Church Responsibilities - Gretch Edition
Whoops. I was going to update last week about Gretch's callings and I forgot. And the week before I said that I would definitely write about it. So even though I considered writing a post about the end of our first gardening adventure, I suppose I need to get this post about Gretch done.
Gretch's dad wanted me to ghost-write for her, but I'm not going to do that. Even if she does have the ability to update this blog, I think we've all come to accept that I do the writing. She will edit occasionally and offer input, but it is mostly my responsibility for no other reason than I do it. So no, William, I am not going to write as if I am my wife. I couldn't if I tried.
So, what has Gretch been up to in church? Well, when we first got married, she and I were called to serve in the Nursery together. Then we were moved from the Nursery to teaching the 10-year-olds' Primary class. I did a lot of the talking in class while Gretch prepared the materials, handouts, etc. That lasted until we moved to our current place.
For quite some time, Gretchen had no specific calling in our ward. Then she was called as the Relief Society Volunteer Opportunity Coordinator, or some such thing. I honestly have no idea what the calling was actually, well, called. Essentially, it was her responsibility to find out all of the volunteer opportunities in the community and pass them on to the sisters in our ward. Except there was someone else in some other ward who did that for the entire ward quite often, so she (Gretchen) ended up not doing very much. The one shining exception was when the Bishop asked her to coordinate our ward's participation in the LDS Day of Service. She contacted folks at a variety of parks and recreational facilities and eventually landed us at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, where members of the ward gathered to clean up trash, pick up large branches that got in the way of mowers, and gather up these spiky ball seed pod things that were everywhere. It was a great activity, and Gretchen did a fabulous job planning.
Then for the next several months, she wasn't asked to do much. In early 2012, Gretchen was asked to accept a calling in the Primary. Specifically, she was asked to teach the Sunbeams class. The Sunbeams, for those who are not aware, are the children between the ages of 3 and 4 years old. In this class, there were four children, three girls and one boy. Gretch was very nervous about accepting this calling, since she has long felt that she is not a very good teacher. (Personally, I think she does a great job, but only when no one is watching to evaluate!) Each Sunday afternoon, I looked forward to hearing the tales of Gretch's adventures with these wonderfully sweet children. Throughout the week, I encouraged her as she planned her lessons, found resources that actually made sense and didn't look like they came straight out of the 1970s, and offered advice (when asked) on how she could resolve minor behavioural issues. I don't know how much it was appreciated, but Gretchen and I both made it a point to talk to parents about their children after church on Sunday, to share both good and bad things.
(At some point in the middle of all this, Gretchen was released as the Relief Society Volunteer Coordinator. We think.)
One of Gretchen's greatest triumphs with her class was when she came up with the idea for Reverent Rachel. This was a simple paper cut-out of a girl sitting with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Next to it were a few simple phrases to remind the children what it means to be reverent in church. Around Reverent Rachel were the names of the children. If a child was not being reverent, his or her name would be removed from the chalkboard. If the child's behavior did not change, then he or she missed out on the treats at the end of class. But if the child did change his or her behavior, then they, too, got to have snacks. It was simple, it was fair, and it created an atmosphere of reverence and learning that was needed for their class.
Another thing Gretchen did was used one of her stuffed frogs, named Freddy, as an object lesson nearly every week. The kids loved Freddy! They would teach him how to fold his arms, how to pray, how to sit reverently, and they would take turns holding him. There was probably more, but those are some of the key points I remember.
Then about two months ago, Gretch got a call from the Executive Secretary in our ward, who is responsible for scheduling appointments for members of the Bishopric. One of the bishop's counselors wanted to meet with her on Sunday before church, and asked that I come with. Gretch was very upset, because she had a feeling it meant she was going to be released as the Sunbeams teacher, and she had really grown to love not just the children but also the opportunities to teach each week. Her feeling was accurate: In addition to being released, she was extended a call to serve as First Counselor in the Relief Society. (Note: I have just been informed that, technically, there is no number assigned, and that she is the Activities Counselor. But people still call it First Counselor. It doesn't really matter, though.)
While hesitant to do so, Gretchen accepted and has jumped into the calling full-force, which is, of course, what she typically does when asked to do something. In addition to meeting with the members of the presidency and discussing the needs of the sisters in the ward, Gretchen meets with the Relief Society activities board and helps them plan their meetings. She makes regular visits to the sisters, encourages them, and socialises in a way she hasn't done for as long as we've been married. She has even started a knitting group that meets twice a month! I help her by making sure she is up early on days she has meetings, by encouraging her to attend her activities, and finding out information about new families as they move in. (You may recall that I am the guy who helps everyone move.)
