Last year about this time, I was working with a group of primary children on a special musical number for Thanksgiving. I had jumped through the hoops to get a “non-canon” song approved, and it was lovely. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, a new bishopric was called. One of the counselors had a daughter who was singing with us, so he had heard the song. They called me three days later to tell me that they had all individually received revelation that this song was not to be sung in church, that it was “not to be heard at this time.” And I should prepare a new song with the kids in ten days’ time and ask the bishopric next year about this song because the timing might be right. Yeah . . . I’m not doing any of that. I fought them on it and they would not budge, so two months of prep got dumped and those kids’ hard work was wasted. Give me a freaking break. I haven’t worked on any music since and won’t until they are released. It’s ridiculous.
I’ve literally never been shaking with rage prior to this incident. It was so uncalled for and clearly so much flexing of new bishopric muscles. Unfortunately, I was also too new in the ward to really pitch a fit like I usually would have. I had to settle for just refusing to prep a new song (they got one of their wives to quickly teach the kids something anyway) and stepping away from involvement with music at all. Mind you, this whole thing was a completely volunteer effort because they refused to give me a calling when we moved in as soon as they found out I work full time.
It wasn’t even anything subversive or edgy or anything. They just DECIDED and then tried to tell me how it was really such a powerful experience as a new bishopric that they ALL felt prompted that it “wasn’t to be heard at this time.” I asked them why I or the ward music specialist would have been prompted to choose the song then, and all they did was email me back the chunk of the Handbook that says that they’re the bosses of Sacrament Meeting.
– Anonymous
Pro Tip: Give women the autonomy to fulfill their callings. Don’t overrule women’s prayerful decisions for their stewardships unless it’s absolutely necessary.
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“If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:23)
7 Responses
Ugh. My ward played Purple Rain for the postlude music after Prince died. We suffer from no such delusion that we know everything. Sorry about your bishop. Sounds like he’s caught up in the thick of thin things.
Seriously? Where is your ward? I want to belong to a ward that plays Prince music.
SO sorry they didntuat to you—how infuriating! I love how they claimed that their decision to undo all of your hard work was based on revelation from god. Yeah fellas I hate to break it to you, but God has bigger things to reveal to you than cancelling musical numbers—things like clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and afflicted. This is why President Nelson’s over-the-top conference speech about the Lord’s apparent obsession with the chirch’s name rings equally false: we know that regardless of what church anybody belongs to, Christ’s invitation to all is the same: come follow me, serve others, take in strangers, heal the sick, feed the poor. Naming churches is last on the list, guys. The Savior gave us way more important people/concerns to be focusing on!
Ug, such um, male behavior. Like a dog in a new territory where he has to go around and piss on everything to mark his territory. This new bishop just had to establish that *he* was now bishop and not that other guy who had already prayed about and approved the song.
male behavior?
That is super frustrating. I’m glad that you had already taught the children. He can’t undo the music and words that they learned in those months of practice, and hopefully that good message sunk into their hearts.