How can I find out about a new ward

dakwilk · #1 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 09:34 AM

I'm new here and am hoping for some help. I'll be relocating to the metro Detroit area and am trying to find out the racial makeup of a few specific wards. How can I go about this other than contacting the bishop? (I won't be able to visit the wards until I have rented my home.) Is there an LDS forum out there where I can find members from the same general region?

Stephan · #2 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 09:41 AM

You can speak to your current bishop. He will have a list of all the different wards and the bishops contact numbers. In the past I usually called up bishops to find out about wards and found that bishops are very happy to give any information you need.

Silver Girl · #3 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakwilk

I'm new here and am hoping for some help. I'll be relocating to the metro Detroit area and am trying to find out the racial makeup of a few specific wards. How can I go about this other than contacting the bishop? (I won't be able to visit the wards until I have rented my home.) Is there an LDS forum out there where I can find members from the same general region?

I would suggest calling the Bishops of those Wards you are interested in... You may get their phone numbers from your current Bishop, or from Church Headquarters, in Salt Lake... When we moved to Michigan (Sault Ste. Marie area), we called Church HQ, and they gave us the Bishop's number... We called him 3 months prior to moving, and were able to get some information that helped our kids get excited about the move...

Good luck, and welcome to Michigan!!

From The Cold, and Great White North of the Upper Penisula,

Silver Girl

NateHowe · #4 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 10:04 AM

As far as I am aware, the Church does not attach racial information to a person's membership record. Thus there is no hotline you can call to find out how many of what race is in a ward. Honestly, it shouldn't matter.

dakwilk · #5 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 10:10 AM

You are right, it shouldn't matter. But, as you can see from my family picture, it is important that the ward isn't all white. My DH had a hard time with this when we were in Provo and I don't want him to go through that again.

Silver Girl · #6 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakwilk

You are right, it shouldn't matter. But, as you can see from my family picture, it is important that the ward isn't all white. My DH had a hard time with this when we were in Provo and I don't want him to go through that again.

I can just about promise you, that won't be an issue in Detroit!! That area is much more racially diverse than Provo!! I used to live in Provo...

Silver Girl

the_jason · #7 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakwilk

You are right, it shouldn't matter. But, as you can see from my family picture, it is important that the ward isn't all white. My DH had a hard time with this when we were in Provo and I don't want him to go through that again.

Do you attend church to worship the Lord and partake of the sacrament, or do you attend to be near people of your own race? If you truly have a testimony of the gospel, it shouldn't matter what race other people are. They shouldn't look down on your family for being interracial, but you also shouldn't unfairly tag them as judgemental, lest you be judgemental yourself. If someone makes a racial comment, that's one thing. Until then, all ward members are a family and come from the same Heavenly Parents.

Gwen · #8 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 01:56 PM

we have a pretty racialy diverse branch and i can attempt to understand what you are saying. being white it's not been something i personally experianced but when i moved here and started to truely hear what it's like for some of the other cultures that may be the only ones in the area a part of the chruch i have a slight understanding of how hard it can be. as long as it's not something you would choose not to attend chruch over i don't see where it's a big deal to investigate others that have experiance like your own. there is a difference in being judgmental or putting anyone down and looking for human connections.

good luck in your search, i think the only way you are going to find that kind of info out is to call the bishops directly.

dakwilk · #9 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 02:01 PM

I absolutely agree, but people in the Church are just as susceptible to racism as people outside of the Church. And there are people who are less than welcoming to an AA not to mention one that is married to someone who is white. If there hadn't been comments, or other issues, then I wouldn't be concerned. (And, I loved living in Provo. My husband had another experience. And neither of us are militant type people looking for a problem.) The truth is, for someone who is AA in the Church, it can be very hard given the Church's history on the matter and the lack of AA's that make up the leadership of the Church. When everyone else looks differently than you at church or in the temple, you can't help but notice and wonder...

#10 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 02:47 PM

Although it is possible that a member may hold some strange ideas about multiracial couples/marriage there are 200 in the same ward that don't. At the end it does not matter one bit and you should not concern yourself with such issues. After all, it is the Church of the Lord and not a private club.

I have lived with my family in different wards with quite different racial makeups and have been embraced by all regardless. And yeah, I "look" different than most people in those wards but I also speak 4 languages, I can read 300 words per minute and and have done and seen things that would blow you away. So, I am likely the weirdest guy you'd come across and that points to much greater differences than the color of my skin.

Find a home that meets the needs of your family and show up for Sacrament wherever the chapel happens to be with a smile from ear to ear and all will be well.