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By THE REV. CHERYL V. MINOR, PhD
WE LISTENED:
THE SECOND EDITION OF
The Complete Guide to Godly Play
Fifteen years ago the rst volumes of The Complete Guide to Godly Play were published. Since then, hundreds of copies have been purchased and used to support
the work of Godly Play mentors in circles
of children of all ages around the world. In time, Volumes 5, 6, and 7 were published as well. When Volume 8 was published in 2012, we all knew it was time to begin the process of revising the earlier volumes. Revision literally means “to see again”—to look at something from a fresh, critical perspective. Volume 8 gave us that fresh perspective: a chance to go back and look at the whole curriculum with new eyes.
As with any published curriculum,
revision ought to be a regular part of the
work to keep Godly Play fresh, up-to-date,
and accurate. Almost as soon as the early volumes were published, corrections were needed–grammatical mistakes were missed, illustrations were wrong or confusing, and practices needed more clarity or perhaps new words. Then, as the lessons were used in many di erent cultures and settings by people all over the world, the growing circle had suggestions for enhancements. We listened, we combed the existing volumes, and we revised and
expanded. Meet the second edition of The Complete Guide to Godly Play!
In addition to pulling out all the le folders full of emails and notes from people and programs across the globe, Jerome Berryman invited US Godly Play Trainers Rosemary Beales and Cheryl Minor into the process of revision. Rosemary Beales is an Episcopal priest serving as chaplain for an Episcopal school in Alexandria, Virginia. Rosemary earned her M.Div. and D.Min. from Virginia
Theological Seminary. Cheryl Minor is the Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood of the Godly Play Foundation and is a priest serving a congregation just outside of Boston. She also earned her M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary as well as a Ph.D. from Northcentral University in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
This team went through the introductory material and every lesson word by word looking for grammatical errors, biblical errors, confusing directions, poor illustrations, culturally bound language, outdated practices, and more. Beyond revisions, a few new stories have been developed where we felt there were holes in the curriculum. The emails and
letters with questions, suggestions for enhancements, and more were always on our mind as we worked through each lesson—and in the development of new lessons.
Published in August 2017, the revised and expanded Volume 2 of The Complete Guide to Godly Play introduces a new weekly practice for Godly Play circles introduced through
“The Holy Bible” lesson. When Jerome Berryman was actively telling stories week after week in the room he developed with his beloved wife Thea, he often presented the materials we call “The Books of the Bible.” He also had a beautiful presentation Bible that he used for the lesson—along with bookmarks to mark the stories he told. However, the story materials for “The Books of the Bible” in the original Volume 2 are expensive, and many programs never purchase the materials for this story. As we pondered this conundrum, the team thought it would be helpful to have
A GODLY PLAY QUARTERLY PUBLICATION 19