Bizarro YM

We first went to our new ward 3 weeks ago. We walked in a few minutes late, right during the opening hymn, due to a few wrong turns en route to the chapel. We sat down in a pew near the back, and a lady from behind handed us a hymnal, already opened to the song being sung. As I sat there and gazed around, our ward was quite different from our last ward. For one, it was significantly older. In Revere, we were one of about 5 recently married couples without kids. Everybody else was more or less our age, but with kids. But our new ward, in West Bridgewater (WB), had much more mature families, with older kids, older parents, and a few kidless golden oldies sprinkled throughout.

In Revere, people were constantly coming and going. Lots of students and young families. But not in WB. I imagine that most people have been in that area for most of their lives, or at least for more than 5 years. In Revere, if the Bish finds out that you're going to be around for more than a few years, then you're bound to have a big calling like Elder's Quorum Prez or even counselors. I figured I was safe in WB, with all the permanent fixtures hanging around.

After the hymn book incident mentioned above, I was assuming that we would be mobbed right after sacrament meeting in typical Mormon-shark style: "Where are you from? What are your names? Are you members? How come you don't have any kids? Can you come over for dinner?" I love getting the new-kid attention. So once the meeting ended, we sat there, bracing ourselves for the inevitable crush of attention.

It never happened.

Everybody just filed out, talking to the other members they already knew. We sat there, waiting for somebody--ANYBODY--to tell us where Sunday School was. To no avail. Eventually, I asked a passing sister where to go. "Oh, are you new? Welcome to the ward! My name's Sister Smith and I will make you a dozen cookies and have you over for dinner, all the while getting to know you!" Actually, that didn't happen. She just pointed down the hall and scurried off. I still don't know her name.

So we went to Sunday School. The SS prez introduced himself quickly to us and asked us our names, so that was a start. However, there was no Visitor Introductions at the beginning like there is in Revere, so most of the class still didn't know us. About halfway through, the Bishop came in and sat right next to us. I was expecting him to shake our hands and greet us after. Nope. As soon as the prayer ended, he walked off.

But a visiting counselor from the Stake Presidency spotted us and came up to us after. "Hi, are you new?" I thought it was interesting that nobody in the ward had done that, but the VISITING person had. He talked with us for a bit, and then hunted down the Bishop to introduce us. We met, had a brief chat, and then left for Priesthood/RS. Neither Mel nor I were introduced in our respective classes, nor were we spoken to at all. So we just left after and headed home, thinking how weird it was to not be pounced on in a ward that probably rarely gets new people.

I say all this not to complain or say I'm not going back or anything like that. We'll still continue to go to church. And I'm sure we'll grow to love our ward. But the lesson here is...well, it's obvious. Don't be like that. Help new members feel welcome. Just say hi, introduce yourself. It's harder in transient wards, but if you find yourself in a ward where you know exactly who is new and who is not, then you need to get off your duff and say hi. If we were a non-member couple who were just "trying out" the church and nobody knew us, then what would have happened? We probably wouldn't feel all that special.

Anyway.

We missed the next week because we were in New Hampshire. But last week my bro Brian was in town so he attended with us, our second week there. It went better this time. The 2nd cow spotted us and said hi. A couple elders in the quorum said hi to us and chatted for a while with us, and a few sisters welcomed Mel into Relief Society. It felt better. The Bish came up and asked us to come see him on Wednesday. Uh-oh.

We showed up on Wednesday for an interview. After a while of conversing, he sprang my new calling on me: Young Men's Prez. Gulp, I say.

You may recall a few months ago I was called as the Young Men's 1st cow in Revere. I enjoyed the calling, even though the boys were complete hellions. We begged them to come to church. We begged them to wear a collared shirt. We begged them to wear ties. We begged them to come to activities. None of the boys had 2 active parents, and most of them had none. We had to pick them up for church and activities. I bribed them with candy bars to sit still and not pass gas during class. All in all, I had fun, but those kids were pretty out of control. With no parents to discipline them at home, they knew they could get away with anything. I would've like to stay in that ward to be more of an influence, but we had to move.

So instead the Bishop only waits 3 weeks to call me to be YM Prez. During the interview, he discussed the inspiration for such a quick calling. The previous Prez has become less active over the last couple of years, and the counselors were pretty much doing all the work. People asked the Bishop to call a new person, but he just didn't have any inspiration for who it could be. Finally, 3 weeks ago, the old prez calls the Bishop to say he's done with the church. The next sacrament meeting I walk in and the rest is history.

So yesterday was our 3rd Sunday in church. I was sustained as the new YM Prez and afterward we got mobbed, just like I was expecting in the first week. Invited over to dinner, even. It probably helped that the Bish had me stand up and announced me as "the new guy".

Priesthood started and I was introduced to all the boys. All of them had white shirts, at least half had suits on, all of them carrying scriptures, they were the picture of Aaronic perfection. They all politely shook my hand and told me their names, even seeming excited to get to know me. The Revere boys just said, "Who's the new guy?" while begrudgingly shaking my hand.

The Bishop taught Priesthood in his office. About 7 teachers and priests were there. No giggling, no side conversations, nobody dozing off in the corner, just respect and attention. This was the Bizarro Young Men's. When the Bishop asked a question, the boys would open their scriptures to find the answer. I was blown away, these kids were better behaved than a UTAH ward. It was like an army of Rod and Todd Flanders. I think I'll be learning a lot more from these kids than they'll be learning from me.