God has granted us a gift that many of us have longed for: babies born into the parish and the advent of several new families with youngsters. We have tried for months to staff a nursery downstairs, and now - right on cue! - God has provided that staff as well! This coming Sunday, February 8, the nursery will be open!
Caitlin Dodson and Sophie Foster, graduate students at Tennessee Tech, have come on board to provide care for children 6 months to 8 years during the 10:30 service. The nursery will be open at 10:15, and children will be returned to their parents during announcement time. In the initial weeks, Stacye Choate will help Caitlin and Sophie become acclimated and introduce them to parents and children. Headshots and brief bios are below.
I have known Caitlin for more than a year. She was project manager for several initiatives as part of an Information Technology program capstone course at Tech. I was impressed by her expertise and creative problem solving skills - but even more with her maturity and deportment. She has continued work with me beyond the capstone course to complete a lengthy project to scan and archive important records at St. Michael's and to provide me with digital support. Sophie and Caitlin are roommates, and I was impressed similarly during the job interview with Sophie's maturity and experience. Both women will soon have completed online modules for our diocesan Safeguarding God's Church program, and background checks are underway. These are routine, but necessary steps required by our diocese to do all we can to ensure our children's wellbeing.
I hope to introduce Caitlin and Sophie to you during announcement time on Sunday so that you may welcome them.
We're rebuilding the nursery program nearly from the ground up to respond to the needs of children and parents. Look for us to make changes as the program strengthens and expands.