Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC

For the past two years I have had the joy of teaching the Kindergarten Sunday School class at the Chapel of the Cross. I have used a teaching method called Godly Play in the classroom. When my first child was born, I read a book called Godly Play by Jerome Berryman. From that book, I learned that when children are given the proper environment and opportunity they have a great potential for spirituality and a tremendous ability to understand theology. I took this principle to heart and was so pleased to find the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in the 4-year-old classroom when we moved to this church.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was developed in Rome in 1954 by a Hebrew scholar named Sofia Cavalletti and a Montessori instructor named Gianna Gobbi. Godly Play was developed by Jerome Berryman, an Episcopal priest, who studied in Italy under Sofia Cavalletti in 1972. The lessons and stories presented in Godly Play are the result of more than 25 years of observation of how best to present theological ideas to children. Godly Play uses sacred stories, parables, liturgical lessons, and silence to bring the children closer to God. The classroom time consists of a story, response time, and a feast. It is during the response time that many will see the biggest difference between Godly Play and traditional Sunday School curriculum. This response time can be spent in silent reflection, creating art, or retelling one of the stories previously heard in the class. The important part of this time is that the children work individually on something they choose.

When my son Riley was in the 4-year-old class, I worked on generating interest in a Godly Play classroom for Kindergarten. I attended a training seminar in the summer of 2003. We then found classroom space and my husband and I built bookshelves for the classroom. I talked with Ann Wilson about the needs of the classroom and she made beautiful under-lays for the focal shelf to represent the liturgical colors. She created objects for many of the stories and lessons. John Steenstra made our Desert Box in which we tell many of the sacred stories of the Old Testament. He also did some research into authentic homes of Bethlehem during Jesus' time and made some beautiful wooden models for us to use in our Advent Lessons. Many other parishioners contributed their time and talents to create materials for the classroom.

This fall we will miss Ann Collins who has been the creator, inspiration, and leader for the 4-year-old Catechesis classroom. I will be fortunate to use her beautiful classroom for the Kindergarten Godly Play. Unfortunately, the 4-year-olds this year will not benefit from the rich and sacred space that was part of the Catechesis classroom. It is my hope that we can find some teachers willing to take the one-weekend training to become a Godly Play teacher. I would like to see the program expanded to include the 4-year-old through second grade classes. Please let Gretchen Jordan know if you would like to learn more about Godly Play.

Send items for inclusion in future "Cross Roads."
The deadline is the first Thursday of the preceeding month.