The Christian Education committee of First Presbyterian is very excited about the Godly Play program that we have been using this year.  We want you to know and understand more about the program-why we are excited, what the program can offer to your children and to tell you how the program has affected the lives of some of our youngest members.

Godly Play takes place in a worship setting, not a school setting.  The structure of the hour together is a direct reflection of the worship structure we use every Sunday in worship.  In this worship setting the children not only learn about God, but experience God. There are several reasons for choosing this approach. First, the intent of worship is to experience and praise God.  Secondly, worship transforms ordinary time and space into sacred time and space.  Children are invited to wonder about the story they have just heard.  And finally, a worship context meets the needs of the young child.  Young children need God and a religious community.  They need love, security, appropriate freedom, continuity, order and meaning.  The ritual of worship in the children’s worship center meets these needs.  In worship, God is central.

The hour reflects the four fold order of worship that the church uses in the sanctuary.  

1. Assemble in God’s Name
2. Proclaim God’s Word (when the Bible story is shared)
3. Give Thanks to God (a sharing of a feast-a prelude to the Last Supper)
4. Go in God’s Name

The stories are related to the children using figures made of wood.  There is a wonderful desert box where the stories of the Bible come alive in the midst of sand storms.  Golden Parable Boxes contain the Parables told by Jesus and help explain them in a way that the children can relate to.  A calendar clock shows them how the church tells time.

After the sharing of the story the children are given a time to wonder.  Here is where they can ask questions about the story.  They are invited to wonder about how the characters must have felt.  What was it like to be in the desert?  I wonder what it was like to meet Jesus face to face?  Children are then given free time to recreate the story for themselves.  Perhaps they will re-tell the story using the wooden figures.  Maybe they will draw a picture of the story or use clay to recreate part of the story.  

The C.E. Committee has heard many stories of the kids asking if it was Sunday yet. When do we get to go to Godly Play.  They love to come into the room.  They are eager about being here and what the day holds for them.  Several of the children have gone home and related the day’s story to their parents.  They can tell the story with detail and they are excited about what they have learned.