New Kind of Unemployment

It's been nearly 4 weeks since we moved to Illinois, and things are settling down, I suppose.  I guess it's been a bit of an adjustment going back to work every day and all the things that entails - seeing the girls less, showering every day - you know, stuff that grown-ups do.  For me, the transition to a new place is pretty easy.  Other than living in a new place, my life isn't that different.  I spend all day at work doing things that aren't totally different than the other jobs I've had for the last half-dozen years.  Shannon and the girls have had much more adjusting to do than I have.

But there is one thing that has been pretty weird, and that's a new kind of unemployment: we don't have callings.  I suppose when we moved to Michigan we didn't have callings for a little while after we moved, but that was three years ago.  Since then I've been choir accompanist, Sunday school president, primary teacher and Webelos leader.  Playing for the choir carried through basically the entire time we were in Michigan, and the primary and scouts covered the last year.  So, I always had something to do.  Not tons to do, but something.  My primary class only had 4 kids in it, but I had to have a lesson every week, the ward choir practiced basically every week, and we at least usually had a plan for scouts.  But now, Saturday night rolls around, and I don't have anything I need to do to get ready for church.  (Brush my clothes?  Shine my shoes?)  Ditto for Sunday morning.

And then when church actually starts, I don't have anything to do.  I guess I just go to gospel doctrine and then EQ?  I just . . . . attend?  I feel kinda like a free loader.  Now, I know that they'll get around to giving us callings soon, and I guess I'm enjoying actually hearing a lesson (which I hadn't done in a year and a half), but it still feels strange.  Our ward has had something like 14 new families move in over the last 5 months, so there's probably a bit of a back-log on bishopric visits and callings.  (Shannon is probably very happy that this also means that there is likely a back-log on "ask the new people to speak in sacrament meeting," too.)

I admit to not knowing a whole lot of boring organizational details about other churches, but I wonder if this is a somewhat unique LDS thing.  My impression is that other churches have a lot higher percentage of people who attend, but don't have other responsibilities.  And, from what I understand, when people do have responsibilities, they tend to be a bit more on a volunteer basis.

Anyway, if this year has taught us anything, it is that unemployment won't last forever!