R Have You Planned for A Christmas Eve Worship Nursery?
On Christmas Eve most
children older than about three belong in the sanctuary. That is where they hear the story, experience
the candle-lit sanctuary, and sing the carols in the special way they are sung
on Christmas Eve. But the church does a
service when it provides a nursery for infants and toddlers. It allows the parents to focus on worshiping
with their older children rather than managing a tiny one who is not ready for
the sanctuary experience. And, it saves
the congregation from the distraction of a hopelessly antsy baby or
toddler. Of course babies and toddlers
are welcome in the sanctuary, but the parents have an option other than “make
it work in the sanctuary” or “stay at home.”
Only parents can decide whether a given child on a given day needs to be
in the nursery or the sanctuary.
However, the rule of thumb is that the nursery is for children three and
under.
Since it is Christmas Eve and
the children are excited – even when they are not sure exactly what they are
excited about – it is important to be prepared to welcome them in a calm
way. Providing simple activities, maybe
a Christmas craft for the older ones, and a clean, loving environment are
key. Families whose children receive this
attention know that the church cares about them. Visitors finding such care are likely to
return.
To staff such nurseries,
enlist the help of volunteers who can attend services at other times and/or
offer the nursery staff double time pay.
One larger church offered staff double pay AND fed them a light brought-in
supper between the two services. The
staff knew it was needed every year and often asked to be included in the
Christmas Eve staff early in the fall.
The result was nurseries staffed by familiar folks who were happy to be
there.
So even at this late date,
check out the plans for the nursery on Christmas Eve.
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