Serving one another: Congregational Nursery Rotation

Our church community is a covenant family—membership in our church is a promise to love and serve one another. One practical way we do this is by looking after the littlest and loudest ones among us! Gently caring for one another’s children gives every parent the opportunity to fully engage in worship, resting in the knowledge that their kids are being kept safe and being shown Jesus.

Please reach out to your site contact if you have any health concerns that would prevent you from serving. If you are no longer a member at McLean Presbyterian Church or Capital Pres Herndon, please let us know at [email protected].

Contact

MCLEAN: Holly Harnsberger
Assistant Director of Children's Ministry, Preschool & Nursery
holly@mcleanpres.org

HERNDON: Kim Hunter
Children's Ministry Coordinator
khunter@capitalpres.org

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the rotation details and how often will I serve?

  • What are the rotation details and how often will I serve?

  • How can I see when I'm scheduled to serve?

  • What if I don't see my nursery assignment in Connect?

  • What are the expectations? Will I change diapers?

  • How do I block out specific dates on which I can't serve?

  • I can't serve on my assigned date. How do I swap with someone?

  • I'm sick and I'm scheduled to serve this Sunday! What do I do?

  • How can I get more involved with Children's Ministry?

Our Congregational Nursery Rotation is the commitment of all church members (ages 22–72) to serve in the nursery on a schedule managed by Children’s Ministry staff.

Church members will serve across all sites: McLean and Herndon.

  • All communing members ages 22–72 will be assigned to serve 1–4 Sundays per year at the site they attend.
  • On your designated Sundays, you will serve during one worship service hour.

At any time, you can view your serving assignment in Connect: Follow this link to see if you’ve been scheduled to serve in the nursery (you’ll be prompted to log into Connect)! After logging in, a small number of staff/leaders may need to click an additional “MY SERVING” button at the top right of the page.

Don’t see any nursery service details in Connect? Check out the answer to the next question: “What if I don’t see my nursery assignment in Connect?”

Want to get help from a staff member?

No problem! Call the church office at 703.821.0800 to get help over the phone, or email your Children’s Ministry staff member for assistance:

Not all church members have been assigned to serve in the current rotation!

  • If you don’t see any nursery details in your Connect serving tab (see the above question: “How can I see when I’m scheduled to serve?”), then you have not been scheduled to serve.
  • Most likely, you will be assigned as part of the next serving rotation.
  • When you’ve been scheduled to serve in the nursery, you can expect to receive a detailed email — well in advance of your serving date! Once you’ve gotten that email, your serving details will also be available to view in Connect.

WANT TO GET HELP FROM A STAFF MEMBER?

No problem! Call the church office at 703.821.0800 to get help over the phone, or email your Children’s Ministry staff member for assistance:

You will serve alongside 1–2 other trained volunteers who will take the lead on diaper changes, handling children’s check-in, etc. Your role is simple: please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the service and come ready to play with the kids, read books, serve Cheerios, and have a fun time!

If there’s a specific Sunday when you’re unavailable to serve in the nursery, let us know by blocking out that date in your Connect serving preferences! Watch the video below for a quick tutorial:

Prefer to read instructions?

  1. Log into your Connect account.
  2. Select My Serving from the left-hand menu (you’ll see a heart icon).
  3. Your “Manage Serving” details will be displayed, with a calendar and any serving assignments. Click on the Edit Preferences button; it’s typically toward the top-right, below the search bar (underneath “Search name, phone, or email”).
  4. You are now able to edit your serving preferences, including setting block-out dates. Need more instructions? Access a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots (scroll down to “Edit blockout dates” directions.)

Want to get help from a staff member?

No problem! Call the church office at 703.821.0800 to get help over the phone, or email your Children’s Ministry staff member for assistance:

If you can’t serve on your scheduled Sunday, you’ll want to swap with someone! Here’s how:

  1. Reach out to a friend who is a member of the church and ask for a replacement or to swap with them (if they are already scheduled).
  2. After you have found someone to replace or swap with you:
    • Email your Children’s Ministry staff member (listed below).
    • Copy your replacement on the email.
    • In your email, include details on who is swapping with whom and for which dates.

Email replacement/swap details to your site’s Children’s Ministry staff member:

If you need to cancel within 24 hours due to illness, please email your Children’s Ministry staff member:

Our children’s ministries are empowered by members of our church who volunteer their time and energy to love our kids and families. If you’d like to regularly serve by teaching Sunday School or caring for babies in the nursery, please complete this form and one of our staff members will reach out to you!