What Ward Would You Attend?

Find your niche in specialty wards

Robert Kirby, Tribune columnist - Salt Lake Tribune

Most Sunday mornings, you'll find me on a pew in the Rosecrest 1st Ward chapel. It's where I'm supposed to go to church. Lucky for me, it's also where I want to go. Technically, Mormons don't have a choice. For church, we're bound by the geography of the ward boundary. We worship where we live. The only time Mormons can switch wards without also contacting a Realtor is when we attend specialty wards. For example, I went to a Spanish-speaking ward in West Jordan for a while.

Specialty wards allow members with specific common needs to worship together and support each other in their exclusive part of the Lord's vineyard. There are (or have been) lots of LDS specialty wards, including singles wards, college wards, deaf wards, ethnic wards. There are even seasonal "snowbird wards" in places where Mormon RV owners congregate.

I talked it over with my friend (despite a restraining order) Ken Wallentine. We think the specialty-ward idea needs to be improved on in our ever-changing and increasingly divided culture.

For example, there needs to be a late ward, a ward Mormons who are perpetually late for church could attend and not feel bad about dragging their herd in 15 minutes late. The only problem with a late ward would be showing up late for a meeting that was supposed to start late in the first place. Eventually, you would end up with a ward that ran out of time before it started... "Welcome to the Tardy 3rd Ward, brothers and sisters. We will close now by singing hymn No. 145."

Given the high birthrate among Mormons, I thought about the need for maternity wards. Except that we already have those. They're called married student wards.

A Star Trek ward might do well. The bishop would preside from "the bridge" instead of the stand. High-council Sunday would be referred to as a "Klingon Sunday."

Harley riders congregate to the exclusion of just about everyone else. Why not an LDS biker ward? White shirts and neckties go well with black leather...

Ken really wants to attend a concealed-weapons ward. He says church would be a lot more interesting if real personal risks were involved in disagreeing with a lesson.

There could be a texting ward for teenagers. Bear your testimony with your thumb. In 25 years, they'll all belong to carpal-tunnel wards.

At the less-active ward, maybe there'll be a meeting and maybe there won't.

Testimony meeting in an anger-management ward might be interesting. Nobody's going to sleep through, "HEY! I KNOW THE CHURCH IS TRUE, STUPID!"

A big hit would be the Multi Level Marketing ward, also known as a "Gadianton robber ward." With all the financial scamming that goes on in this culture, it would be nice to have them all in one place for a three-hour block weekly.

I think a Democrat ward is a good idea, although in Utah the best we could probably hope for is a Democrat branch...

Good Friday Thoughts

In all the world, who has created prosperity and alongside it charity.
Old Phil Donahue clip interviewing Milton Freedman.

Why is it that conservatives are accused of being greedy, when they create the environment for everyone to live better lives.

It's not greed; it's control. We don't want it and they do.

New Depressant Hits Market

Couple of R words, so cover your ears.
I could not stop laughing, or jumping up and down exuberantly.
dang...

FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful

Steam Car: a vision of the future

Yes, now every good Obamunist may have a truly renewable fuel: water and hot air.

"We reached nearly 60mph on the first test before I applied the parachute..."

No way! 60? That's not just fast, that's Jimmy Crack Carter fast!



Weighing three tons, the sleek British Steam Car is made from a mixture of lightweight carbon-fibre composite and aluminium wrapped around a steel space frame chassis. It is fitted with 12 boilers containing nearly two miles of tubing. Demineralised water is pumped into the boilers at up to 50 litres a minute and the burners produce three megawatts of heat. Steam is superheated to 400 degrees Celsius which is injected into the turbine at more than twice the speed of sound, according to a team spokesman.

Now, on the serious side. For a bunch of guys who are trying to break a 100+ year record: go for it.
What with all the government control of our automakers, and Queen Pelosi making schizophrenic declarations about 'green' this and 'green' that, it won't come as a surprise to see someone from the alabaster palace making note of this.

Swiss Spaghetti Harvest 1957

Missed this a few days ago. I never realized that a warming climate meant more productive spaghetti harvests for the Swiss. In your face Algore.