Ministry Teams: Nursery

 

For whom is nursery available?

Trinity provides nursery care for children from 8 weeks through age two during the Sunday morning worship services and Sunday school hour.
Infant Nursery: 8 weeks-12 months
Walker Nursery: 12-24 months
Toddler Nursery: 2 year olds


What is the vision for Trinity's nursery?

Our goal is to demonstrate the character of Jesus by providing loving care in a secure environment.
   

Who works in Trinity's nurseries?

All members and regular attendees of Trinity are encouraged to serve in Nursery on a scheduled rotation of approximately every eight weeks. 

Why does everyone have to take a turn working in the nursery? 

At Trinity we seek to build a congregational mind set toward ministry that especially seeks out the welfare of the weakest members of our community (the covenant community as well as the communities in which we live).  It's not so much that we want to develop a team that will "do" the ministry to children, but to equip the entire congregation to see the world with the mind of Christ.  This should result in ministry to all people, including children. 
Rather than form a separate "children's nursery team" we seek to equip all church members to see that all parts of the body have an interest in the welfare of the weaker members of our body.

How is this mind set and approach legitimate?  What about those of us who don't have kids, aren't married, or whose kids are grown and out of the home?

As members of the body of Christ, we are called to minister and care for that body, which includes every member of our covenantal community, young and old, rich and poor, and those personalities that are hardest to love. Most of us have a "default" mode of thinking toward children that is not biblical.  Adults are not more worthy of church membership than children.  Remember our confession as Christians: We are members of God's family by adoption.  Our father adopted us, we did not adopt our father.  Therefore, it is inconsistent with the gospel to think of children as second-class members, or as important merely because they promise to someday be adults.  It is important that we realize that this is our natural way of thinking toward children (or anyone who is weaker than we are), so we can allow the gospel to change our thinking and therefore shape our ministry.
Scripture teaches that the church like a body needs all of its parts.  It seems obvious that children need the gifts of adults in order to grow, but it is also right to say that adults need interaction with children in the process of maturing spiritually.  The command to teach children all that God has done is as much for the good of the adult as it is for the child.  Few things drive home the truth of scripture like the experience of explaining it to a child.

 

How does every-member-a-nursery-worker match Trinity's larger vision? 

A secondary goal (but still a very important goal) of our children's ministry is that we show hospitality to parents and children visiting our church.  One of the greatest ways to show love to a parent is to show love for their children. 

 

What do we expect from our nursery workers? 

Our responsibility to children is not simply babysitting, but to minister to them, for they are part of the covenantal community right here, right now, today; nursery is an opportunity to give an infant a glimpse of Jesus' love.  Those assigned to work during the first worship should arrive by 8:00; those assigned to work during Sunday School should arrive by 9:30; and those assigned to work during the second service should arrive by 10:30.


Is my child safe when I leave them in the Nursery?

The Children’s Ministry, together with the Session and a lawyer from our congregation, has put together a policy to better protect our covenant children.  As members of Trinity we have all taken a vow to protect and to care for our children and we feel that we have come up with a policy that we can all follow and stand behind to ensure the safety of our children, the children of visitors who attend our church, and the volunteers who serve each week. 
Our commitment to the safety of our children includes an approval for background checks on every member, clean toys and linens for all children, sanitization upon entry into nurseries, and nametags to match children for dismissal.


Additional Information or Questions?

Contact Erin Irwin, Children's Ministry Director at erin@trinitynorfolk.com

Nursery Policies and Procedures can be found here.