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Tagged: ward splitting
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Help!!! My ward is splitting in a few weeks! I’m sooooooo nervous!
Our stake is making 2 wards out of two. I’m terrified to lose my friends and worried about starting over with a new group of people. Most of the members of the new ward will be from the other ward (not mine) and I’m so worried!
Please no horror stories–I’m scared enough already!!!!
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It is good that you have so many good friends. Your friends are not moving anywhere. Odds are you will still see them in the same building. True it is going to talk a little more effort to keep in contact with them. That being said there will be some really cool people in the new ward and you have a great opportunity to make new friends. Making new friends can be hard but it is a whole lot easier at church. Here are three easy steps.
Step one: Make eye contact
Step two: Smile
Step three : Say “Hi, My name is _________, What subject do you wish you had paid more attention to in school?”If you do not like that questions you can pick some others like-
What biblical name do you like?
What is one thing you are sure about?
What traditions does your family have?
What was a piece of advice that your father gave you?
Who would you run into a burning building to save?
When was the first time you say the ocean?
What goals do you have for your children?
What nickname do you have?
What is your favorite way to get exercise?
What is the biggest obstacle preventing you from starting your own business?
What restaurant do you go to more than any other?
What charity do you support?
What is your favorite song from a Broadway musical?
What is the prettiest place you have been?
What sports team do you love to see lose?Questions came from http://www.gettoknowu.com/Catagory/Philosophy_01.php
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Been there, done that. It was a mixture of fun and not-so-fun, but it all worked out. The not-so-fun part is losing contact with your old friends. The fun part is making new friends.
People change wards frequently, so it’s no new thing to be in a ward where you don’t know people.
The key is to be outgoing. Take the initiative and introduce yourself. Participate in classes. Attend as many activities as you can. Volunteer at every opportunity.
We tend to be clannish because we like our comfort zone. But when a new person shows interest in what we’re doing, we tend to like them and include them in our activities.
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If your ward is splitting it means the gosple is spreading and the church is growing. Be a “unitor” and not a “divider”. Welcome everyone. There should be no clicks. There isn’t room for them in the gosple of Jesus Christ. I’ve been through many branch and ward changes. It will give opprotunities for those that haven’t had a chance to serve or those who get lost in the shuffle of larger wards. As with anything, it’s what you choose to make of it. Your attitude will determine your latitude.
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Pray and be friendly.
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Don’t worry. We all need change in our lives and those people in the ward before don’t stop being your friends you just won’t see them at church every Sunday. You need to make sure that you don’t lose contact with those people, my Mother and Father don’t even live in their first ward anymore and they have friends from that ward still.
You really don’t lose contact with them so long as you make an effort to keep in touch with them. Second, yes I agree with the others. Remember what the 15th President of the Church President Hinckley said, we all need a friend, a calling, and the good word of god. I know I paraphrased that, but a good book that could help you with that as well is called “Change your Questions Change your Life.” If you remember what President Hinckley said and make the best of it. I’m sure you’ll find that good friend in the ward and people will think of you in the same way.http://deseretbook.com/Change-Your-Questions-Life-Wendy-Watson-Nelson/i/4961376
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What a great thing to happen. I had this happen many times over my life.
I have found it to be blessing. Just remember Heavenly Father see the big picture we don’t see. You will just increase your friends circle.My husband Bruce and I was so scared when we was called to be an inner city missionaries a year ago this week. To serve the Canella tree Hispanic branch. We barley know any Spanish and leave my home ward I loved to be with for another branch and stake was frightful. Would we be able to serve them the way the Lord wanted us to. Would they be able to understand me and I them.The service is all in the Spanish language.
The answer is yes. We just did not see the big picture Heavenly Father knew What he was doing when he sent us there. Some how the Spirits communicates.
Its really strange they will talk in Spanish and we will talk in English and somehow we just understand each other. If you show the love and be friendly they can’t help but communicate and love you as well.We know when our mission is over we will be so sad to leave our little (means Cinnamon tree )Canalla tree branch Or the branch with the lovely little brown sweet spice.
