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FROM THE FOUNDATION: What’s New at Godly Play Resources!
This year there has been an explosion of new materials to enrich and grow all Godly Play rooms. With all the new items emerging, it is hard to know where to begin! Some new materials were created to re ect the updates and additions in the second edition volumes of The Complete Guide to Godly Play. Other new materials were developed to enrich existing lessons and classrooms.
One of the newest items we have been working on was inspired by the seasons of the church year: banners! There are four di erent banners to re ect four di erent seasonal periods in the church year. The rst banner is inspired by “The Circle of the Church Year” language explaining that ordinary time is a season for growth. This banner is called the Great Green Growing Sundays Banner. Next is a banner for Advent and Christmas. The Advent banner is more interactive as the di erent layers of felt that re ect the weeks of Advent and Christmas can be ipped forward progressively. The wooden symbols on the felt layers correlate to the Godly Play “Advent” lessons. Inspiration for the third banner comes from the mechanics of two lessons, “The Faces of Easter” and “The Mystery of Easter,” in which the puzzle is ipped to reveal
the joy of the Resurrection. This Lenten/Easter banner also ips forward to depict this revelation. The nal banner is for Pentecost, which shows the twelve tongues of ame for the twelve disciples along with the ame at the bottom referring to the mystery of the Trinity. We hope to have each banner ready for the seasons they represent in the coming year, in the form of both a complete banner and in a do-it-yourself kit.
The second edition of Volume 2 of The Complete Guide to Godly Play adds a new core lesson, “The Holy Bible.” After some time discussing how the bookstand was to look, it was a great sight to nally see the rst 10 lacquer- nished cherry bookstands brought into the o ce. Not only the bookstand, but also the beautiful Illuminated Bibles, with their elaborately decorated illustrations that catch the eye and inspire children of all ages. Additionally, the lesson on “Jonah, the Backward Prophet” has been changed to “The Prophet Jonah.” This changes the status of the lesson and shows that even though Jonah was an unusual prophet, he was a prophet nonetheless. The materials for Jonah now include an icon to be placed on the wooden tray congruent to the other enrichment lessons.
For the revised “Parable Synthesis I + II” lessons in the second edition of Volume 3, we have added materials
to better tell these stories. The context cards to go with the triangular “I Am” cards underscore where in the Bible the
“I Am” statements are found. As the second edition of Volume 4 moves toward production, we are working on the new lesson “Saul Changes.” This story tells the beginning of Saul’s spiritual transformation into Paul, who wrote the letters detailed in the extension lesson “Paul’s Discovery.” I was lucky to see the new story told at the 2017 North American Godly Play Conference this past June! We are also continuing to develop new materials to support existing stories, such as “The Symbols of the Holy Eucharist.” We hope these items will enrich the stories by leading circles to further theological discoveries. Additionally, we would like to add liturgical linens to the miniature altar and pulpit set which would look similar to the banners as well as a child-sized chalice, paten, and ciborium.
Although the mini-sized lesson materials have been on our website for a few years, they will soon be especially important given the 2018 arrival of Dr. Berryman’s new book Stories of God at Home: A Godly Play Approach. These mini lessons include “Creation,” “The Parable of The Good Shepherd,” “Advent,” “The Faces of Easter,” and “Knowing Jesus in a New Way.” These smaller lesson materials are a great way for families to bring Godly Play into their homes and to share in Christian formation with loved ones.
These new items are exciting both to those adding to the depth of their existing Godly Play rooms and to those just beginning their “I wonder” adventures! We at Godly Play Resources continue to draw the circle wider in our e orts to supply story materials, books, and much more for the enrichment of practice of Godly Play throughout the world. Be sure to take a look at what’s new on our website www.godlyplayresources.com! Let us help you add to the wonders of Godly Play!
Teika Arnold is a product vendor and prints manager at Godly Play Resources. She discovered the wonders of Godly Play six years ago through her husband’s mother, Connie Herl, by helping to paint the people in the Good Shepherd World Communion lesson. “I can’t imagine working anywhere else! This is a dream job most would wish for.” Teika has now become a third generation product vendor for Godly Play through her husband’s grandmother, Helen Arnold. GPPrint@ucom.net
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