Working Out at the Church

            After Roland and I were married, I remember having cleaned the church at least once a month.  Families were supposed to sign up to clean on Saturday – hopefully at least two families per Saturday.  But I remember many a times being the only family.

            Jenna doesn’t remember cleaning the church in Kearns but remembers in West Valley when we did it by organization.  We’d gone from cleaning the church once a month to often two or three times a month.  We would all be there whether it was the primary’s turn, Relief Society or Bishopric.  And that particular building was a huge building housing three wards that could overlap – which meant one ward could hold Sunday School, Primary and so forth meetings while another ward was in sacrament meeting. 

            The building in Myrtle Creek is the not the smallest building which I have ever attended but smaller than any I any I have joined to clean – which hasn’t been often.  We currently near the end of our sixth year living in Oregon and I think only the second time I have signed up to clean.  Normally there have been the same people assigned to clean and do so on Thursday but every once in a while they are not available and so others will take a turn.  Last week was the Relief Society.  There had only been six who had signed up.

            I took my turn with the vacuum cleaners as it is what we had normally done in Kearns.  The chapel is smaller and I can get most of it on just one outlet whereas the Kearns and West Valley chapels required moving the cord multiple times.

            That was Thursday. On Saturday we went back to the Church for an activity set up by the Elder’s quorum.  The turnout was tremendous.  If we had had the same turnout on Thursday, it would have taken only five minutes to clean the church. A bunch of trees had been cut down and several had signed up to chop wood or use their saws and create free firewood to those who are in need.

The last picture above is of a youth who was dressed up to go to the temple, but she wanted to assist.  Jenna was dressed in overalls but had a change of clothes in the car.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness – Don’t ya Know?

I think I must post about cleaning the church at least once every four months.  I don’t mind cleaning the church building.  I really don’t.  There have just been some weeks in which I have been appalled over the tremendous amount of litter that is left behind. How can people be so careless and not take any consideration that they are in God’s house?

         Today I put myself in charge of vacuuming the chapel – which is what Bro. McDobb had done every Saturday morning in which our ward had been assigned to clean the building.  Roland joked that he wouldn’t have been surprised to find him there this morning – even though he moved out of our ward over two weeks ago.

         Programs had been left on several pews.  I get it.  I’m sure I am guilty of that as well – though I have tried to make a conscience effort to check the pew before I leave.  Usually I’m making certain that Jenna hasn’t left a mess on the floor or in the pew.

         I couldn’t explain any of the torn paper on the floor or candy wrappers and lollipop sticks.  Come on!  This is the chapel, not a picnic area!  Many children were given treats for whatever reason.  The snacks provided seemed to produce a tremendous amount of crumbs – not just where the congregation sits.  Bro. Drake, who came to assist me in the chapel, said they were behind the pulpit as well.  He and another brother joked about the bishop eating crackers and then moved on to believing perhaps a primary program had been involved.

         Ladies and Gentlemen – last Sunday was FAST SUNDAY – therefore there should have been NO FOOD distributed.  So either none of the members (of the last ward which meets in the building) fasted last week – or else it was broken during Sacrament meeting.  Or (here’s the most logical explanation) the first ward that meets in the building (and had been assigned to clean the building last month) failed at cleaning the building AGAIN.

         Bro. Drake had the stupid upright that was designed to glide be moved between the pews.  I had a cool canister that actually reminded me of the one that Wilma Flintstone used – only without the attitude.  But I probably had enough attitude for both of us.

 

         Brother Drake said that someone had put something that looked like sawdust upon all of the folding chairs set up in one of the class rooms.  I remember cleaning up a similar mess in the scout/storage room.  Only two small glitters to behold and not the obscene amount that I have had to deal with before.

         I had wanted to go to the garden before the church.  There is a lot more shade at 7:00 a.m. than at 9:00.  I had forgotten to bring hats.  Roland and I have decided to just do the community garden this year.  Roland is busy with other things and I don’t want to make the time to try and do a home garden on my own.  I get enough sun just in waiting for the bus. The community garden will be enough this year, thank you very much.

         It has been well over ten hours since I started this post.  I’ve actually experienced a lot more wearing out.  I’ll have to save it for another post.  I am pooped. 

Glitter Should be Illegal

         Each ward has a different cleaning schedule for the building in which church meetings are attended. The church was across the street from the first house in which we lived.  Two wards met in the building.  The two wards would trade off with the cleaning the building and the upkeep of the grounds (namely shoveling snow)  A list was passed around to the members of our ward to sign up for various weeks.  It felt like our family was involved with cleaning the church 4 – 8 times during the year.