Look forward not back. Heavenly Father sees your big picture .Say to your self wow I’m excited to be going to the
new ward.Hugs Diane and Bruce Haggart
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My first thought when I saw this panic was…
“I will go where you want me to go Dear Lord”you know I would say that you jump in and be so so supportive through this change!
It means growth some where in your stake!
You have dear friends in your “Old ward” and now you add to them as you make friends in your “New Ward!
The Bishop needs your love and support!So I sayt dive in with enthusiasm and be what He needs you to be!
Rochelle -
My family of 4 was baptized in 1998. In 1999 our Ward split. I was working shiftwork at the time and would only be able to come to Church 1 Sunday out of 4. PLUS, like you, most of my friends best friends and teachers were staying in the old Ward. I cried–HARD–all the way home (a trip of 30 minutes). It seems so odd now, but I was very judgemental, considering myself better educated and somehow “above” many of those who would be in our new Branch.
Guess what. It didn’t take long before I was getting acquainted and becoming comfortable and realizing that I loved our new Branch just as much as I had loved the Ward. You make new friends, you learn lots about yourself and others, you get new callings that challenge you, and you grow in your love of the gospel.
Good luck. Feel free to email me if you need to talk about it or vent or whatever. I’ll be praying for you because I know how you feel!
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We just did that and I was so excited, for one thing it means GROWTH in the church!! Building the kingdom of God here on Earth, what could be better? Another thing I was excited about is the personal growth opportunity. With a smaller new ward people who were standing in the background have had a chance to step up and have their talents utilized. It is hard to have friends split up. Our whole stake was redistributed to make 6 wards from 4 and it split my whole family up, we all ended up in different wards. Kind of makes it hard to get together for family dinner on Sunday, but the growth is worth it :)
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I’ve been there too! It is hard. Our church is very good at helping you really lean on and care for each other in a ward, so when those people that you have leaned on are gone, it does take some adjustment. Just go to that first sunday with a smile and just scope it out, see you is there that you know and go sit by them, look around and see who else is there that might be similar to you in family size and situation and make a goal to meet them. Chances are, they will want and need your friendship as much as you need theirs! And in no time you will have the spirit of the Lord again in your ward and it will abound into friendships that you are grateful for!! and you won’t even remember why you were so afraid of your old ward changing.
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I’ve been there too! It is hard. Our church is very good at helping you really lean on and care for each other in a ward, so when those people that you have leaned on are gone, it does take some adjustment. Just go to that first Sunday with a smile and just scope it out, see who is there that you know and go sit by them, look around and see who else is there that might be similar to you in family size and situation and make a goal to meet them. Chances are, they will want and need your friendship as much as you need their’s! And in no time you will have the spirit of the Lord again in your ward and it will abound into friendships that you are grateful for!! and you won’t even remember why you were so afraid of your old ward changing.
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We went from 2 wards meeting in our building to 3. We were put into the new ward and I was Primary President when the change was made. Well, they decided to keep me in that calling in the new ward. Talk about hard for me, I had all these new names to learn in Primary. It took a little time and I tried to call counselors that came from the other ward so we could unite the two into a 3rd ward. It was difficult at first, but within 3 or 4 months we became our own ward. We came to love all the children and now it’s hard for me to even remember not being with these wonderful children. I have made many new friends. We have had a 3rd ward for about 2 years now. It did take me out of my comfort zone, but you know I think that is good for all of us sometimes to help us grow. I know it did me.
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I’ve lived on the same street for over 15 years and I am now in my fourth new ward. Yes, you may lose a few friends, but you will gain new ones. Nearly everyone you have ever become friends with started out as someone you did not know, right? It’s kinda cool in a way, like a fresh start. The new folks do not know all your baggage and you do not know theirs, so maybe it starts off with no one “pigeon-holed”.
Besides, the Lord has always asked His people to sacrifice in one way or another. I keep my perspective by reminding myself that all I have to do is change wards, not abandon everything I have worked so hard to acquire and trek across the continent like the pioneers; or I remember that members in other parts of the globe must travel great distances to attend church and perform their callings or even do not have a ward formed in their area at all!
Like most problems we face, if we step outside our sphere and look for others to serve, we will soon find our problems seem small in comparison to those of whom we serve.
