Ward Boundaries

[wired]

Question for anybody.

My wife and I are looking to move into something a little cheaper so we can save more money for starting a family. We absolutely love our ward and don't want to move out of it; additionally, we're both involved in callings that we love and feel a need to stay in (a Presidency and a Bishopric calling). We're finding things that are just BARELY outside of our ward boundaries (by about a few hundred feet) that would save us over $350 a month.

Typically, I'm a person who would say, "Don't try to be the exception, just go along with the policy." Ultimately, I think that's what I'll do. But I wanted to know if anyone has ever had experiences going to a different ward outside of their own boundaries. My perception this is reserved for extreme exceptions like a divorced couple living in the same area or at the instigation of the Stake President. Has anyone seen any other times an exception has been made?

[Katya]

Has anyone seen any other times an exception has been made?

Scheduling issues. There was a family in my home ward that lived in an apartment over a mortuary, and part of the arrangement of living there was that they would be available at certain times to answer the phone at the mortuary. The time they needed to be home conflicted with the meeting time for their assigned ward, so they came to our ward, instead. (I don't know what they did when the ward changed meeting times with the new year, though.)

[wired]

Has anyone seen any other times an exception has been made?

Scheduling issues. There was a family in my home ward that lived in an apartment over a mortuary, and part of the arrangement of living there was that they would be available at certain times to answer the phone at the mortuary. The time they needed to be home conflicted with the meeting time for their assigned ward, so they came to our ward, instead. (I don't know what they did when the ward changed meeting times with the new year, though.)

One of the Provo mortuaries? I may or may not know the family you are talking about....

[Katya]

Has anyone seen any other times an exception has been made?

Scheduling issues. There was a family in my home ward that lived in an apartment over a mortuary, and part of the arrangement of living there was that they would be available at certain times to answer the phone at the mortuary. The time they needed to be home conflicted with the meeting time for their assigned ward, so they came to our ward, instead. (I don't know what they did when the ward changed meeting times with the new year, though.)

One of the Provo mortuaries? I may or may not know the family you are talking about....

Yeah, this was in Provo, but it was 9 or 10 years ago. (I honestly don't remember the name of the family, I only know the story because it was part of their intro in the ward newsletter.)

[chillygator]

I've been going to a ward not in my boundaries since I got home from my mission. The first was a single's ward where my cousin went and I started going to church with her apparently enough for the bishopric to tell me I could just be in the ward. Then I made friends in that ward, they all aged out and went to a family ward and I just followed along. As long as I've stayed active, done my calling and visiting teaching, I haven't had a bishop who's had a problem with it.

Maybe I just lucked out with exceptionally wonderful bishops?

[krebscout]

The first counselor in our RS presidency lives outside ward boundaries; they stay because the RS president asked the bishop if they could keep her, because they need her. They also just moved the second counselor in our bishopric to another ward in the stake, because they need his services there.

Maybe ask your bosses for a good word?

[Katya]

I've been going to a ward not in my boundaries since I got home from my mission. The first was a single's ward where my cousin went and I started going to church with her apparently enough for the bishopric to tell me I could just be in the ward. Then I made friends in that ward, they all aged out and went to a family ward and I just followed along. As long as I've stayed active, done my calling and visiting teaching, I haven't had a bishop who's had a problem with it.

Maybe I just lucked out with exceptionally wonderful bishops?

My experience has been that most bishops will turn a blind eye, for a bit, but I've also been in a lot of wards that had periodic crackdowns on people attending from out of the boundaries.

[chillygator]

I have talked to each of my bishops about it. It can't be that much of a blind eye.

[Katya]

I have talked to each of my bishops about it. It can't be that much of a blind eye.

Well, then, I don't know why they'd be stricter about it in some places rather than in others. (Didn't they just have a big crackdown in the Salt Lake singles wards, though?)

[chillygator]

Yes. Which is why I had to move to a family ward with all my friends (o:

[Katya]

Yes. Which is why I had to move to a family ward with all my friends (o:

Now I'm imagining you as the singles ward equivalent of Richard Kimble from The Fugitive, complete with a Bishop Gerard hot on your tail.