Removing Middle Names on Officers Sustained List on LCR

I know it is possible to remove middle names on the MLS version of the Stake or Ward Officers Sustained list. I would like to know if it is possible to do with the LCR version of it. I don't think it is possible right now. Right now, I do it by first making sure the callings are correct in LCR, sync MLS, then create the Officers Sustained list in MLS and print to pdf (for archival purposes). Personally, I like the MLS list better than the LCR list.

Why do I want to remove middle names? It's what's being requested by the stake presidency. I guess it's similar to having "M. Russell Ballard" instead of Melvin Russell Ballard. They would like the name easy to read when it is read over the pulpit. Some of the names in our stake can be very long (8-9 names long).

Is it going to be possible in the future in LCR?

I had a bishop that wanted initials instead of full middle names - just like General Conference. So I'm sure your Stake President isn't alone in that desire.

The problem is this neither the full name nor the preferred name. And as you pointed out, some go by middle name, not first. So short of trying to code something that compares full and preferred name, I'm not sure how that would work.

You may have to take the full name and just black out the middle name leaving only the initial.

jekylls wrote:Why do I want to remove middle names? It's what's being requested by the stake presidency. I guess it's similar to having "M. Russell Ballard" instead of Melvin Russell Ballard. They would like the name easy to read when it is read over the pulpit. Some of the names in our stake can be very long (8-9 names long).

Is it going to be possible in the future in LCR?

I doubt it, especially since the instructions at the top of the form say to use the full name.

There are occasions when the full name of an Apostle is used. As for stake and ward conference sustainings, I never used more than four names. We did a little bit of judicious editing. We usually dropped the hyphenated maiden name from the Central and South American names, and we dropped the name of an ex-husband at one sister's request, even though it was still a part of her full legal name.

Still, I had a few names that were 3-4 lines long in the 2-column MLS format.

My most memorable occasion in presenting officers for a sustaining vote at a ward conference came when one of the names included a Relief Society president of Tongan ancestry. I had prepared.

As I approached the very long name in sacrament meeting, the snickering began before I even read it aloud. I paused for a moment, looked up, then pronounced the name nearly flawlessly. There was not another sound from the then reverent congregation as I completed the list.

lajackson wrote:My most memorable occasion in presenting officers for a sustaining vote at a ward conference came when one of the names included a Relief Society president of Tongan ancestry. I had prepared.

As I approached the very long name in sacrament meeting, the snickering began before I even read it aloud. I paused for a moment, looked up, then pronounced the name nearly flawlessly. There was not another sound from the then reverent congregation as I completed the list.

Nice!

lajackson wrote:

jekylls wrote:Why do I want to remove middle names? It's what's being requested by the stake presidency. I guess it's similar to having "M. Russell Ballard" instead of Melvin Russell Ballard. They would like the name easy to read when it is read over the pulpit. Some of the names in our stake can be very long (8-9 names long).

Is it going to be possible in the future in LCR?

I doubt it, especially since the instructions at the top of the form say to use the full name.

My most memorable occasion in presenting officers for a sustaining vote at a ward conference came when one of the names included a Relief Society president of Tongan ancestry. I had prepared.

As I approached the very long name in sacrament meeting, the snickering began before I even read it aloud. I paused for a moment, looked up, then pronounced the name nearly flawlessly. There was not another sound from the then reverent congregation as I completed the list.

Imagine what happens when the majority of the names in the ward are Tongan, Samoan, Spanish, Brazilian, etc, where the number of names an individual has are always long. This is why removing middle names has been requested by the presidency. That's the reason for my request. My request is that since this is possible with MLS, that it should be possible with LCR as well. It seems reasonable to have this, as the apostles names are abbreviated on the same form.

jekylls wrote:My request is that since this is possible with MLS, that it should be possible with LCR as well. It seems reasonable to have this, as the apostles names are abbreviated on the same form.

The fact that it is possible in MLS doesn't mean that behavior carries over to LCR. There are several things that MLS does or allows that do not conform with current business rules. Since MLS is being deprecated, it doesn't make sense to correct those issues in MLS.

As lajackson pointed out, the instructions at the top of the form say to "present the full names of officers for sustaining." That is what LCR does. If your stake president feels that policy should be changed, he should consult with his area authority who can pursue that request through priesthood channels.

jekylls wrote:Imagine what happens when the majority of the names in the ward are Tongan, Samoan, Spanish, Brazilian, etc, where the number of names an individual has are always long.

What happened here in our stake under these circumstances is that the ward clerk caught a whole lot of grief if the sustaining list was not prepared and ready in advance so that I could study it, ask questions, and learn how to pronounce the names correctly. It took a lot of effort, but it was worth it every time.

That was the approach our stake presidency took in meeting this challenge. Your stake president, of course, presides in your stake and will guide your efforts there.

[Story omitted on how to make it work when wards did not seem to cooperate.]

lajackson wrote:[Story omitted on how to make it work when wards did not seem to cooperate.]

Just tease us like that ....