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You are so lucky that you have the chance to experience this. I ditto what was said that you aren’t moving so you will still get to be by all the people you’ve grown to love. You will be opening your circle to more friends. Just like with any change there will be a adjustment time but, just know that you will all be experiencing the same feelings of nervousness. Make sure if you go to the ward activities so you can have bonding experiences. Encourage activities if you know the activity chair so that your ward will get to know each other. The only thing we can ever plan on is change. Roll with it and you’ll be fine.
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I went through the same exact thing and I was the only Young Women in the new ward. At first mutual was tough for me. I thought it was pointless to go since it was just me and a couple of Young Men 3 years younger than me. It wasn’t until I gained a true testiomony that I realized I was not attending mutual or church for the people there, but for my Heavenly Father. No matter how alone you feel, just remember your Heavenly Father is right by your side.
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You never know what you can accomplish until you try – or circumstances force you to.
Two years ago parts of three wards were taken to create a new branch. I was serving as YW President in one of the affected wards, and living in the boundries of the new branch. (And just for greographical clarification, ward and branch boundries in these parts are designated by entire towns, not just streets or blocks.)
I was also called to be YW President in the new Branch. I was counseled to call my counselors from each of the other wards and was given a few names of sisters from each of the wards to pray about. It was almost easier that way because they were just names on paper and it was totally up to the Lord. I knew absolutely nothing about 1st counselor was until she stood up to be sustained – then I knew what she looked like and introduced myself after Sacrament Meeting.
Then began the process in every auxiliary and in the ward overall to meld the leadership, friendships and traditions of three wards into something brand new. We had YW from three different wards who were all used to three different ways of doing everything – from how we conducted YW to how we scheduled activities. For example: We had been 1 week away from evening of excellence in the ward I was leaving, one ward had already had e of e and the other ward had not. My old ward continued on with the program we had worked so hard on and we put our heads together to create something brand new for the Branch. The YW from my old ward were disappointed (they had worked hard on the program too) but understood that it would be better to create a new program together, than use something only they had worked on. And the YW who had already done it, were willing to do it again.
There were serious growing pains and I would say it took almost a full year but we have been able to carve out our own identity as a Branch and learned to depend on one another more. We are still small and working hard to get by with limited resources but we are doing what the Lord has asked us to do in order to grow the kingdom.
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Our Ward grew when a branch in our Youngstown Stake was told they will now be merging with our unit. I’m sure many of them were scared and disappointed to be giving up a lovely small new building…The Lord knows what is best for our growth! Today standing together we are growing stronger & wiser.
My advice would be to grow where you are planted! Remember, the Lord has need of thee to strengthen a portion of His vineyard…we must ready ourselves to go and do! -
I went through a ward splitting 6 years ago, and then we moved a few months ago; only 1 block out of our ward boundries. I really struggled with whether we made the right move or not. I was the Primary President when we moved and it has been so hard to leave my Primary children.
I was in the new ward for 3 months when I was called as the Young Women’s President and it was such a humbling experience to find counselors from a ward list of people I didn’t know. Our YW leadership is truly inspired as I meet with these amazing women and feel of their spirits and see their love for the YW program and the Lord.
Be open to new adventures and experiences. If you are afraid and upset over a change in your boundries, that will rub off on your children and those around you. It will take longer for you to feel the positive influences that will come from that divine change. The Lord included you personally in this boundry change for a reason. Search for your purpose in your new ward, I testify that there is a reason that YOU are there. -
I experienced this a year ago… Now, I will be honest it is never easy meeting new people and living up to their expectations, However, I can say when you are happy and express your gratefulness to be in that situation it does make the difference, and smile and greet everyone you see.
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Hi. I am the 2nd Councillor for YW who’s ward has just been split. I can tell you that there’s nothing to worry about. You need to see it as a “positive progression” of your ward and that you will be making new and wonderful friends. I suggest that you encourage your YW leaders to have combined ward activities once a month and/or every 2 weeks during mutual week and/or combined YW activities. This way you get to see your old friends and meet new ones. You know you can’t have enough friends in this world:) Good luck and let me know how you go with my suggestion. xxx
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