Sustained and released in the same meeting

On the beautiful Sabbath Day of June 13, 2021 something occurred which has never happened before – at least not to me – in my years as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A little background for those who may not know how callings, sustainings and releases work in the LDS Church.  To be called to a position involves a meeting with the bishop who asks a member to accept an assignment (aka calling) to serve in the ward (or stake).  A sustaining (aka Law of Common Consent which means a majority must approve) takes place in our Sunday Sacrament meeting when the name of the member and the calling to which s/he is willing to serve is announced to the congregation.  Then the leader at the pulpit asks for a show of hands in favor of this calling … or a similar sign in opposition.  

 

So today, the 2^nd Counselor in the Bishopric stood and read the names of those accepting new assignments … including Ed and Linda Sappington as building cleaning coordinators.  (Not that it matters, but in the Church, we take care of cleaning the building every Saturday morning in each assigned quarter of the year.  Since our ward is one of 3 in our building our turn comes around every three months).  

 

I have to admit I was shocked when I heard our names called.  I leaned over and asked Ed if he had met with the Bishop and had agreed to this calling, but had failed to tell me (something which has happened more than a few times in our married life).  He assured me he hadn’t.  I leaned over to the lady sitting on my other side and asked if I had heard correctly … “Ed and Linda Sappington … right?”  She assured me, she had heard the same thing.

 

Now to releases.  After a period of service, the member is released, usually after being called to another assignment.  Sometimes it’s many years in one calling … sometimes only a few months, but its all part of the process. 

 

At the end of of last Sunday's Sacrament meeting, the 2^nd Counselor stood to close the meeting, but asked with a grin, “has anyone ever received a calling without ever talking to the bishop?” 

 

With that, he asked for a “vote of thanks for the work of Ed and Linda Sappington as our ward building cleaning coordinators” (all 30 minutes of it) then asked for a sustaining vote for David and Jan’L Sappington as our ward building cleaning coordinators.

 

After the meeting was adjourned one of the sisters asked, “why didn’t you raise your hand when he asked for those opposed to our 'new' calling?"  Honestly, I was going to stand up when he first called our name, but I think I was too shocked to do so.