There are three wards which meet in the building which we currently attend. When we first moved into the ward we were told that each ward was assigned to clean four months out of the year.  The months were consecutive and not spread out.  Our ward would be cleaning the building each Saturday for the last four months.  I personally thought they should be spreading them out, but whatever.

In our first ward the kitchen was ALWAYS under lock and key.  Actually, a lot of rooms were.  We were never asked to clean/vacuum the library or kitchen.  But this ward keeps the kitchen open and many Saturdays there is someone cleaning in there as well as the rest of the building.  Whoever uses the kitchen is supposed to clean up after themselves.

Roland and I have been over at the church almost every Saturday that we are assigned.  We no longer clean September through December but every third month (as I highly suspect that one of the wards is not pulling its weight – of course it would be the one that we follow)  Each organization is assigned a specific week – but members are still encouraged to show up every week that they are able.

We haven’t been diligent about going every week this month and today was only our second time this month.  I took the vacuum around one side of the building and hit all the class rooms, Relief Society room, primary room and nursery (though not in that order) and found bits of glitter I think in every room – though nothing like last year.  The glitter I picked up today had been missed with the last twelve times that the vacuum was used – for the most part the floors were clean except for those bits of sparkle that would glisten at different angles.

Sister Claus was cleaning the chalk boards told me that the wrapping paper she used had blue glitter stripes.  She had wrapped them and tucked them into the suitcase of her visiting sister so that they would find their way to family members left in her home state.  She said her sister called a bit irritated that blue sparkles had doused the inside of her suitcase and every bit of clothing.  Sister Claus assured her that she was not the only recipient of the blue glitter as it continued to spread its way around every room at her house and every room in her home state.  And by the time the last piece of glitter is finally vacuumed or cleared away from whatever spot it may be, it will be time to wrap gifts again.  Let’s hope Sister Claus goes with a non-glittered wrap the next time around.

I used to be in the nursery.  The rule was that if a child wished to play with a toy that was still in the closet, she had to trade it for the one she’d just been playing with.  I wish all nursery leaders would incorporate this idea into the children.  Jenna still hasn’t learned it.  But I really don’t see the sense in having every single toy from the closet out on the floor.

The nursery leaders at present don’t seem to be bothered with having eight times more toys on the floor than children.  For I have passed it in the morning and have seen the toys spread out – even when it appears that no one is there to play with them or pick them up.

I don’t know how large the nursery is.  I wouldn’t imagine it would be any larger than when I was in (five kids tops) nor do I believe that all three rooms need to be used.  We kept two open as the other nursery leader seemed claustrophobic.  But it appears the last ward that meet has enough children that they are able to separate them into groups.  It was the first time I had seen the folding doors pulled out so that there were three separate rooms.

The last room that I did was the one over the stage – a neglected room that few people even know about.  I think it’s only my third time being in it. Our ward doesn’t use it.  But somebody obviously does.  I think it gets used as a baby sitting room by members of the ward known for not cleaning. We do have a mother’s room that is actually on the same level as all the others.  Why climb up the stairs?  And why treat the room with such disrespect?  It’s still a part of Heavenly Father’s house.  It’s like his attic (I guess).

I like the sparkly effects of glitter when it stays attached to what it’s intended for.  But it’s really annoying when it spreads and attaches itself where it doesn’t belong.  It’s almost as bad as the pink stuff used by the Cat-in-the-Hat.

Dragged Decorations or Did I Just Vacuum Up Pixie Dust?

         Each Saturday this month we've gone to clean the Church. The primary and youth were assigned to clean last week.  Not a lot of participation – especially from the youth (Jenna was the only one from primary and only one youth leader) and the floor was in need of major vacuuming.

          The mess I mention in this post was confined to just one room – while it appeared that either decorations had been dragged across each room and the halls in the Church or else a naughty elf went around pouring sparkling dust. 

          There are three wards which share the building.  One in particular seems to get blamed for any mess that may be left – though I did find evidence of their ward in March when I went in to vacuum all that popcorn.  They just seem to use more in the way of decorations, party more, and have the reputation of not cleaning up.

          We usually get a lot of support on Saturday mornings.  We show up at 8:00 and have the entire building cleaned long before 9:00 am.  But not today.  We were there for the entire hour.  In that time I did only four rooms.  And the vacuume was actually working.  But, oh, my.  The entire building?

          Actually, I don’t know if there were any sparkles in the chapel.  The chapel is always done by the same person who takes charge with his vacumme and has never let himself get trapped into another assignment.  I understand.  That was my baby when we lived in our last house.

          I don’t just understand why glittery specks appeared in every room though.  But the trees in the foyer looked quite naked.  Perhaps they had been fully decorated last week but dragged around until bare all over the building.  That'll be my conclusion.  Dragged throughout the building by some naughty elf (or children)