And that's what my dear sweet wife has been up to in church. Oh, and she gave Freddy to one of the girls in her class as a gift. Not sure what happened to him, though.
Gretch's dad wanted me to ghost-write for her, but I'm not going to do that. Even if she does have the ability to update this blog, I think we've all come to accept that I do the writing. She will edit occasionally and offer input, but it is mostly my responsibility for no other reason than I do it. So no, William, I am not going to write as if I am my wife. I couldn't if I tried.
So, what has Gretch been up to in church? Well, when we first got married, she and I were called to serve in the Nursery together. Then we were moved from the Nursery to teaching the 10-year-olds' Primary class. I did a lot of the talking in class while Gretch prepared the materials, handouts, etc. That lasted until we moved to our current place.
For quite some time, Gretchen had no specific calling in our ward. Then she was called as the Relief Society Volunteer Opportunity Coordinator, or some such thing. I honestly have no idea what the calling was actually, well, called. Essentially, it was her responsibility to find out all of the volunteer opportunities in the community and pass them on to the sisters in our ward. Except there was someone else in some other ward who did that for the entire ward quite often, so she (Gretchen) ended up not doing very much. The one shining exception was when the Bishop asked her to coordinate our ward's participation in the LDS Day of Service. She contacted folks at a variety of parks and recreational facilities and eventually landed us at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, where members of the ward gathered to clean up trash, pick up large branches that got in the way of mowers, and gather up these spiky ball seed pod things that were everywhere. It was a great activity, and Gretchen did a fabulous job planning.
Then for the next several months, she wasn't asked to do much. In early 2012, Gretchen was asked to accept a calling in the Primary. Specifically, she was asked to teach the Sunbeams class. The Sunbeams, for those who are not aware, are the children between the ages of 3 and 4 years old. In this class, there were four children, three girls and one boy. Gretch was very nervous about accepting this calling, since she has long felt that she is not a very good teacher. (Personally, I think she does a great job, but only when no one is watching to evaluate!) Each Sunday afternoon, I looked forward to hearing the tales of Gretch's adventures with these wonderfully sweet children. Throughout the week, I encouraged her as she planned her lessons, found resources that actually made sense and didn't look like they came straight out of the 1970s, and offered advice (when asked) on how she could resolve minor behavioural issues. I don't know how much it was appreciated, but Gretchen and I both made it a point to talk to parents about their children after church on Sunday, to share both good and bad things.
(At some point in the middle of all this, Gretchen was released as the Relief Society Volunteer Coordinator. We think.)
One of Gretchen's greatest triumphs with her class was when she came up with the idea for Reverent Rachel. This was a simple paper cut-out of a girl sitting with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Next to it were a few simple phrases to remind the children what it means to be reverent in church. Around Reverent Rachel were the names of the children. If a child was not being reverent, his or her name would be removed from the chalkboard. If the child's behavior did not change, then he or she missed out on the treats at the end of class. But if the child did change his or her behavior, then they, too, got to have snacks. It was simple, it was fair, and it created an atmosphere of reverence and learning that was needed for their class.
Another thing Gretchen did was used one of her stuffed frogs, named Freddy, as an object lesson nearly every week. The kids loved Freddy! They would teach him how to fold his arms, how to pray, how to sit reverently, and they would take turns holding him. There was probably more, but those are some of the key points I remember.
Then about two months ago, Gretch got a call from the Executive Secretary in our ward, who is responsible for scheduling appointments for members of the Bishopric. One of the bishop's counselors wanted to meet with her on Sunday before church, and asked that I come with. Gretch was very upset, because she had a feeling it meant she was going to be released as the Sunbeams teacher, and she had really grown to love not just the children but also the opportunities to teach each week. Her feeling was accurate: In addition to being released, she was extended a call to serve as First Counselor in the Relief Society. (Note: I have just been informed that, technically, there is no number assigned, and that she is the Activities Counselor. But people still call it First Counselor. It doesn't really matter, though.)
While hesitant to do so, Gretchen accepted and has jumped into the calling full-force, which is, of course, what she typically does when asked to do something. In addition to meeting with the members of the presidency and discussing the needs of the sisters in the ward, Gretchen meets with the Relief Society activities board and helps them plan their meetings. She makes regular visits to the sisters, encourages them, and socialises in a way she hasn't done for as long as we've been married. She has even started a knitting group that meets twice a month! I help her by making sure she is up early on days she has meetings, by encouraging her to attend her activities, and finding out information about new families as they move in. (You may recall that I am the guy who helps everyone move.)
And that's what my dear sweet wife has been up to in church. Oh, and she gave Freddy to one of the girls in her class as a gift. Not sure what happened to him, though.
Comments