spirit more.)
The issue of constant change, however, does give us an extra handicap. We need to be getting to know each other, and it is much harder to keep up. In a family ward, when an unfamiliar face shows up, probably most members can know with certainty this person is new. In our ward, the unfamiliar could be a new person, a visitor from Westlake, someone returning to the ward from school or a mission, or someone who has been sitting on the other side of the chapel, and you aren’t sure because you have only been in the ward for three months yourself. Do not let this discourage you. Any potential embarrassment has to be outweighed by the importance of reaching out.
There are ways to make things easier. When a new person’s records are read into the ward, if we are paying attention we know the name, face, what they are wearing, and general location. Going and introducing oneself after the meeting is a great idea. Not only do you have the information handed to you, but if you can’t quite remember the following week, odds are good that the new person will have met more people than you, and remember even less. Now that summer is coming we will get lots of chances to put this into practice. In all seriousness, raising our hands to affirm that they are welcome has little meaning if it ends there. All you need to say is, “I don’t think we have met.”
Summer provides another excellent opportunity, in that it should be our turn to clean the building again. This act of service puts us all on equal footing, working together to serve everyone who uses the building. Serving together makes a good ward. Make sure you take at least one shift.
One could argue that for a singles ward to be “good”, there should be dating. Progressing towards marriage is an important part of individual growth, and as such it should not be forgotten. That being said, look at how much of what has already been mentioned involves people paying attention to each other, caring for each other, and getting to know each other, as well as seeking inspiration. Such practices can only help progression towards marriage.
Next month we will learn more about the actual ward emergency plan, and if you can be motivated towards your own preparedness, we have a cannery trip on Tuesday, May 18th from 6-9 PM, where you can add to your own food storage. More information will follow.
