Sunday, March 10, 2013

F/HE and the Program

Earlier this year, I volunteered to start printing the Sacrament Meeting program for church, because the person who had previously done so was no longer in the ward. The bishop, who had just been called to his position, seemed relieved at my offer, and gave me the ok.

I've secretly always wanted to do the church program. I like creating documents and forms and formatting things to look nice, so I looked forward to the challenge. I also decided to use a computer program I'd never used before, Adobe InDesign, because for some reason I feel this is a program I should know how to use.

It's been a steep learning curve getting used to InDesign, but I'm getting there. It took me about 4 weeks to even figure out how to print the programs. Before that point, I was hoping no one at church was familiar with InDesign, because it would be painfully obvious how inexperienced I was. No one said anything, at least, so that's good.

One interesting thing about making the program is that I'm also the person who picks the hymns, so I never have to call and bug myself to give me the hymns (I just have to bug myself ;o). I do have to call other people, however, for the activities and lessons information I include, and that can be frustrating.

Example:

Last week on Thursday I texted Val, the person in charge of Family Home Evening*, for information, as I try to print the programs by Friday. She texted back within a half hour:

"...indexing party with karaoke and secret service planning on the side... at the church at 7."

Simple enough.

I put in the program, "Indexing party and beyond," along with the time and address. All was well. I printed the programs on Saturday.

This morning, at 8:28, I got a text from someone who is not in my phone, who turned out to be a guy named Riff (he's not really named that, but he reminds me of Riff in West Side Story, so that's what I call him in my head). Keep in mind that our church starts at 9, and I have to get there early to play prelude. Today, in fact, I had to be there by 8:30 to rehearse the musical number, though of course Riff would have no way of knowing that. Anyway, he sent me this text:

"Have you printed the programs yet? Fhe tomorrow will be going to the family history library."

I didn't even see his message until Sunday School.

Seriously? I thought. I really need to figure out which people I'm supposed to be contacting about activities information...

It seems like someone different gives me activities information each week. Different people are in charge of different activities, I understand that, but shouldn't at least one person know all the activities going on, for sure?

During Relief Society, Bigbang announced the F/HE activity. Riff had been incorrect, after all: it would indeed be an indexing party, but it would be held at the Institute building.

Curses, I thought. The information on the program is wrong. I hate when the information I print on the program is wrong, especially when it's through no fault of my own.

After we sang the opening hymn, Riff himself came in to announce FHE again, but this time he mentioned that because it's spring break at the U, the Institute building will be closed, so we'll just be having the indexing party at the church at 7.

Yes! I thought. The program is right!

Apparently, I'm not the only one who doesn't know what's going on--it's no surprise that I'm given shifty information when the people planning the activities don't even know what's going on themselves!


*I type F/HE on the program for Family Home Evening, because, as my friend pointed out, we're not technically a family, so it's more of a Home Evening (though we don't technically meet at anyone's home, either).

1 comment:

Schmath said...

You're sooooo lucky that you get to pick your own hymns! Although, if I got to pick the hymns, we'd never do any of the hard or cheesy ones, and there'd only be a rotation of about 75 because I wouldn't want to learn new ones, so maybe it's good that someone else holds me to a higher standard.