The Wonderful Word
Plenty
All three nurseries are filled with laughing, fussing,
crawling, toddling little ones. As we worship on
Calvin College's campus, they are staffed with loving, caring, holding, rocking VOLUNTEERS – lots of
them! Nurseries, preschool rooms and kindergarten
classrooms are all experiencing great blessings of
volunteers.
When I joined the Calvary Kids staff last August I
knew that the biggest challenge the nurseries faced
was an insufficient number of volunteers. We had
a core of workers who showed up ready to love on
babies week after week, but never enough of them.
The electronic sign in the Sanctuary lit up each week,
“5000,” code for “Help! Not enough workers! Children
being turned away.” Skilled team leaders in each service kept vigil at nursery doors when helpers arrived.
Their watchful eyes made sure that ratios were met
to ensure that we had adequate workers for the children. Sometimes parents hovered in the hallway,
hopeful that with the next volunteer there would be
room for their child. Some gave up and took babies
into the Sanctuary or went home.
Cut to nurseries this past week at Calvin. Team leaders count tiny heads but not to flash “5000!” There
are enough adults for fretful babies to each have
their own caregiver. Toddlers sit on the floor with
teens who are rolling balls and moving beads on
little stands. Grown men have tiny children on their
laps and are reading books. Grandmas change diapers. A young mom is leading a rousing chorus of
“Jesus Loves Me.” This is the army of caring Calvary
Kids volunteers. Not “just enough to keep the doors
open” but plenty, enough to invest precious, God-given time one on one with needy children. The little fellow who has had a hard morning. The cute girl with
the new shoes who wants someone to hold her dolly.
The toddler who refuses to give up the puzzle piece
even though it goes to another puzzle! Enough loving arms to rock all three tiny babies, each screaming and needing an extra measure of attention and
comfort this morning.
This is the blessing of plenty of volunteers who give
generously to the sweet children in our care. Each
has said “Yes” to the call from God, from our pastors
and sometimes from my cell phone, to serve in the
nurseries. Some have showed up Sunday mornings
to rock babies for decades. Some for the first time
at Calvin. Each could be relaxing in the service or at
IHOP for a before or after- church breakfast. Instead
they have heeded the call to care for Calvary families
by giving them time to worship, to pass out bulletins, or to serve in the parking lot. Volunteers often
say that they never felt a part of our large church until they served. Others have met lifelong friends or
prayer partners while cuddling infants.
The Calvary Kids staff has prayed earnestly and
faithfully for plenty of volunteers, enough to love
babies generously and extravagantly, which takes
many people. At Calvin our prayers are being answered every Sunday morning. If you’d like to talk to
me about serving in Calvary Kids and continuing this
season of plenty, call me at 956-9377, ext. 5381.
By Leslie Iverson
Facilitator, Calvary Kids Ministry
Leslie is married to Sy Iverson and is mother/stepmother to five grown children and seven
grandchildren. She has been a teacher, admissions counselor and is now blessed to be working
as facilitator at Calvary.
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