Whenever I get a call asking me to meet with the bishopric, I get a little panicky. I feel like I’ve been called into the principal’s office. You have to be Mormon to understand this. Â I know it’s usually a calling or a release from a calling, Â but I’d rather they tell me right then and there — on the phone or in an email.
I hate waiting and wondering. I feel anxious. Maybe it’s just me, but I want to know what’s up. Â Right now my son is the executive secretary, so that’s really hard. He can’t tell me, and I just want to know — am I getting released, a new calling, what?
One time my bishop called me into his office during church to talk about a possible calling — “what’s going on in your  life and would this be a good time to be relief society president?”  That was nice. No anxiety,  no wondering for days.
It’s the anticipation, the appointment, the official way it’s been done for years and years. But wouldn’t it be ok to change this? I’d like a short email or phone call with something like this:
“Dear sister Taylor, Thanks for all your hard work. We are going to release you from your calling as _______________and would like to call you to __________ . Please let us know if you accept.”
You’re saying “this is not how it’s done?” Â That “It is supposed to be in person?”
They do mission calls without being face-to-face. It comes in the mail. And you accept by mail. (Of course there’s a lot of anxious waiting on that one.)
An email or phone call would speed things up, and just make my life less stressful. We could shake hands on it later, when I’m at church. That’s my idea. That’s my opinion. Of course, some people would never answer their email, so then you would have to set up an appointment.
Currently, I work in the nursery and as the visiting teaching coordinator. So I’m guessing one of those is going to change. The visiting teaching one, I think, because I’ve been there for almost 3 years. But you never know how these things go down.
So, yea I have an appointment for Sunday. And I’m trying not think about it. I’ll go meet with someone from the bishopric, and I will sit across from him, and wait to hear.
Plus, I’ve always been confused about “not telling anyone” — until church — when you are officially released and called and everyone votes with thanks and agrees to sustain you. Which everyone does anyway. I go along with the protocol, I just think it’s time for a change.
Callings and releases are stressful. One time I had a very awkward release.
