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It was a difficult issue: LaTonya was a beloved woman who had been asked to watch the church nursery children ten years ago when the church was desperate for help. She was paid well, both in money and in food, and she kept coming back. She seemed to enjoy the job and continued to watch the children every week. LaTonya thought it was a good situation.

But the new vicar had another view of the situation. Janna had been there only two weeks when she eyed two little children running in and around the education wing on a Sunday morning. She was about to preach her first sermon and had forgotten her notes in her nervousness. In her hurry to get the notes, she took a shortcut and ran through the deserted education wing. The children were in church now, and the nursery was at the end of the wing. It was quieter there, and there was a covered entrance where the children could be dropped off and picked up. Janna wondered where LaTonya and her young helpers were as she escorted the two two--year--olds back to the nursery. LaTonya said she hadn't even noticed them gone; she was watching television. This disturbed Janna.

But Janna was in a hurry and needed to get back to the sanctuary; she would talk to LaTonya later. LaTonya was already gone by the time Janna had shaken hands, taken off her alb, and gathered her materials. The church was empty, and Janna walked through the education wing with the senior pastor. She shared her concerns with Ron, and he suggested she call LaTonya at home that evening.

Janna thought it was a straightforward call, but the next morning two angry women were at the church door, insisting on knowing why Janna had questioned LaTonya's actions. A molehill had suddenly turned into a mountain. Some were calling it a racial issue. Others were calling it a personal attack. But Janna held strong and told them it was none of their business. She would take the matter up with LaTonya, Ron and, if necessary, the church council.

Janna was understandably upset at what was happening. She didn't want to alienate this woman, but the church was on a busy highway in a marginal area of town. Someone could have taken one of the children, and LaTonya wouldn't have known it. One of them could have run out on the highway, and LaTonya wouldn't have known it. It made Janna very upset that LaTonya refused to speak to her. She would only speak to Janna through a friend who was a lawyer. Janna thought it was terribly blown out of proportion.

LaTonya was not doing her job well at all. Several mothers came forward to say their children came home with diapers that were never changed. Some children had not been cleaned up after a snack and others came home with permanent marker stains on their clothing. In all, five mothers said they had left the church because the nursery was inadequate. Janna never knew and neither did the church council. Unfortunately, instead of complaining and bringing the complaints to light, the families simply left. The church council called each one to express their concern, apologize for what happened, and asked them to reconsider returning to the church. Other mothers shared that they took their children with them to church, although they would have preferred them to be in the nursery.

Indeed it was a big deal. Some sided with Janna and others sided with LaTonya. Ron suggested they fire LaTonya, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. LaTonya wanted a severance package before she left. Ron thought it was outrageous but knew the issue was getting out of hand and could pull some families away from the church.

Janna asked LaTonya to resign, but she refused. Janna approached the council and explained the situation in detail. LaTonya and her friends were also invited and gave their side of the story, saying Janna had been mistaken and the mothers who complained were exaggerating. In the end, the council felt the safety of the children was more important and fired LaTonya. They gave her one month's pay and asked her not to return the next Sunday. LaTonya was satisfied.

Two families left the church, but the council said if that's all it took for them to leave, then they weren't all that committed. They were concerned about LaTonya, but also relieved to know the children would be safe and watched over. And all this in Janna's first month of internship! It was quite an issue, but Janna handled it effectively, sharing it quietly, then with Ron and then with the council. She was left with no alternative. And the church was left with better supervision of the children.