YM/BSA in my ward now without any budget - Page 4 - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

Mormon Red Death · 07-28-2008, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burning Bright

Your bishopric is bizarre. Mine is constantly harping on me to submit receipts so I can get reimbursed. I know that it's church policy (it's in the handbook or their was a memo, or something) that YM and other leaders shouldn't be asked or pressured to financially support their callings.

If you can afford it and want to, great. But if not, it's the wards responsibility, not yours.

Mike, have you tried just submitting receipts and getting reimbursed even if its over budget. Its not like the church has paid accountants to watch over every budget.

MikeWaters · 07-28-2008, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mormon Red Death

Mike, have you tried just submitting receipts and getting reimbursed even if its over budget. Its not like the church has paid accountants to watch over every budget.

This is what the women in the ward do, so my strategy from here on out is for the women to make the purchases and seek reimbursement, as they can never be told no. Whereas I will be told "sorry, no money."

BigFatMeanie · 07-28-2008, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

This is what the women in the ward do, so my strategy from here on out is for the women to make the purchases and seek reimbursement, as they can never be told no. Whereas I will be told "sorry, no money."

Not a bad strategy. Another little secret that people don't know about church budgets: If your ward as a whole goes over, the Stake just covers it. Now, you first have to get your Bishop to do it and be willing to take some heat from the Stake Pres. but if the Bishop is willing to take the heat the ward can just go over and the Stake will be forced to cover it.

Tex · 07-28-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie

Not a bad strategy. Another little secret that people don't know about church budgets: If your ward as a whole goes over, the Stake just covers it. Now, you first have to get your Bishop to do it and be willing to take some heat from the Stake Pres. but if the Bishop is willing to take the heat the ward can just go over and the Stake will be forced to cover it.

I'm curious as to why Mike's bishop and/or ward clerk and/or stake auditor isn't catching that the YM budget is gone by June.

MikeWaters · 07-28-2008, 03:26 PM

I really really don't enjoy playing budget hardball. It sucks.

Like when I outlined the plan for signing up for summer camp if we did not receive money for the deposit--I painted a plan that would take months potentially.

I don't know why you all had to bring up this thread. I was just potentially coming to peace with staying in this ward, then you have to dredge up old demons, and now I am longing for the suburbs again.

RC Vikings · 07-29-2008, 03:19 AM

Just do the flag thing in your ward. For twenty five bucks all the scouts put up flags in all the paying members yards. Doesn't take that long a scout camp is paid for.

MikeWaters · 07-29-2008, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

Just do the flag thing in your ward. For twenty five bucks all the scouts put up flags in all the paying members yards. Doesn't take that long a scout camp is paid for.

bad idea. because that means I have to be present on all holidays. my car, my gas, my time with the 2 scouts who do it.

hyrum · 07-29-2008, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Tick

Next month I start my 5th year as YM President. This year our budget is 1500 dollars. Highest budget in the ward. YW are next with 1200.

Last year our budget was 750. Bishop took 250 away from us in August. We did nothing from August on in Young Mens because of budget. Bishop understood and the parents were pissed.

I got a call from the Stake Presidency and the one in charge of scouting came and had a sit down with me because of some phone calls from parents.

We had...

0 treats at mutual
0 campouts
0 Merit Badges
0 Court of Honors

We did have clinics but didn't purchase any badges.

My wife and I make good money...but I told him I wasn't going to foot the bill and neither were any of my leaders or Scoutmasters. I told him I would be more than willing to take it out of my tithing as would my leaders. We were told that was strictly forbidden.

Who's to stop you from doing that? I don't get all the rancor. If you all really think lack of reimbursement is a problem, forgive as much extra as you think is fair, and just deduct the rest from your tithing, you have the checkbook and the pen, you don't even have to tell them -- you're square with the Lord, that's all that should matter.

MikeWaters · 07-29-2008, 03:40 AM

What does "we did nothing from August on" mean?

I assume you all still met once a week, but just didn't spend any money on it.

Btw, my car got jacked on the last campout. Bottomed out and making bad noises now.

There is another expense related to my calling. So it goes.

