“Godly Play” is a way to teach the stories of the Bible and the “language of the church” to youngsters.  The organization is based on the Montessori principles.  Children are given the basics of a story and then taught to “wonder” about the story, to learn it in their own way.  After the story is presented the children respond to it in which ever way they are most comfortable.  Some learn by playing with the objects, some by writing a story about it, some by drawing a picture about it, etc.  There is no “right way” to learn, however there is quite a bit of organization in the set up of the room.  We have many art supplies that can be freely used.  The children are taught to put things away where they find them and to clean up after themselves.   The program is geared for children in Pre-school, Kindergarten, and 1^st  through 6^th grades.  We have embarked on this venture to be responsive to the needs of young families in our congregation.

All young people in the congregation (and of course any adults) are welcome to come downstairs during “Godly Play”, which will start after the Young Disciple’s Sermon and end as soon as the adults come downstairs for coffee hour.  Any children younger than 2 years old would probably not get a lot out of the stories, however they are welcome to join – especially during the last ½ hour “response time” which is more loosely formatted.  Any children in 3^rd grade and above are welcome,  and would be encouraged to take leadership roles and become “leaders” under the direction of the adults.  Those above 6^th grade are encouraged to stay upstairs to listen to Pastor Tom’s sermons.