Godly Play—The Next Phase Children in the 3rd and 4th grades have been experiencing the wonder of Godly Play for 3 years. But the program isn’t just for little ones. The original program has been used in formation classes for children up through high school. The creators of Godly Play have now added a rotation of new stories intended for experienced Godly Players. The stories of the first three years are “top shelf” stories, referring to their placement in the classroom. These are core foundational stories of our tradition. The new stories are “second shelf” stories. These stories go further into our tradition, supporting and deepening the meaning of the core stories.

The classroom will look and feel a little different from the Godly Play classroom of the younger children. For instance, it may be the children who tell the core stories in preparation for the presentation of the new story. There will also be more sophisticated art supplies in the classroom to support more in-depth art projects. The children may engage in group response projects. The children will likely sit at a table to hear a story instead of on the floor.

The children in this class will attend worship at 10:00 in either the Banquet or Sanctuary. Class will begin immediately following in the undercroft.

Heather Swan and Raena Monks will be the primary teachers/storytellers for this class. Both Raena and Heather have expressed a desire to continue their work in Godly Play with older children. Both are veterans of the program and bring their dedication and enthusiasm to the classroom. Godly Play newcomer, Renee Herndon, will serve as one of the two doorpersons needed for this class.