During the time that many of us adults grew up calling “Sunday School,” the children of St. Thomas (ages 3 through 5th grade) gather for “Godly Play.” This Montessori-inspired program developed by the Rev. Jerome Berryman invites children into the core stories of our faith found in the Bible and the action of our liturgies (worship) through the tradition of biblical storytelling coupled with beautiful hand-crafted materials. After experiencing a story, children and their adult storyteller engage together in wondering about the story and the lessons that it holds for our lives. The children then have the opportunity to “work” in a way that they feel called to further explore that story, or a previous story they have heard. The Godly Play circle follows the pattern of our worship from the moment children enter the space, through the story (readings), the wondering and response (Gospel), the prayers and communion (“feast”) and the blessing (dismissal). For our 4th/5th Graders who often begin to feel a little too “big” for “play”, we describe our program more as a “Godly Exploration” Time…where students re-engage with stories of our liturgies as they are aging into new opportunities to participate in worship ministries in the church, and encounter Godly Play’s “enrichment” stories that take them on deeper dives into characters of the bible including women, kings and prophets, as well as saints and other prominent leaders who show us the Way of Love.
