Some of you may think it’s strange to say that I’m grateful for having to speak in church this Sunday. And others of you may have no idea what I’m talking about. I think the reason I’m writing about this today, is because I’m trying to convince myself.
Actually, truth be told, I am grateful for the opportunity. I am nervous, yes. A little trepidacious, definitely. But still grateful. For those of you who don’t know anything about the church (that would be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), it’s a “lay” church. This simply means that there is no paid clergy – all of the positions are volunteer. Everyone from the president of the church (President Thomas S. Monson) all the way down to those who work in the nursery (my sweet sister and her husband – props to them) do it without pay.
That means that every Sunday during our main meeting (known as “sacrament,”) we hear from someone different, someone in the congregation who has been asked to speak on a certain topic. They’re given a time limit and the subject matter with maybe a few suggestions thrown in, but the rest is up to them. The same goes for the classes after sacrament meeting where we study the scriptures and such. Those work a little bit differently as a few people have been asked to be a regular teacher for that class (like my husband). This means that once a month my husband puts together a lesson and for 30 minutes, he’s the teacher of his class.
That’s what I’m doing on Sunday – teaching the class of women (called Relief Society). There will be about 40-60 people there, give or take. So a good size crowd, but not overwhelming. The reason I’m nervous, is because I haven’t done it in a while. It can be intimidating standing in front of people who probably know a lot more than I do and who may be better speakers.
So why am I grateful for it? Because it’s made me leave my comfort zone where I’ve been quite comfortable, thank you very much. The past few years between moving and switching congregations, I’ve flown under the radar and haven’t had to teach or speak once. So when I was asked to fill in for the regular teacher, I swallowed my fear and said yes. And every day this week, I have gone home and read through the scriptures and studied the topic for an hour. That’s something I don’t normally do. So this assignment has challenged me to focus on my spiritual self instead of watching TV or reading blogs (nothing wrong with either of those things, btw. I love them equally).
I’m glad that the church is organized this way – that it asks its members to be the ones to teach each other. I remember as a kid, standing up in front of the congregation to give my two-minute talk on faith. Yeah it was scary, but I did it and I grew. Throughout the years I’ve had various church assignments and talks I had to give and each of them has helped me in some way. Before I moved to DC, I taught a class of 16-17 year old girls. At first I wondered why on earth they had asked me to do that. I mean it had been a good 15 years since I was in their shoes, how could I possibly help them? What could they learn from me? The amazing thing is that I started doing it and I was the one who ended up learning. Yes, I was able to relate experiences that may have helped them in some way, but I was the one who grew. It was and still is one of the best church assignments I’ve ever had.
Even knowing this, accepting church assignments isn’t always easy, but I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m nervous about Sunday and even though it’ll be a challenge, I know I’ll be a better person for it.
ps – they just asked me to speak to the congregation in two weeks (200-300 people). Yikes! Maybe that’s what happens when you start saying yes? Wish me luck!
What about you – have you ever had to teach or speak in front of a large group of people?
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