There is not always time to get the best Godly Play training for all the teachers in your congregation immediately before the Sunday school year starts in the fall. But I want to tell you about what is available in "the best" category. Since this is a reality blog, In another posting  I'll suggest some options for training your Godly Play teachers until they can experience the best training we have!

Dian VanDeMark and I will be the trainers at a Godly Play teacher Accreditation event on Sept 28-30 at St. James Episcopal Church, 3100 Monkton Road, Monkton, MD 21111 410-771-4466. St James also hopes to hold a Re-accreditation training during the same dates for accredited Godly Play teachers who want to update their skills and certificates.

I cannot say enough good things about Godly Play Teacher Accreditation (TA) trainings. These events are a combination of

● hands-on experience with Godly Play stories and materials

● an inspiring gathering of like-minded people who care deeply about the spiritual development of children

● a spiritually refreshing retreat including prayer, song, and worship services that can be adapted for use in the Godly Play program in your congregation

Although TA trainings take place over 3 days, the time flies by. You practice and tell stories in a non-judgmental setting, learn about the foundations of Godly Play, learn specifics on setting up a classroom, and sharpen your classroom management skills. The setting is high-energy at times and peaceful and calming at other times.

There are TA trainings taking place all over the US. For dates and locations, see www.godlyplay.org. For more information about the Monkton event, get in touch with conference coordinators Loree Penner, lpenner@saintjames.org 410-771-4466 OR Kelly Francis, kellyfrancis@gmail.com

I hope to be able to post a downloadable brochure as soon as it becomes available. Look for it in the useful Godly Play stuff part of this site.

About 60% of my consulting clients who use Godly Play share their Sunday school classrooms with other groups -- usually a preschool that meets half days or more on Monday through Friday.  In  any Sunday school program sharing space can create tensions -- but it is especially challenging for Godly Play classes, since there are so many materials in use each week. It's not simply a matter of bringing in a few books, worksheets, and craft materials.

Shelving units that roll on wheels, fold together and lock are most commonly used in shared space for Godly Play. You can also use short bookcases and turn them toward the wall so that the contents are hidden from the Day School students on weekdays.

The most important part of sharing space with other groups is fostering a spirit of mutual respect. Finding the room the way you need it to be when you use it and leaving the room the way you would want to find it is the goal.  Otherwise a school year of sniping and complaining from both groups who use the space will result.

For an example of a tangible way to show your good faith to both Godly Play teachers and Day School teachers, see the Shared Space Checklist in the "Useful Godly Play Stuff" part of this site.

This is the time of year when people look the other way as I approach them for conversation at coffee hour. Last week, after spending five minutes chatting with the father of two children in our Sunday school, his wife approached us as we continued to speak. “What have you signed me up for?” she asked him nervously. Her husband and I had been talking about episodes of The Simpsons, but it is true that I had this particular couple in mind as a Godly Play teaching team.

The ideal is to have the same two people teach Godly Play together throughout the school year. Just as it is best for the children to have continuity in teachers for their Monday through Friday learning, the same stability is reassuring in a Sunday School setting. Otherwise, the “substitute teacher” syndrome kicks in. On seeing a new storyteller in the Godly Play classroom, some children will want to test the limits of this new teacher. It is difficult for the children and for the teacher.

It is rare in our overscheduled lives for Sunday school teachers to be available every week. So at CHC, I am trying a compromise approach in scheduling Godly Play storytellers and doorpersons. If you look closely at my published schedule on this site, you’ll see that I have divided the year into three units of 12 weeks each. I plan to find three teachers to share the work of being with the children for each unit. Since the classic Godly Play teaching team consists of two co-teachers, one of the three teachers can be off each Sunday. The plan is for the Education staff person and clergy to teach the children once each unit. That means any individual teacher will only need to serve 6 times.

In  Useful Godly Play Stuff,  is the “recruiting document” I am giving to the teachers. It outlines a training and preparation schedule that is a far cry from the Godly Play ideal. For many of us, Godly Play is a spiritual practice that takes a lifetime to learn.  In my experience, even Godly Play done under less than ideal circumstances is better than any other curriculum I have found. I also know from experience that many of the teachers I recruit for one unit will fall in love with Godly Play and want to teach longer.