Three Months in Advance:

• Enlist volunteers to serve on a Baby Day committee.  Create a schedule for your committee and assign tasks to committee members in preparation for Baby Day.

• Plan for an all-church workday if your church nursery needs a facelift. Encourage families to lend a hand with painting, laying carpet, assembling toys, or “spring cleaning.”

• Assign someone to photograph or videotape the babies in the church nursery. Use this to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the Baby Parade or to create a Baby Day video. (Note: Have parents sign a release form. You can download a standard release form at www.nazarene.org/babyday.)

• Meet with the pastoral staff to encourage their involvement in every aspect and activity of Baby Day 2011.

Two Months in Advance:

• Meet with your committee members to assess progress and evaluate the feasibility of initial plans.

• Plan a budget and schedule of events for Baby Day.  Make these plans available to the church board or stewardship committee for final approval.

• Begin the promotional process. Compile a list of names of infants and toddlers and their families who are a part of your congregation and/or community.

• Update the pastoral staff on the progress of Baby Day.  Seek their input and advice in areas of concern. 

One Month in Advance:  

• Advertise Baby Day as a special time to honor babies. Complete the information on the enclosed poster, and make copies to display in such places as grocery stores, convenience stores, maternity shops, thrift stores, coffee shops, and baby furniture stores.

• Prepare a bulletin board or wall display in the church foyer or other prominent place. Use the title: A Special Connection! Use the Baby Day poster, and attach photos of babies from your nursery.

• Finalize the order of service with the pastoral staff so that necessary music, presentations, bulletins, and other resources can be acquired, reviewed, and prepared.

• Purchase or make a small gift for each baby, the babies’ parents, and each nursery worker.

• Begin a Baby Day fundraiser.  Take pledges from individuals and groups within your congregation who are willing to donate money and/or supplies for a Baby Day fundraiser. (Investigate if there are any local charities or organizations that specialize in aid to infants and toddlers and their families, and focus fundraising efforts to support their mission.)

• Send Baby Day invitations to all the families in your nursery department and Cradle Roll as well as to prospective parents. Include the theme, A Special Connection, in your invitations.

One to Two Weeks in Advance:

• Meet with your Baby Day committee members and pastoral staff to review final details, service schedule, and each individual’s responsibilities on Baby Day.

• Distribute Baby Day flyers before Sunday School and each worship service. Include the Baby Day theme on the flyer.

• Arrange for extra nursery help for Baby Day. There may be new families in your church, so the babies (and the nursery workers) will appreciate the help.

• Make contact with any families in your community who have expressed interest in attending your church on Baby Day. Remind them of the service time and location. Encourage the family to bring other families with babies, as well.

• Inform greeters and ushers of visitors’ possible needs for special seating, directions to the nursery facilities, or an extra hand with baby carriers and diaper bags.

• Provide crayons and coloring pages or activity pages for older siblings who may attend the adult service with their parents.

Follow-up with Visitors and New Families with Infants and Toddlers
If your church has visitors and new families on Baby Day who have infants and toddlers, there are a number of ways your church can reach out to them.

Consider making a connection with the family through Hand-in-Hand.  This is a specially designed resource specifically created to help the local church reach out to families with infants or toddlers. 

Each packet includes:

• Welcome home card
• Birthday cards
• Tracking form and visitation log
• 12 helpful age-specific brochures for parents
• Parent's Covenant Certificate
• Baby Dedication Certificate
• And more!

Order through NPH product #CD-4000