People seldom move in or out of our ward, but we help whoever needs it. If Bill and I were to move, we’d move everything ourselves but the big stuff. We’d have to have help on that. But I’d pop for really good fast food and drinks. Great music.

When I left Bill, my sister and my two daughters moved the furniture. They were amazing. Not a guy in our bunch. We did it in one day–actually in hours.

When I went back to Bill, a guy from my old ward and Bill moved the furniture. I’d moved a lot already. They acted like they should get a prize. Bellyaching about their backs.

That being said, I have been in wards where things were expected, and/or people have refused service. That is not the spirit of charity, or genuine service. I have also been in wards where we really did feel like a family, and why wouldn’t your family want to help you in a time of stress, with or without “need” according to so-and-so?

When we serve and rely on each other, we are strengthened as a ward, stake, and people. The spirit of the love of God, or charity, expels all need for knowing specifics about someone before giving your service or love.

As with most activities in the church, you get what you put into it. If you don’t put your heart into service, or actually make yourself vulnerable by letting others serve you, you are the person refusing the feelings of the love of God, or charity, that may have come from it.

The relief society is not a free maid service.

The elders quorum and relief society should be spending their limited available service time helping the sick, the poor, the widows, and attending to true emergency situations. Although, under certain dire circumstances, a move can be considered an emergency.

The bishop and/or elder’s quorum president should be sure the assistance is actually WANTED. Sometimes the “help” is literally forced on a family that just wants to take their time and move a few pickup loads at a time.

If a family that is moving just needs a hand with a couple of key items just grab your neighbor, a friend, your home teachers, or a nearby family member.

However, families should do what they can to move themselves. That includes putting the kids, teenagers, and college students in the family to work (in my experience the kids tend to stand around and watch everyone else work).

If a family needs help and can afford movers, then they should hire the movers. If the family needs help and can’t afford movers then they should ask their extended family, if any live within a 100 mile radius (well, let’s make that 150 mile radius). Then, if they need more help they should ask their home teachers. If the home teachers need help, the home teachers should talk to the bishop. If the bishop is sure the family needs help then the bishop should ask the elders to help out.

If the family can’t afford a moving van, then it is fine to ask family; then home teachers; then the bishop/elders quorum to help with pickups, etc. But if they can afford a moving van they should rent one even if it is a local move.

If someone needs help moving, then they should be prepared when the volunteers show up. As much work as possible should already be done so that only the heavy or awkward items that the family can’t move themselves are left to load. Things should be boxed and the boxes should be labeled clearly. The van should be open and waiting in the driveway. Small kids should be out of the way or even at a neighbor or family members home. Beds should be down. Electronics should be taken down and boxed and should not still be sitting in the cabinets all wired up. There should be plenty of blankets or other soft packing materials available to keep furniture from being scratched. Volunteers should have been contacted and be ready on the receiving end to help unload so the poor souls who are donating their time and gas to move out don’t also have to do the moving in.

I’m going to call you on this one. (Along with your abuse of the “judge not” doctrine.)

I personally think that members do need opportunities to serve, and I had been sorely missing service until I came to my current ward.

Certainly there may be some who have become overly cynical about service who have posted here, but most of the comments I’ve read merely reflect the thoughts of the author, who was right on.

The quorum is not a movers club.

Regarding “judging not”, I recommend the following:

http://www.smcox.com/sean/moregood/topicalguide/j.html#judging

Regarding your thoughts on Charitable giving, I’ll recommend:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/90/25-27#25

and

http://www.smcox.com/sean/moregood/topicalguide/c.html#charitable_giving

(I’ve written about this subject too many times to want to repeat yet again.)

Yes, some people will abuse your help, demand more than they should, but we need to be careful about making such judgments about what others need.

Sometimes they may ask for help just so they know someone cares enough TO help.

Sometimes the person least able to render aid (particularly financial or food) is the person who most needs to give something meaningful or something that requires a real sacrifice – who are we to say they are “too poor” to make such a gesture on our behalf?

I’ve organized two funerals in one week this week. I’ve hardly had to make any calls. Everyone has called ME – asking what they can do to help, what they can bring, where and when they can be of service. The men in our ward make it their business to know when there’s a need and just show up – individually or as a group – to render assistance to those who are moving, to the widows, to the sick and to the lonely.

I feel bad for most of the posters on this thread.

I know my ward is probably unique – but it’s the way every ward should function – and it can start with each one of us being willing to lend time, money, assistance and make sacrifces for others – even before we are asked.

Case in point…just last week we were involved in a move for a family that was downsizing…from a 10,000 square foot home to a 5,000 square foot home! They are lucky I didn’t realize that fact until the move was underway. We literally moved over 20 couches, heavy appliances, a piano, dining room and kitchen table, etc., etc., etc. To top it off, these people weren’t even considerate enough to offer us anything to eat or drink! AND they had the gall to ask us to come back to put together their baby grand piano (I put my foot down at that). Amazing you say…no, just par for the course. I will say that something good came out of this, since we had some less active guys come out, but that is simply an example of the Lord taking lemons and making lemonade.

I am in the process of trying (along with my counselors) to change the entitlement culture in my ward. However, it’s an uphill battle since my Bishop is probably one of the nicest guys in the world, and therefore has a tendency to let people walk all over him. The interesting thing is that he knows this about himself, but he just doesn’t have it in him to engage in confrontations…it’s just easier to go along and pacify folks.

In my ideal world, folks who have the means would either pay for their move themselves (I’m far from rich, but I’ve paid for it myself several times and it isn’t that expensive if you pack most of your own stuff and just have the professionals move the heavy items) or at least take some ownership of their move and organize it themselves.

By the way, I have absolutely no problem helping move someone who is (1) unable to afford to hire help; or (2) elderly or disabled and therefore unable to perform heavy labor. While I would expect even these folks to take some ownership of their move by at least asking their friends/families for assistance, I feel these are true service opportunities and welcome the opportunity to serve such folks. In most other cases, people are “gaming” the system and eating up my valuable time and the time of others in my quorum, and I quite resent it. Probably not the right attitude to have, but I simply can’t stand being taken advantage of by folks who are cheap, inconsiderate, or lazy.

Call me selfish, but I would rather spend my limited free time with my family/friends, playing golf or helping folks in true need, not padding the pocketbook of someone who could care less about me, the guys in my quorum, and the fact that every time we move someone we place our health in jeopardy.

I personally enjoy helping people move. Yes, I’m female, but I like to go with my husband and help carry heavy things. (You might call me an honorary member of the elder’s quorum.)

I agree that helping people move is about love, more than about need. It shows support.

And I like it when the families get a bunch of breakfast burritos for us.

Temporal needs = Bishops responsibility

To all the bishops who misunderstand how it works, if someone needs to be moved, dip into those fast offering funds and HIRE MOVERS!!!