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Godly Play in the Wild

Godly Play and the Wild Goose Festival
by Becki Stewart and Emily Griffin

Godly Play storytellers Emily Griffin (L) and Becki Stewart at Wild Goose Christian Festival in North Carolina

Emily Griffin and Becki Stewart at Wild Goose

Well, it was a Wild, Wild Goose!  If you are unfamiliar with this outdoor Christian festival, the first thing you need to know is that the wild goose is a Celtic image for the Holy Spirit. As you know, the Spirit goes where it will, and this summer it led us to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, where people gather for four days of speakers, workshops on justice and spiritual practice, liturgy, and music. We came aboard the Goose, as it’s affectionately known, relatively late in the game. Through a contact at her home church, St. Alban’s in Washington, DC, Emily was asked to provide the children’s programming. Continue reading →

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Cheryl Minor Named Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood

The Rev. Cheryl V. Minor, Ph.D.

The Rev. Cheryl V. Minor, Ph.D.

“I have to learn how to do this.” That’s what the Rev. Cheryl V. Minor, Ph.D., freshly ordained, said after she watched a woman sit on the floor to tell a story. The storyteller, Laurel Mosteller, encouraged Minor to fly with her to Houston, where Dr. Jerome Berryman was serving as Canon Educator at Christ Church Cathedral. She attended a three day training that included every Liturgical Action story, plus modules on response time led by Thea Berryman.

Neither Minor’s ministry nor her personal spirituality have been the same since. Godly Play changed her work in the parish, her work as a parent, and who she is as a person. Continue reading →

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Jerome Berryman Rabbi Michael Shire

Become a Visiting Fellow of the Center for the Theology of Childhood

Jerome Berryman Rabbi Michael Shire

Jerome Berryman with Rabbi Michael Shire

As the academic and publishing arm of the Godly Play Foundation, the Center for the Theology of Childhood functions as a research center. It houses a library of over 4,000 books related to Godly Play. Some of the topics includes classical theology, mystical theology, philosophy (especially the existentialists), ethics, child development, Montessori, play, silence, laughter, tears, religious education, and the history of childhood. The archive houses a collection of Jerome Berryman’s publications and important historical documents related to Godly Play and the Foundation. The Center also includes a well-equipped Godly Play room nearby, hosted by St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in South Denver. Children of the parish gather there each Sunday. Continue reading →

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What is Your Work Today?

Remember the day of your baptism.

Remember the day of your baptism.

“I like the fire.” The smallest children answer first, eyes still locked on the smoldering candles half submerged in the great glass bowl of sand. “I like smelling the oil.”

“The light’s not gone,” says someone older, “it’s only changed.”

This wondering isn’t unfolding in a Godly Play room. We’re in the parish hall, where big bowls of potato salad and coleslaw are lined up like train cars behind Southern BBQ and platters of pickles and homegrown tomatoes. We are sitting on the same rug some of the children know, but strong hands have hauled it through the corridor and placed it here in the center of everything. The little ones crowd close to the storyteller while older children and adults sit in a half moon near the corners of the rug and on the floor and in chairs like layers of nested parentheses. Continue reading →

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A Diocese At Play

Sabrina Evans

Sabrina Evans

As Director of Christian Formation for the Diocese of Oklahoma, Sabrina Evans helps parishes evaluate their formation programs and find the right fit for their needs. When it comes to children’s formation, Evans not only recommends Godly Play; she personally arranges training for each parish, funds the tuition of every volunteer, and is present at every training to check in participants and serve meals. Ask Evans why she feels so passionate about Godly Play and, of course, there is a story.

Continue reading →