We Followed the Wild Star - Year in Review
Dear Friends of Godly Play,
The team at Godly Play is so encouraged and grateful for your continued support. You – our donors, trainers, missioners, practitioners and adult mentors – are finding beautiful and unique ways to invite more children to explore their spiritual lives and existential questions through story, wonder, and play.
At the end of 2020, a year none of us could have imagined, we looked hopefully and expectantly at what we wanted to accomplish in 2021. We could never have imagined what was going to happen…we were able to do that, and SO MUCH MORE!
Here are some of our year-end highlights:
We were able to release the revisions of Volume 6 with 2 new stories, Esther and the Psalms, and the ever-popular, ever-useful, Parent Pages to accompany them. The Center for the Theology of Childhood also released the People of Color who Inspire series…including new videos to be released in 2022! The Center, led by Rev. Cheryl Minor, was able to research and report on exactly how far-reaching Godly Play was during the first pandemic year. The results were incredibly impressive! The Lent in a Bag kits and booklet alone reached almost 1,000 homes! Look for an exciting new book from Dr. Minor in the coming year!
Training of Trainers, Denver, Colorado. Fall 2021
We continued offering online workshops even as we moved during the summer to in-person trainings! This year, thanks to the dedication and organization of Teresa Phares, we had 36 virtual workshops, 13 Core Retreats, 3 Commuter Core Series, 1 advanced series, and especially, a Training of Trainers with 16 new Trainers already out in the world doing the work they have been given to do! This is no small feat given the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic and safety precautions.
Like so many others, we moved our conference online with great success, allowing people from across the globe able to attend in this new way. We were blessed with so many talented presenters including the Rev. Judy Fentress Williams’ keynote on cultivating a holy imagination, which energized so many! The Great Family Reunion ended with voices telling The Great Family in many languages.
The Beloved Me, Beloved We initiative began, which was the culmination of a deep-dive by our anti-racism task force to all the aspects of the Godly Play Foundation. This work will continue in the coming year including (but not limited to):
A retreat-style materials and curriculum audit will begin in the spring of 2022 to carefully consider that all children are coming into circles which are welcoming and affirming.
Regular meetings of the Beloved Me, Beloved We advisory committee whose work continues of a Foundational level to ensure we are considering and centering perspectives that have historically not had a seat at the table when making decisions regarding conferences, trainings, and so much more.
We also launched our beautiful new shop! Moving the inventory alone was a monumental task that accounts for just a fraction of what the team at Godly Play Resources was able to accomplish this year! Their willingness to listen to what was needed, pivot, create, and adapt to an ever-changing landscape should be an inspiration to us all. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Teika’s brand new Pattern Book, do yourself a favor!
And finally, we celebrated 30 years of Godly Play in so many ways – a Global Book Study which you can still sign up and access, featuring chapter interviews with leading scholars! Here’s a peak at the interview with Dr. Karen Crozier. A big thank you to all our Book Study leaders and facilitators. We also had a virtual Gala storying with Godly Players on what their journey has meant for them and dreaming of what we can accomplish next.
We are so glad to be on this journey with you, following the wild star, listening for the one who said such amazing things and did such wonderful things…
To help us reach our matching gift, donate here.
We thank you, and wish you all the very best in 2022!
