Moving into a new area in St. George, I was taken back by the sheer number of spanking new The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Meeting houses. Even in new developments, not even finished, you see a new meeting house.
Before anyone gets up in arms, I am a tithe-paying member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In my Sunday Sacrament Meeting, the chapel is just over half full. Even if the chapels were 100% full, Sunday meetings take only two hours per ward per Sunday, and may require one or two hours over the entire week for various usage.
Instead of building all these new buildings, share each building among up to six wards. Use the funds saved to build large homeless shelters, “homes for the homeless.” Medical care, professional retraining and counseling could be offered.
This makes sense if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is interested in making an effective difference.
Consider redirecting some surplus for a multi-denominational home and center for women and children escaping from domestic violence. The construction of such a building would be a statement against bigotry and chauvinism. Just imagine the good merely opening such a dialogue.
Perhaps additional uses for our current buildings could be for after-school care and nutrition-based care for children to allow working parents an alternative to traditional child care for overstretched budgets and parents.
These buildings have so many resources that go under utilized. Such waste.
Perhaps this makes too much sense. Regardless, I will continue to pay my tithing. I only hope I could see those funds used a bit more to make us a better people. All of us, not just the “chosen few.”
David L. Aguirre, St. George