My Favorite Church Web Page will Disappear
An internet resource provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I spend a fair bit of time with is the old map page:
classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps
I guess I just like maps, and being able to look up current ward and stake and mission boundaries of places near me, or where I once lived, or where people I know are serving missions, or random spots on the globe that catch my fancy. The data is all there and for several years I have enjoyed partaking. However, the glory of God is intelligence, and such glory is more than members of the church can endure lest they perish. It’s not quite as bad as partaking of the tree of life and living forever in our sins would be, but apparently it’s pretty bad. Therefore bare facts regarding the Church, such as the number of endowments provided the living and the dead in 2019 by the Albuquerque Temple, need to be handled carefully lest unprepared saints be exposed to them.
The branch boundaries of the Rio Gallegos District will soon also be guarded from those without a need to know: “PF Maps 2.0 is now available with an improved user interface, added master planning functionality, and enhanced information security. Please be aware that PF Maps Classic will be officially retired and no longer available after August 31, 2022. Go to PF Maps 2.0.” Following the link to PF Maps 2.0: “Welcome to the new PF Maps 2.0. Access is currently limited to specific users.”
Time and again we are directed that our interest in our worldwide church’s doings is not altogether proper. There are full-time employees and contracted professionals to think any thoughts about such things as really matter, and the thoughts of the rest of us should not be distracted from our families, ward assignments, and community service. If we really want a hobby, there are rock bands and baseball teams to follow and books on science and history to read.
Rozy
July 31, 2022
I didn’t even know about that function and I love maps too. I’ve always thought it sad that we don’t have access to former ward lists, or the ability to look up friends we’ve lost contact with. I can understand the security aspect, but temple recommend holders surely are a trustworthy group and could have extended access. Since I’ve been a leader only once for a couple of years I feel like an outsider with no access to anything.
G
July 31, 2022
Bad.
Bureaucracy and management.
Bad.
Wm Jas Tychonievich
July 31, 2022
Weird that something like ward boundaries would not be public information. What do you do when you move to a new city and want to know when and where to attend church?
Sute
August 1, 2022
Rozy
That’s one reason I’ve created what’s whatsapp groups for the wards I’ve lived in. I recognized immediately that lds circles, for instance, was a walled garden and needless excluded people that someone other than myself decided should be in my garden.
“Networking” is to life changingly powerful to just let fall by the wayside. Yes, we have Facebook and text messaging, but those are each more limited in certain ways. Whatsapp seems to endure better and I feel much better asking someone to download that to their phone than to have a Facebook account…
Eric
August 1, 2022
WJT: There’s still a separate meetinghouse locator tool on the website, About Us > Worship with Us. Enter your address (or whatever other address comes to mind) and it will show which meetinghouses are closest. The ward directory tool is a separate feature as well.
Ben Pratt
August 1, 2022
John, this is a longtime favorite tool of mine as well. I’m heartbroken and annoyed. If I thought there were a chance that the church tech guys would be amenable to listening to my pleas, I would make them. Most of the data there is unavailable anywhere else. For example it was the only place I could find the boundaries of the mission my child will soon be serving in, even if only as an image I have to align with the map on Google Earth Pro.
I believe we discussed here a rumor from Extradead JCB that the church is gradually decoupling from mainstream systems toward homegrown systems. That does not appear to be true on the software side. I had tried to get into PF Maps 2.0 a month or two ago and was dismayed to encounter a login screen to some offering by a major tech company.
Clown world is Harvard MBAs all the way down.
G.
August 2, 2022
I think it’s the opposite, I think we are coupling.
Whatever the benefit is of tying ourselves to the mast of a sinking ship, it is one that can only be seen with the eye of faith, and in my case not even then.
E.C.
August 2, 2022
@ G,
One of my brothers-in-law works for FamilySearch. At least on that end of the church sites, they’re working furiously to create their own systems and code for everything, so there is some kind of truth to that rumor, though I don’t know how much of that applies to the church’s website proper, or to this particular function.
G.
August 3, 2022
Once again, my favorite suicide hotline, 1-800-E.C., has come through. Excellent news.
There has been a lot happening on the genealogy front that I personally don’t like but that’s mostly just temperament and I recognize real progress is happening.