Burning Bright · 08-03-2008, 07:46 AM

I find this thread ironic because in my ward it's the opposite. My ward is in a pretty poor (some people less diplomatic than I would say "backward") area. I make OK money, but by ward standards, I do pretty good. I'm the YM 1st Counselor and the YM President has pretty much been out to lunch for the past 18 months.

I don't mind spending money on my calling. I figure I get blessings when I do. But my Bishop doesn't like me to spend my own money. I don't have the foggiest idea why. He told the YM President last year to talk to me about not paying for YM's stuff. I thought I was misunderstanding him so I talked to the Bishop and asked for clarification and, nope, for some reason, my bishop doesn't want me to.

Now, we're not talking vast sums of money, more like $100 a month, which really doesn't go that far. This year, I got tired of the YM Prez and Bishop always ragging on me when I submitted my receipts, that I decided to save them over several months and submit them all at once which I just did last week. For clarification, I submit the receipts for tax purposes so I can deduct charitable expenses, not for re-imbursement. Anyways, a day or two after I submitted them, the Bishop emailed me that he needed about 10 minutes to talk to me after priesthood. Hopefully it's about something else, but I suspect it's not. Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town at a baby blessing, so I'll have to wait to find out what he wants.

He also doesn't want us to do fundraisers, even though we have a good one that has been succesful in the past. Maybe my Bishop thinks he's a monk and he took a vow of poverty, I don't know.

I'd have an easier time dealing with Mike's Bishop as that's a more normal experience that I can relate to. I do feel strongly that it's not the responsibility of anyone serving in the YM's program to finance it any more than any other ward member. If you want to, great. But for whatever reason, if you can't or prefer not to, I don't think you should be coerced.

07-29-2008, 03:19 AM	#36
RC Vikings Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Rexburg, Idaho Posts: 2,236	Just do the flag thing in your ward. For twenty five bucks all the scouts put up flags in all the paying members yards. Doesn't take that long a scout camp is paid for. __________________ "I always rode to my limit. If I won by three minutes, that's because I couldn't make four." Eddy Merckx

07-28-2008, 03:26 PM	#35
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	I really really don't enjoy playing budget hardball. It sucks. Like when I outlined the plan for signing up for summer camp if we did not receive money for the deposit--I painted a plan that would take months potentially. I don't know why you all had to bring up this thread. I was just potentially coming to peace with staying in this ward, then you have to dredge up old demons, and now I am longing for the suburbs again.

07-29-2008, 03:40 AM	#39
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	What does "we did nothing from August on" mean? I assume you all still met once a week, but just didn't spend any money on it. Btw, my car got jacked on the last campout. Bottomed out and making bad noises now. There is another expense related to my calling. So it goes.

08-03-2008, 07:46 AM	#40
Burning Bright Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 183	I find this thread ironic because in my ward it's the opposite. My ward is in a pretty poor (some people less diplomatic than I would say "backward") area. I make OK money, but by ward standards, I do pretty good. I'm the YM 1st Counselor and the YM President has pretty much been out to lunch for the past 18 months. I don't mind spending money on my calling. I figure I get blessings when I do. But my Bishop doesn't like me to spend my own money. I don't have the foggiest idea why. He told the YM President last year to talk to me about not paying for YM's stuff. I thought I was misunderstanding him so I talked to the Bishop and asked for clarification and, nope, for some reason, my bishop doesn't want me to. Now, we're not talking vast sums of money, more like $100 a month, which really doesn't go that far. This year, I got tired of the YM Prez and Bishop always ragging on me when I submitted my receipts, that I decided to save them over several months and submit them all at once which I just did last week. For clarification, I submit the receipts for tax purposes so I can deduct charitable expenses, not for re-imbursement. Anyways, a day or two after I submitted them, the Bishop emailed me that he needed about 10 minutes to talk to me after priesthood. Hopefully it's about something else, but I suspect it's not. Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town at a baby blessing, so I'll have to wait to find out what he wants. He also doesn't want us to do fundraisers, even though we have a good one that has been succesful in the past. Maybe my Bishop thinks he's a monk and he took a vow of poverty, I don't know. I'd have an easier time dealing with Mike's Bishop as that's a more normal experience that I can relate to. I do feel strongly that it's not the responsibility of anyone serving in the YM's program to finance it any more than any other ward member. If you want to, great. But for whatever reason, if you can't or prefer not to, I don't think you should be coerced.