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Mmmm, nope. Haven't met her to know her, although if she sings, I may have been in a 5-stake women's conference choir with her once. If not, she and I probably both attended it, but didn't spend any time together. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Never heard back about the other place, and not sure I want it. The more I think about the layout, space issue, and cost . . .
HOWEVER, yesterday I put concerted effort into looking for other places, cruising around the area near school. The place that looked most likely is a 3-bed, 2-bath a block and a half from school -- and a block from a synagogue that I would be quite happy attending. Also, a couple blocks from my eldest's good friend that she hasn't seen much of since she switched schools.
I just checked my voicemail, and she's asking almost $300 less than the other place -- only $100 more than the place I was in until this year (which was a very good deal -- for around here, at least). She gave me a number that she works at, but no one's there yet.
I am planning to set up an appointment to see the place later.
*prays hard*
kq, I gather from another thread that the place you were talking about hasn't worked out, at least yet? I've been praying for you guys too. May we hear good news on that front soon!
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I forgot to update. I found a place, three miles from work, two miles from the gym, same price as I'm paying for an order of magnitude nicer of an apartment. I guess there are compensations for not living downtown anymore. The only drawbacks is that I'm not in Coccinelle's ward, and I'm pretty far from any social life. On the upside, very close to shopping and there's a park across the street - I may even be able to go for a walk by myself, something I can't do in my current neighborhood. All in all, I'm happy.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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stupid question - Does what ward you're in determine where you go to church? For some reason hearing ya'll talk about what ward you're in reminds me of public school zones. (not meant to be flippant)
If you, say, don't like the people in a ward can you go somewhere else?
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Yes, where you live does determine which ward you're in and thus where you go to church (though there are usually two or three wards that meet in the same building at staggered times).
Going to another ward if you don't like yours is frowned upon, but I don't think it's really prohibited, per se. I think they'd rather have you going to church with a different ward than not going at all.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Jon Boy is right. I'm in a different stake from Coccinelle altogether now, so I'd go to the singles ward for that stake.
They cracked down recently on ward-hopping, which is what going to a different ward than the one for your geographic area is. When you ward hop, you rarely get a calling (job) in the ward because your records are not there with the ward. You can get permission to go to a different ward and get your records transferred, but the threshold depends on the bishop. I'm not exactly sure how that works - I haven't done it.
My ward in Dallas would be much, much bigger if half the people in our boundries weren't going to the larger suburban wards.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Rivka, no, it's not quite worked out yet. And if it is, we'll still be short on the deposit-- Jeff's employer did not send him as much for moving expenses as he had indicated he would. But I'm glad things are looking up for you! *prays some more*
quote:They cracked down recently on ward-hopping, which is what going to a different ward than the one for your geographic area is. When you ward hop, you rarely get a calling (job) in the ward because your records are not there with the ward. You can get permission to go to a different ward and get your records transferred, but the threshold depends on the bishop.
Fairly understandably, I think this is a bigger problem in singles and college wards than in family wards. But it does happen in family wards, too-- however, having done it, I can tell you if you have not had your records transferred, but have talked to the bishop of the ward you're attending, you may not get a calling, but you may still be assigned visiting and home teachers from that ward.
quote:Going to another ward if you don't like yours is frowned upon, but I don't think it's really prohibited, per se. I think they'd rather have you going to church with a different ward than not going at all.
On the nose, there. We were in one ward that I could not stand, to the point where I broke down crying one Sunday, couldn't stop (not that almost anyone showed any concern) and refused to go back to that ward again. (I was also pregnant at the time, so probably extra-emotional; the stress in the ward caused me to start bleeding again, which had stopped in the first trimester after a month of bedrest-- I was near the end of the second at the time.) We visited other wards, found one we were comfortable attending who welcomed us, talked to the bishop (we'd notified our bishop when we left), who talked to our bishop. Our bishop, who was part of the problem in the ward I was in, refused to let us transfer our records. The bishop in the ward we were attending welcomed us anyway and assigned home and visiting teachers, and made us feel like a real part of the ward. I was even invited to join the choir (which the bishop sang in.) It was a wonderful experience, and we stayed there until we moved into a ward where I was happy to resume going to church in the ward we lived in.
The reason wards are set up that way is because the bishop is responsible for the welfare of people living within his ward boundaries. It's not supposed to be about the congregation themselves, but about taking care of the people within it. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work like it should. Hence our unfortunate situation in the ward I refused to attend anymore.
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It does help with taking care of everyone. When people go to wards that aren't where their records are, then they could stop going and no one would notice. The ward with their records could assume they are going to the other one, and the other one wouldn't have any record that they are supposed to be there. People fall through the cracks that way.
People fall through the cracks a lot of times, anyway, sadly.
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I think the 45% inactivity rate is typical in the USA. Most wards have about half the members on the roles active at any one time.
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All the other ones I've been in have had a 25% inactivity rate or less.
(I'm not counting people who have been gone so long they don't even make it into the ward directory.)
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I'm not sure who has the official statistics. I do know that 45% activity rate is not unusual at all.
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I have now seen the place. It is not perfect -- there is no yard whatsoever, and the street gets a LOT of traffic, so the kids playing out front is likely to be a problem. OTOH, my kids are all bookworms anyway. Also, it has no balcony or any other place for my plants, unless I figure out an indoors spot. The layout is considerably better than the other place I looked at, and it's a first-floor apartment (my old place was 3rd floor -- but it did have a great balcony). I think it's slightly smaller than my old place, but not much.
I took an application, and am very hopeful about the place. Which is good, because the rent of every other place I've called made me either laugh or cry.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I lived in a ward with a 25–30 percent activity rate. My parents now live in a ward that has to be at least 75 percent active, I'd guess. I think there's one non-member house in the ward boundaries.
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My branch has about 16% activity rate for the women in the Relief Society. I don't know about the branch as a whole, but I imagine it's pretty close or possibly worse. But then, from what I've heard, this is pretty close to accurate for the district as a whole. Sadly, we have a number of new people baptized every year, and it still doesn't help to increase the numbers who attend church.
Rivka & ketchupqueen, I hope you both get it resolved soon.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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See, the problem Becky and I have is that we don't have a terrible ammount of money, and neither of us have any sort of credit (good or bad). That, and we need an apartment that will allow us to alleviate AJ's burden of our dog.
But GREAT news! We just found an apartment after a couple of weeks of searching. We're going to go look into applying tomorrow. Yay!
Something must be in the air. I'm going to look at an apartment this afternoon that's really close to the high school where I'll be teaching this fall. I have a feeling I'll be singing an contract this afternoon too!
Here's to moving and finding a happy space in which to live!!
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<Brings bread, so you will never be hungry, salt, so your live will always have flavor and ketchup, because you abstain from wine.>
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Tentative has become definite. My former landlady was tracked down (she was out of town until today, apparently) and gave me a glowing recommendation.
Now I just have to pack . . . >_<
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It has been a very long week. But I have the cashier's check for oodles of money, and the apartment will be mine as of the 15th. (And in the end she wanted it to include a full months' rent (plus the deposit) on the check and will prorate September, which is know is not uncommon, but is also not what we had discussed. Whatever.)
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But I'm glad things are looking up for you! *prays some more*![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
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Also, it has no balcony or any other place for my plants, unless I figure out an indoors spot. The layout is considerably better than the other place I looked at, and it's a first-floor apartment (my old place was 3rd floor -- but it did have a great balcony). I think it's slightly smaller than my old place, but not much.![[Party]](graemlins/party.gif)
