I recently found an email I sent myself, dated May, 2015.  As I reread it, I felt compelled to share it with the children's leadership team here at church.  Back in May, 2015 I was fairly new to my position here at St. John's.  I think I had just been assigned an email address.  When I wrote it I was spending a few days alone attending a conference in Costa Mesa.  

I have been working with children since I was a teenager and so I was excited about my new position as the nursery coordinator.  In my excitement for the possibilities before me I realized that God had bigger plans for me within the area of children's ministry than I could have ever imagined.  As I thought about and prayed about my new job I started to realize that the nursery at St. John's would be more than a place where we would simply babysit.  Taking care of the little ones in a safe and secure environment was and is a primary focus of the nursery.

However, in spring, 2015 the nursery staff would simply wait for parents to return and they were not really comfortable teaching God's word or leading worship.  Instead of this, it became our goal to transform the nursery into a place where we lovingly plant seeds of faith in little lives.  We would help these little ones build an excitement for hearing and learning God's word and signing praises to Him.  

Connect/Grow/Share doesn't have an age limit and we would embrace it and flourish within it.

Connect/Grow/Share doesn't have an age limit and we would embrace it and flourish within it.  The nursery would weekly till soil and prep families for what God has designed for them.  These little ones would grow eager to serve a big purpose.  Families would encounter the living God together either again or for the first time.  This was what I prayed expectantly for. 

 As I prayed over the nursery staff, the children's team, our children & their parents, God reminded me of a day when I was hiking with my own family.  As we hiked we were surrounded by tall trees.  Feeling small beneath them I stopped to pick up an acorn.  It was so little, about the size of a thumbnail, and I handed it to my husband.  As I did, I reminded him of the unseen possibilities God has for us... about the untapped potential in us all.  We still have that acorn sitting in a jar on our family desk.  We refer to it often.  We think of that acorn when we talk about doing hard things or having patience with our current conditions.  We also often refer to it when we talk to our kids about God's plan for them.  What impact will this tiny acorn have? 

"Lil' Imprints".  That is the official name of our nursery.  As I prayed more about our name as I began my job, the word "Imprint" seemed to scream out to me.  These little lives have opportunities to imprint their families, and eventually the world.  I thought of the big impact kids have.  Think about how quiet a room gets to listen as a tiny little voice prays over dinner.  Think about how we listen closely for a squeaky little voice singing a praise to God.  These lil' imprints have an impact.

Like the tiny acorn with it's not yet developed potential to be more... Our St. John's kids are going to leave an IMPRINT on this generation.  You may have noticed that we have dropped the "Lil'" in our communication.  IMPRINT is the focus, even though we are serving the smallest and youngest... the impact can be more than "Lil'".   

This week, I'm here in Costa Mesa again, attending the same conference I attended alone last year.  This year I am not alone.  Today I am surrounded by nursery staff and volunteers.  They all wholeheartedly want to serve the children of St. John's.  Last night, a speaker from the conference used a quote that helped to confirm much of what we are doing in the nursery.  Ready for it?  Levi Lusko shared this quote... "Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple but only God knows the number of apples in a seed."  Really God?  I LOVE confirmation like that. 

With little ones a lot of their moments are lived for the first time.  First words, first steps, first experiences.  We as ministers, especially in the nursery, get to share in these firsts with so many families.  A year ago I was humbled at the idea that I got to do life with these families.  I still am in prayer in gratitude and humility at the opportunities before me.   

"...We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done." Psalm 78:4B

 Stop by and see us sometime.  Give that young woman who tirelessly rocks a little one to sleep in one arm while praising the Lord with the other a wave.  Come see where the Gospel is read and life applications are taught in the simplest of messages with great impact.  Come visit us, where little hands are folded & little heads are bowed as we pray together over water and goldfish.  Where friendships are blossoming and faith is taking root. From the Nursery staff, who are seldom seen, we are blessed by you parents and are encouraged by the IMPRINT your children have had on us.  

~ Irma Bates
Nursery Coordinator