Friends,   When we look back and tell the story of COVID-19, I wonder what your favorite part might be. I wonder what will be most important of this unfolding story. I wonder what parts we will all want to leave out. Today, it feels like the over-anxious response we sometimes hear in our circles, “ALL OF IT!” might be the answer.    It is our hope that we will look back and recall acts of courage and kindness that, like Rebekah’s offer of water, move us deeply. And, it is our hope that the compelling need to find new ways to share stories and be in community during this time might help us learn more about how best to bring Godly Play into the digital age.    At the same time, we are already particularly equipped to nurture and equip others with the tools they need to make meaning during this challenging time. Stories of God at Home and the accompanying materials provide a way for families to come together to tell stories– the stories of God and the stories of their own families– and practice make meaning together as the story of their family and its values interact and intersect with the story of God’s redeeming love.   We have received a generous gift to allow us to share these resources at a significantly reduced cost and we hope that you will consider using and sharing Stories of God at Home with the people you know in the next few weeks.Making Meaning in Exile Bundle ($15) Includes a hard copy of Stories of God at Home and two sets of materials: Easter and The Good Shepherd, with a cardboard box, colored prints, and felt underlays.All other Stories of God at Home materials are reduced by 30% for the next two weeks.Free Digital Black and White Download of the Faces of Easter Images.Free Digital Black and White Download of the Good Shepherd Images.Stories of God at Home for KindleAll Godly Play Foundation in person trainings and events have been postponed or cancelled until further notice. We are already seeing many of you planning ways to meet and tell stories virtually, and we look forward to continued virtual engagement as social distancing becomes our new normal for the immediate future. If you are on Facebook, please join our newly created Facebook Group: Knowing Godly Play in a New Way.  We are holding you all in prayer and hope to connect with each of you in a new way very soon.    With hope and expectation, The Godly Play Foundation Board of Directors

Knowing Godly Play in a New Way

With infinite gratitude we want to acknowledge the many gifts of Godly Play Trainer and mentor Barbara Sears as she moves into her retirement. Barbara began her work with Godly Play and Jerome Berryman in Houston in 1992, and officially became a trainer in 2000 working with Christ Church in Covington, Louisiana, and Christ Episcopal School.

Many recall her introduction of the “Psychic Sniff” into trainings, gathering everyone outside to wake up the body and cleanse the mind to be able to go back to the circle with renewed energy and focus – Barbara seemed to know how to incorporate play in just the right way at just the right time.

Godly Play Missioner, Ashley Bond, had this to say of Barbara, “So much of my excitement for and deep connection to the practice of Godly Play is due in part to the way in which Barbara modeled for me so beautifully the art of Godly Play. She drew me in the way all good teachers do. To this day, she is the one I go to for guidance, support, clarity, wisdom and encouragement in my work as a Godly Play mentor. Godly Play is a gift and sharing it with others the way Barbara shared it with me is life-giving.”

Barbara’s friend and colleague, Gayle Croxton, reflected, “Barbara has generously shared her love of Godly Play and her deep and abiding respect for children in so many ways and for so many years. It has been a real pleasure and a privilege to learn from her and to work by her side. She teaches me something, without perhaps intending to do so, each time we work together. I am often struck by her ability to be both strong and soft, especially when leading a training, but also with children. She does not shy away from challenges and difficult issues and somehow manages to address them both directly and gently. She is also someone who never stops wondering, reflecting and learning which keeps her spirit and her practice fresh. What a joy it is to call her friend and mentor!  I feel very sad to consider sitting in a training circle without her. We will miss her greatly!”

Barbara and her husband of more than 40 years, Steve, plan to spend more time with their children and grandchildren of which Barbara said, “The grandchildren will be my circle for storytelling for the coming years, and what a joy that will bring.”

Like a pebble tossed into a pond, one can only wonder about just how many lives Barbara has touched in more than 30 years of work as a mentor but we can picture the ripples of circles expanding even past her retirement.

Vacation Bible School news! Every year many congregations offer a Vacation Bible School during the summer months or during other school vacation times. The length and time (day, evening) vary from place to place, but most purchase a Vacation Bible School kit from a publisher that includes lessons, posters for advertising, music, and more. We are excited to share with our Godly Play community some ideas for using Godly Play during VBS instead of one of these kits. We had a post on our Facebook page asking for people who have used Godly Play as part of VBS we got lots of good ideas. We now have a tab on the Godly Play Resources website filled with ideas to get your creative juices flowing. We would love to add more ideas, so keep them coming! Here are just a few of the ideas that were mentioned…

It’s on!

We have $10,000 in matching funds! Our year-end Matching Gift Campaign in ON! Now we need our circle’s support to raise another $10,000 to secure the matching gift!

Please help us meet our goal!!!

We have until December 31st, and every donation helps us on our journey! Together we met last year’s matching gift goal–let’s do it again!!

Please join us in nurturing children’s spirituality and building the Kingdom of God through the Godly Play Method!

DONATE NOW!

WHAT DOES YOUR GIFT DO?

The short answer is that your gift to the Godly Play Foundation goes directly to the work of bringing quality Godly Play to children of all ages throughout the world—directly to our vision of enlarging our circle to include every child of God. See a sampling below of how we have stewarded last year’s gifts. I wonder where this year’s gifts will go?

HOW DO WE SPREAD GODLY PLAY ACROSS THE GLOBE?

We do it together!

Over the last couple of years we have been:

Increasing our scholarships for training and materials to support churches who have the time and talent but are lacking the treasure to launch or expand their Godly Play program

Adding new story videos to our YouTube page

Revising and expanding the Old Testament Extension stories published in The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 6—similar to the work completed on Volumes 2, 3, and 4—so these stories can be shared more easily throughout the world

Continuing to bring together pediatric hospital chaplains who are Godly Players for hospital specific trainings, including training two new Trainers in Clinical Godly Play this past summer in Dallas to be able to better serve this important audience

Ensuring continued support for families making Stories of God at Home a family tradition – including videos for how to incorporate your family’s important stories

Developing trainings specifically for clergy to ensure church leaders know what they need to do to support their programs

Enlarging our US Missioner program to ensure trained, local support is available nationally and calling a new class of Missioners in 2020

Funding the movement of people and materials to bring Godly Play to new circles across oceans– including the first training in Russia and the rapidly growing interest in South America and the various ways it is being implemented with profound effects

Populating additional social media platforms, such as Godly Play with Seniors and Pinterest

Collectively throughout the world, we have been working toward these goals and have many accomplishments. We also have many exciting projects in line for 2020, including the U.S. Training of Trainers to be held in Ft. Worth in the spring!

Please join us in building the Kingdom of God through the Godly Play Method!