This change has rubbed some people the wrong way. I have something to add that may change the way some feel about the removal of the missionary plaques specifically.
Did you know the Church doesn't pay for those plaques in many areas? If your family doesn't buy one, you don't get one. That's why neither my husband nor I had one. Our stake was one where these were not provided.
My husband and I both were both on the hook to pay for our own missions because our families couldn't (his) or wouldn't (mine) help financially. When you're on the line to pay for it yourself, you quickly realize what matters and what doesn't. I sold everything I owned of any value whatsoever to pay for my mission. It wasn't enough, so my former branch president stepped up to offer to pay the remainder. No one buys you a plaque when you're serving on someone's else's dime.
So let me ask you: Are mission plaques really so important a tradition to continue when they are a needless financial burden that many members and families are already being excluded from?
If so, tell your family to buy one anyway and hang it in their house.
I have long been of the opinion that missionary service is much more like a Mormon cotillion for some families, rather than a desire to give selfless service. Anything we can do to confront and change that is a good thing.
And let's be real here for a minute. Am I annoyed that our foyer artwork has been reduced to a lily white nonsense vision of Jesus? Sure. Would I be more upset if they were spending needless money on new artwork, rather than using what we already have—especially now?
I want brown Jesus on a church wall in my lifetime. Why? Because Jesus was brown, is brown. I'm not here to say it doesn't matter. It does.
I want food in brown bellies more.
Can we do both?
Sure.
If I have to choose, which one am I choosing?
Food in brown bellies. Every time.
No comments:
Post a Comment