When parents were asked what was most important in their assessment of a church’s youth program, a number of common themes emerged. One of the more obvious aspects under scrutiny concerned the range of ages serviced by the youth ministry and how those children of various ages are separated. With that, children of different ages require different resources, both from a staffing perspective and from a tools perspective. One way to merge the staffing gap is to incorporate a communication system for the nursery staff. For example, wireless paging with JTECH’s StaffComm™ micro-transmitters enables a nursery with multiple age groups and multiple age programs to operate as a cohesive unit. Many times the church nursery or youth director is unaware in advance of just how many children will show up in each of the age groups. Wireless communication devices such as those by JTECH allow staff to easily communicate and realign resources as needed when additional children show up for service.

The nursery director cannot be everywhere at every moment, but StaffComm give other staff members confidence that assistance is never more than a page away. A bonus benefit of using the SmartAlert messaging system is the built-in security system you also now have. StaffComm helps you mobilize nursery staff when there is an emergency. Whether dealing with an injured child or an unwelcome guest, StaffComm increases the level of cooperation between all members of the nursery team. By integrating this system into your church nursery, you will be able to get the right people to the right places at just the right time.

JTECH solutions are easy to install and easy to operate, as well as easy to maintain. The pagers are rechargeable and are equipped with an out-of-range feature alerting the carrier that he or she has strayed beyond reach with a pager. This is very helpful in preventing accidental pager loss. JTECH’s communication devices can also be very helpful in connecting security staff to nursery personnel. While no one really wants to consider matters pertaining to security in a church setting, it would be irresponsible to not address the potential risks. Ensuring proper communication is the first step toward a more secure church campus.

A recent Gallup Poll found that 92% of Americans believe in God. However, churches across America would argue that 92% of Americans don’t go to church. Herein is an opportunity for churches to become more accommodating and welcoming places for people to attend. The church nursery is a great place to set this standard and create added value and incentive for attendance. Parents will feel more comfortable leaving their young children at the nursery during service or small group prayer time if they are confident that staff can reach them by wireless pager if they are needed. This added sense of ease will allow parents to focus more on fellowship, worship and other spiritual activities. ParentPass wireless pagers are durable, reliable, simple to operate, and best of all, affordable. With a rapid-charging technology, your nursery will always be ready for your church activities. Perhaps one day all 92% of God-believing Americans will have a church to call home. And hopefully, those nurseries will be well-equipped to handle the additional attendance.

Both the CLS and RDX radios will increase your church’s security efforts and thereby increase peace of mind amongst parents leaving their children with nursery staff. This peace of mind will resonate within other areas of the church as well, as less concern will be devoted to the nursery’s ability to provide the best care possible to the church’s most vulnerable population – its children. With between 12 and 26 hours of battery life, these two-way radios are reliable and easily rechargeable as needed given their lithium ion battery. Peace of mind alone cannot be packaged up and put in a box, but a box of JTECH’s Motorola two-way CLS or RDX radios will set you on your way.

One way to deal with the varying and broad developmental needs of multiple children in one nursery setting is to have the parents or guardians accessible in case a child has a break-down or behavioral crisis. It’s not conducive to have one child in the nursery throwing a tantrum at the expense of the other children. JTECH’s PeopleAlert™ wireless messaging system with ParentPass™ pagers connects parents and their children’s nursery staff in a discreet and efficient manner. With a range of up to two miles, there is little concern for not being able to reach the child’s guardian. As developmental needs vary, the communication needs with the parent will also vary. Consider the child who, for example, is learning to potty train but will only use the toilet when mom or dad is present – discreet JTECH pagers enable the nursery staff to page mom or dad back to the nursery when the child expresses a need to go to the bathroom. This is just one way to support and advance the child’s development. From another angle, pagers are also ideal for reducing any separation anxiety that mom or dad might have with leaving the child with nursery staff. All in all, when people work together, raising children is much easier on everyone, including the child.

Being able to work together as a team lightens the load of the whole church staff. This is a group of people who are often already overextended and working as hard as they can to make the greatest impact in the greatest number of lives. Communicating internal needs between church departments and between church staff members is key. The book of Hebrews, chapter ten verse 25, says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The Bible instructs us to be in relationship with other believers, in a body of believers, in the church. It is as members of a body that we belong together and belong to one another. Just as the various parts of the body work together, so should the various parts of a church. More effective communication helps make this a reality.

Speed and timing is also of the essence. Wireless pagers give you direct access to staff at the quick press of a button. Pages can be sent from a small push button transmitter or any phone on the church’s PBX. It’s that attentive communication that will help prevent precarious situations from escalating. While some may scoff at the thought of security in church, the Bible advises otherwise. Proverbs chapter 22, verse 3 says “foresee danger and plan ahead.” Equipping your security staff with the proper tools to succeed, such as with wireless communication devices like pagers and two-way radios is the prudent and wise thing to do. Having a security framework in place such as the SmartAlert messaging system can also be very useful in emergency situations that might not be security related, for example in a health or safety scare. Natural disasters are also a relevant concern that can be attended to by having a communication paging system in place. Regardless, church should be a place where families feel safe to worship fully and without technological distraction.

ParentPass pagers operate on UHF (ultra high frequency) providing maximum range with capabilities great enough to span between the parish house and the worship center. It’s also very beneficial that these pagers have a rapid-charging technology which allows them to recharge in 2-3 hours or less. This is extra handy for churches holding Saturday evening and/or Sunday morning and evening services. So while parents do have to let go at some point, ParentPass pagers are sort of like training wheels for that period of separation.

If churches are only using “stewardship truths” to fund the budget, pay the bills, or get building dollars, they will miss God’s intention for stewardship teaching. God’s goal is always transformed lives – men and women, boys and girls, transformed by the truth and power of God’s Word. In Dr. George Barna’s national research he discovered that 52% of the people who read their Bible on the own were givers to their church. The less frequently someone reads the Bible, the less likely they are to be faithful givers at church. The more an individual learns God’s perspective on life – and finances, giving, material possessions, etc. – the more likely he or she is to have a heart for giving to God’s work. Part of getting the most out of a Church service requires the ability to truly focus on the message being delivered. This is best done when church nurseries utilize wireless paging systems such as those by JTECH. ParentPass™ pagers offer much more than peace of mind, they offer parents the opportunity to focus on God’s Word, which results in better stewards of faith.