Tag Archives: Godly Play

The Sounds of Silence

Book Review, Children's Ministries, Faith & Culture, Resources, , ,

The summer evenings in Connecticut where I live are filled with the sound of “peepers” – tree frogs, cicadas, and other small creatures that permeate the night air. For some not used to the noise it may be just that – noise. But for me it is a cadence of quiet calm. Not silence, but a contemplative hum breaking the darkness outside my open bedroom window.

Last week I was on vacation along the coast of Maine. Our days were filled with the sounds of silence; the crashing of waves and cries of seagulls accompanied us as we climbed the rocks surrounding Pemaquid Lighthouse. The sound of the cast-iron chime hanging from the house down the road, soulfully striking its own rhythm with the night wind, lulled us to sleep.

Continue reading The Sounds of Silence →

A World of Wonder

Children's Ministries, Parenting, Spirituality, , , , ,

Last week I took two days off to spend time with my just-turned-four-year-old granddaughter. The best I can describe it was two days of wild imagination. We decorated an Easter tree with tiny bunnies, eggs, and chicks that I got out of storage, spent an afternoon at a playground followed by ice cream, visited Grampa at work, read books, and pretended a whole lot. Tea parties, colorful scarves, hide and seek, and discussing all the Disney princesses filled our days.

While she had some quiet time (aka nap without sleeping), I also took a breather and opened the latest Christian Century. Jerome Berryman’s article “Holy story, sacred play: Helping children become fluent in faith” brought a smile to my face. Having had the privilege of sitting on the floor with Jerome going back 25+ years, his article about Godly Play spoke to my time with Mackenzie. And having worked with the Godly Play Foundation to bring the revised and expanded Complete Guide to Godly Play (Vol. 2, 3, 4) to publication as well as offering Godly Play at my parish, Jerome’s words:

“The leader does not offer answers but offers space for children to wonder”

resonated with me in a new way. He describes Godly Play as a

“face-to-face and intimate art”

and while we are

“all designed to create meaning, . . . the art of wondering is forgotten.”

As a grandmother (and editor of faith formation resources), I hope our churches (and families) continue to wonder with children. By giving children a safe space to explore creation, God, and our sacred stories, we are helping them enter the mystery of all that God intended for us – we are beloved children. By giving myself real time off to just “be” with Mackenzie, I too was renewed and reopened to the possibilities that only our imaginations and wonder can give.  

Note: This first appeared as “Mondays with the Editor” on the Church Publishing Incorporated Facebook page.

“The Way of Love” for Families

Children's Ministries, Discipleship, Jesus, Parenting, Resources, Spirituality, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another initiative that was launched at the 79th General Convention was a “call” from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for The Episcopal Church to follow “The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life.” Since that day of its launch, social media has been abuzz with people asking about resources and how to engage with this rule of life. I was blessed to be on the early track of this launch, having been invited by Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation (the pillars of The Jesus Movement) to join a group of Christian formation leaders in the Episcopal Church to flesh out how this might become a reality and a formation tool for growing disciples. As those of you who are Christian formation folk, you know that when you are given a challenge under a deadline and put in a room of like-minded folks amazing things can happen. With various individuals adding input and encouragement from across the Church, The Way of Love was launched. Continue reading “The Way of Love” for Families →

Talking About Our Faith

Adult Formation, Books Worth Reading, Christianity, Discernment, Discipleship, , , , , , ,

“Knowing Jesus in a New Way” Photo by Karin Hamilton, Canon for Mission Communication & Media, Episcopal Church in Connecticut. Used with permission.

The Episcopal Church in Connecticut’s Mission Council, of which I am an elected member, held its annual “working day retreat” at Camp Washington, ECCT’s summer camp and conference center in January. Besides learning about one another more fully and getting newly elected members “on board” to our duties and responsibilities (we act as the governing body between diocesan conventions––like a parish Vestry or diocesan Executive Council), our gathering was to focus on what initiatives we desired our focus to be on in for the upcoming year.

I had been part of a small sub-group that had been exploring how we, as Mission Council members as well as all of ECCT, could be better equipped to be disciples in the post-Christian mission field. Part of our conversation has been to discern the differences (and similarities) of apostleship and discipleship. The two words are often used interchangeably, but in today’s world in which fewer individuals go to church each Sunday––if at all––each has taken on a new meaning. How we are called to be both apostle and disciple has been informed by these conversations, but also in two books that I happened to be bringing to publication from my editorial desk at the time. And both books are about how we tell our stories––our stories of family, stories of God, and stories of what we believe. Continue reading Talking About Our Faith →

Godly Play: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Children's Ministries, Curriculum, Resources,

A long time ago (early 90’s in Indianapolis?) I heard my first Godly Play story. I was sitting on the floor in a circle with others, listening to Jerome Berryman tell the Parable of the Good Shepherd. It changed my way of sharing the biblical story with children, as well as youth and adults. Since then, I’ve attended (and organized) numerous trainings and workshops to dig deeper and sharpen my skills. And while I don’t have a Godly Play room in which to practice, I have many of the artifacts carefully stored in large containers in my basement to be at the ready whenever called upon to tell as story with the children (or in a sermon) at my home congregation. (You can view my telling of the Faces of Easter here).

Most recently, I’ve been shepherding the revisions and expansions to The Complete Guide to Godly Play (Volumes 2, 3, and 4 thus far) as an editor with Church Publishing. It’s a privilege to work with the leadership of the Godly Play Foundation in providing these updated books and stories. The revisions include new stories (Volume 2: The Holy Bible; Volume 3: Side-by-Side Parable and Making Silence; Volume 4: Saul Changes), many new illustrations, and updated language to all the stories to reflect feedback from Godly Play trainers and storytellers. Continue reading Godly Play: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow →