The nursery at Redeemer is growing! Over the summer, we have had 40 babies in regular attendance between the ages of 6 months-3 years old. With that growth, we are making changes to extend the spiritual formation we practice in Redeemer Kids to our tiniest parishioners. From the moment they are born, we want to build their sense of belonging in the context of the church and God’s story and help them develop a sense of wonder in the beauty of their identity in Christ.
With this goal in mind, starting August 25th, we will have story time in our nursery with books and stories that follow the church calendar, as well as an interactive music time with shakers, rhythm sticks, and see-through scarves. This story time would not be possible without the rotating set of 14 women in our church who serve these babies once a month and our seven paid childcare staff members who work every week.
Our nursery volunteers—some of whom have served in the nursery since the early days of Redeemer Kids—are actively engaging in the spiritual formation of your children through praying over each child’s name during the week, leading snack time prayer, and being an active presence in the room to care for any child who might be struggling with the transition into the nursery space.
The work of our volunteers is supported by our childcare staff members who are responsible for caring for the hygiene, physical well-being, and safety of children while assisting with the general schedule and rhythms of the nursery. Our childcare staff are CPR trained and most are undergoing continued training in childhood development. It has been a joy to get to know these women and work with them to improve how we interact with each baby that enters our nursery on Sunday mornings.
Finally, I would love to introduce you to our newest childcare staff member, Aliyah. You can learn more about her below!
Mikala Thompson
Assistant Director of Redeemer Kids
"Hi everyone! My name is Aliyah Murrell. I am in my second year of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at VCU. My passion is to one day become a NICU Occupational Therapist. I truly believe the work they do for the babies in their care lays the groundwork for their future development, and I would love to be a part of that. That is also why I am excited to join the childcare staff here at Redeemer Anglican Church. I want to gain experience caring for children of different ages to get a better understanding of childhood developmental milestones and to be of service to my community. I have already felt so welcomed by everyone, and I look forward to continuing to grow and learn!"
