Serving on the welcoming committee

[LadyHanley93]

I was recently called to be a welcoming committee member and I have a blast on this committee as one of my good friends is on the committee as well. I do a lot of texting to promote the linger longers we have in my YSA ward. However, I am starting to see the dysfunction of our welcoming committee. Their are 15 welcoming committee members and yesterday only four of us showed up to help and two other members that are not apart of our committee helped us as well. We have over 200 members in our ward and so this is not an easy task. I texted all of our other committee members to please show up at noon to set up. I am not really sure how to explain this but one of co chairs is always on top of things she is amazing! well call her Kat! And our other co chair I am not sure what planet he is on but he is rarely available to talk to even on the phone about linger longers. Lets call him John. I notice a lot of the work falls on Kat and I tell her I am more than willing to help her with anything she needs. A lot of our committee members are inactive and some just ignore our texts. Yesterday my friend told me that Kat got a lot of complaints that I was texting inactive people. I thought it was because I texted my former visiting teaching who is inactive. I don't just go on LDS tools and look up numbers to text these are numbers I have in my phone! I texted Kat and she told me it was people who where leaving for school or moving out of the ward on our committee and I didn't realize this and only one person told me that she was leaving for school. Their names are off the committee member list and I won't be texting them anymore. She assured me I didn't do anything wrong and that she appreciates and is grateful for my help. Now keep in mind I don't manage everyone schedules. I see the dysfunction in our committee and I see Kat who works so hard for these events frustrated and stressed. I realize you cannot force people to do their callings. However, I take my calling seriously as I was a convert in the ward and the welcoming committee stepped up to make me feel welcomed and felt like a apart of the family. Do you think it would be wrong of me to ask our Bishop to release those who refuse to participate in our committee?

Edited August 31, 2015 by LadyHanley93

[Leah]

To answer the question posed in your last sentence....yes, that would absolutely be wrong of you. You would be way out of line.

[beefche]

Yes, I think it would be wrong to ask the Bishop to release other people.

 

You have to focus on your calling and how you are doing on your calling. Don't worry about how others are doing.

 

If those people want you to stop texting them, then stop. You can ask Kat what you can do to be more of a help to her.

[pkstpaul]

Do you think it would be wrong of me to ask our Bishop to release those who refuse to participate in our committee?

Yes. You are more likely find yourself reassigned when doing something like that. Once you get good at your calling, they'll move you.

[hagoth]

I think it would be more appropriate to have the chairpeople talk to the bishop, explain the situation, and ask for more people to be called to the committee. If he chooses to release some of the others, that's his call.

[Blackmarch]

I was recently called to be a welcoming committee member and I have a blast on this committee as one of my good friends is on the committee as well. I do a lot of texting to promote the linger longers we have in my YSA ward. However, I am starting to see the dysfunction of our welcoming committee. Their are 15 welcoming committee members and yesterday only four of us showed up to help and two other members that are not apart of our committee helped us as well. We have over 200 members in our ward and so this is not an easy task. I texted all of our other committee members to please show up at noon to set up. I am not really sure how to explain this but one of co chairs is always on top of things she is amazing! well call her Kat! And our other co chair I am not sure what planet he is on but he is rarely available to talk to even on the phone about linger longers. Lets call him John. I notice a lot of the work falls on Kat and I tell her I am more than willing to help her with anything she needs. A lot of our committee members are inactive and some just ignore our texts. Yesterday my friend told me that Kat got a lot of complaints that I was texting inactive people. I thought it was because I texted my former visiting teaching who is inactive. I don't just go on LDS tools and look up numbers to text these are numbers I have in my phone! I texted Kat and she told me it was people who where leaving for school or moving out of the ward on our committee and I didn't realize this and only one person told me that she was leaving for school. Their names are off the committee member list and I won't be texting them anymore. She assured me I didn't do anything wrong and that she appreciates and is grateful for my help. Now keep in mind I don't manage everyone schedules. I see the dysfunction in our committee and I see Kat who works so hard for these events frustrated and stressed. I realize you cannot force people to do their callings. However, I take my calling seriously as I was a convert in the ward and the welcoming committee stepped up to make me feel welcomed and felt like a apart of the family. Do you think it would be wrong of me to ask our Bishop to release those who refuse to participate in our committee?

I think that much would be stepping ofver the line on that last bit.... however letting him know about it and that it's hampering the service, and then asking for suggestions on what to about it might be a decent way of bringing it to his attention.

I think there is a general problem of complacency. but I think that is a human trait in general.

[NightSG]

Just put a sign at each door:

"WELCOME.

Due to lack of participation, this is all the welcome you get. Have a nice day."

It's still more than you'll get at some wards.

Edited September 9, 2015 by NightSG

[thoughts]

Yes wrong to ask.   But absolutely right to be find a way to broaden the welcoming committee's job to helping the committee memebers want to help and be part of things.   Maybe the Lord called them to the position because they aren't very social themselves and they need help learning how to be, or feeling safe to be, or having transportation to do.  Or something else.

[NightSG]

Just put a sign at each door:

"WELCOME.

Due to lack of participation, this is all the welcome you get. Have a nice day."

It's still more than you'll get at some wards.

Sorry; I forgot that signs at the doors are apparently prohibited by yet another of those unwritten rules. Wouldn't want anyone to know what's going on when they show up at the scheduled time and find the parking lot empty and doors locked, after all.