Tab 2 Introduction to Godly Play®

Godly Play® – A Journey of Discovery Page 2

Why Godly Play®? Page 3

The Heart of Godly Play® Page 4

How Godly Play Follows the Pattern of Christian Worship Page 5

“In Godly Play, the invitation is given not for play in general but for play
with the language of God and God’s people; our sacred stories, parables,
liturgical actions and silences. Through this powerful language, through
our wondering, through the community of players gathered together, we
hear the deepest invitation of all: an invitation to come play with God”

Jerome W Berryman (The Complete Guide to Godly Play, vol. 1, p. 12)

Godly Play® – A Journey of Discovery
By Candy Moser, Accredited Godly Play® Teacher Trainer

Goal:
To provide an environment that fosters discovery learning in
which children feel safe and welcomed; where they can learn
the art of using religious language to encounter the elusive mystery
of God and to use that language to find meaning in their lives.

Objectives (The Heart of Godly Play®)

 To create sacred space

 To build and work in community
 To learn religious language
 To use that religious language to make meaning

How:
 By using religious language – sacred stories, parables, liturgical
action and silence (the stories)

 By modeling how to wonder using the religious language, so that

children can “enter” the language rather than merely repeating it
or talking about it (the wondering)

 By allowing the children to choose their work so that they can

confront their own issues rather than working on issues determined
by others (the response time)

 By organizing the time to follow the pattern of worship that the

Christian tradition has found to be the best way to be with God in
community. (the structure of time)

 By modeling for the children how to work together as a community

by supporting and respecting each other and one another’s work.
(the adults model this in their interactions with the children)

 By organizing the space so that the whole system of Christian

language is present in the room; so that the children can literally walk
into that language domain when they enter the room (the set-up of
room)

2003. Candy Moser

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Why Godly Play®?
By Kim McPherson, Accredited Godly Play® Teacher Trainer

Back in July, I attended the training of trainers for Godly Play, in Sewanee,
Tennessee. I literally went up the mountain for this experience, and I figuratively
did as well. I feel honored to have been invited to be a part of the most gifted
group of religious educators I have ever known, including Jerome Berryman. The
week was intense, and we all came away exhausted but immeasurably enriched
by the experience. We came away, too, accredited to train others to do Godly
Play. But mostly, we came away with a new passion for the stories of the Bible
and their ability to transform the lives of our children.

How does this happen? I was shown on Sunday morning, up on that mountain on
my way from the dorm to our meeting room. It was raining, and I was delighted to
be walking outside, having spent most of the week in the air-conditioned rooms
of the seminary. It had been theologically stimulating, listening to these master
Godly Play storytellers. And I had found fresh meaning in the stories, in the
silence, and in the words of others. As I walked, I noticed a splashing sound, and
turned to see the water cascading out of the gutter pipe, rhythmically pounding
against the concrete splatter pan. It was an enormous amount of water, like that
of a waterfall, powerful, beautiful, the sound again and again calling for my
attention. As I watched, the thoughts came into me with the rhythm of the water
hitting the stone:

The waters:
the waters of creation-
the waters that the people of God went through to freedom-
the waters of Baptism!

And in that instant, a moving realization came to me – and it stopped me in my

tracks – that this is how our children one day will “get it”. They will be full of the
stories, because they will have heard them over and over, and have engaged in
wondering about them, responding to them, hearing the thoughts of others about
them. And one day they will hear the splashing water, perhaps, or look at a
baby’s hand, or reach out to give some coins to a needy person, and they will get
it. All the stories will surround them in that moment, and they will understand how
the stories fit together to give us a map of how to live and a lens through which to
see God’s presence in our lives.

Godly Play is unique. It does not tell our children “how to do it” or exactly what
they should believe. It’s very Anglican in that regard. It gives them, instead, a
way to discover how to come close to the mystery of God’s presence in their
lives. It gives them a way to comprehend that they are on a great journey. And it
gives them a way to delight in that journey.
2000. Kim McPherson

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THE HEART OF GODLY PLAY®
By The Rev. Dick Gibson, Accredited Godly Play® Teacher Trainer

Call: To Trust God

To Trust the Child

Mission: To provide a safe place

To help children come close to God

Faith: In Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit

In the Mystery of Christmas
In the Mystery of Easter
In the Grace of the Sacraments

Language: Of Sacred Stories

Of Parables
Of Liturgical Actions
Of Silence (waiting, wonder, joy)

Community: Of Relationships
Of Responsibility

Worship: As Gathering
As Word and Response
As Thanksgiving (prayers and feast)
As Sending Forth

Nurture: Of a total classroom environment

Of the quality of materials
Of the creativity of play
Of an openness to multiple learning styles and intelligences

Leadership: By shepherd teachers

By servant helpers
By a faith-full church

1999. Dick Gibson

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How Godly Play® Follows the Pattern of Christian Worship
By Kathleen Capcara, Accredited Godly Play® Teacher Trainer

In Church In Godly Play®

• Getting Ready • Getting Ready

Greeting by usher Greeting by doorkeeper
Choose seat in church Circle “built” by storyteller
Individual prayer and centering Quiet conversation, prayer, guided
meditation, or quiet singing

• The Lessons • The Lesson and Wondering

• The Sermon or Homily • Response Time

• The Great Thanksgiving • Prayers of Thanksgiving

• The Communion • The Feast

• Blessing and Dismissal • “Good-bye” and Affirmation

Some people like to come to church because the order of worship

provides a sense of stability in their lives; it is a routine they know they can
count on. Grounded in the structure of worship in a beautiful space that
feels safe, many adults experience God’s presence. It is the same with
children. The pattern Christian worship that has served the Church well for
centuries is equally comfortable for children. Following this pattern of
worship during Godly Play® makes classroom management less of an
issue in Sunday school. The children do less testing of boundaries
because they know what to expect and what is expected.

c. 1998 Seed in Good Soil, Kathleen Capcara

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