A concrete guide for churches wanting to use Godly Play with adults.
Written by Rebecca McClain, this book presents the case for the use of Godly Play with adults. With using a metaphor of a family meal, Graceful Nurture lays out four creative programs for adults:
* The Heavenly Banquet -- for preparing adults for baptism, confirmation, and reaffirmation of vows (12 weeks); * Dessert Only -- for preparing families who are beginning Godly Play; * Slow Cooking -- a Godly Play retreat weekend; and Coffee and Cream -- using Godly Play on Sunday Mornings (12 weeks).
Requiring the use of lessons from the Complete Guide to Godly Play, Graceful Nurture offers background on Godly Play, including why and how to use it with adults, and in depth notes and suggestions for 12 key Godly Play lessons, including how to adapt them for an adult audience.
A concrete guide for churches wanting to use Godly Play with adults.
Written by Rebecca McClain, this book presents the case for the use of Godly Play with adults. With using a metaphor of a family meal, Graceful Nurture lays out four creative programs for adults:
* The Heavenly Banquet -- for preparing adults for baptism, confirmation, and reaffirmation of vows (12 weeks); * Dessert Only -- for preparing families who are beginning Godly Play; * Slow Cooking -- a Godly Play retreat weekend; and Coffee and Cream -- using Godly Play on Sunday Mornings (12 weeks).
Requiring the use of lessons from the Complete Guide to Godly Play, Graceful Nurture offers background on Godly Play, including why and how to use it with adults, and in depth notes and suggestions for 12 key Godly Play lessons, including how to adapt them for an adult audience.
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Overview
A concrete guide for churches wanting to use Godly Play with adults.
Written by Rebecca McClain, this book presents the case for the use of Godly Play with adults. With using a metaphor of a family meal, Graceful Nurture lays out four creative programs for adults:
* The Heavenly Banquet -- for preparing adults for baptism, confirmation, and reaffirmation of vows (12 weeks); * Dessert Only -- for preparing families who are beginning Godly Play; * Slow Cooking -- a Godly Play retreat weekend; and Coffee and Cream -- using Godly Play on Sunday Mornings (12 weeks).
Requiring the use of lessons from the Complete Guide to Godly Play, Graceful Nurture offers background on Godly Play, including why and how to use it with adults, and in depth notes and suggestions for 12 key Godly Play lessons, including how to adapt them for an adult audience.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780898699685 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Church Publishing |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2017 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Sales rank: | 725,364 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Graceful Nurture
Using Godly Play with Adults
By Rebecca L. McClain
Church Publishing Incorporated
Copyright © 2017 Rebecca L. McClainAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-89869-968-5
CHAPTER 1
Course I: The Heavenly Banquet (Preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, and Reaffirmation of Vows)
This course is the most extensive of the four, involving twelve weekly lessons of ninety minutes each.
The ideal class size is ten to fifteen and is best conducted in a space that is large enough to include a circle (with chairs or cushions) comfortably accommodating fifteen adults, plus tables and chairs for additional conversation and work. Ideally, this course takes place in anticipation of The Great Vigil of Easter, where adults being prepared for baptism will be welcomed into the Church. The themes of sacred time and space, identity, and belonging are a critical part of formation, and we will explore those larger theological categories and themes of faith, captivity, and freedom, sin and restoration, incarnation, offering, resurrection, transformation, mystery, and grace that play out in the stories as we build the foundational language and establish the rhythmic patterns of gathering, listening, reflecting, responding, Feasting, and being sent out.
Because we are not approaching formation in the more typical classroom setting, creating a safe space for these participants is critical. In the first lesson, we begin at tables to meet and greet each other, share an overview of the series and the materials, review the history of Godly Play®, and talk about the essentials — especially getting ready, the wondering, and the work. We will take our time, creating a safe environment before we go to the storytelling circle to tell/hear the first story.
Desired Outcome
The experience of belonging to the group (being known and valued) and encountering the astonishing story of the Christian people is at the heart of our work. Fluency in our language of faith is a lifelong process, but it begins here. At the end of our twelve lessons, participants will remember the experience of the stories, having engaged "the creative process in action" (flow, play, love, and contemplation), gaining insight into how the language of the Christian people flows out of the heart of Jesus and into their lives. Through that experience they will be able to tell their own stories using symbolic images and action. They will also acquire a working vocabulary of scripture, theology, and liturgy, and begin to use the more abstract theological language with confidence and understanding. They will leave with a deep awareness of their value as a beloved child of God.
Goals of the Storyteller and Participants
• Gather: to build a "good circle."
• Listen and Tell: to use the Godly Play® stories to expand capacity for wondering, reflection, and silence.
• Respond: to recover the creative child within, rediscovering gifts and passions through the work.
• Celebrate: to create an environment that allows the class to experience graceful living in the Feast.
• Depart: to take the practice of astonishment, wonder, and offering into the world.
• Teach and Learn: to learn basic fundamentals of faith through scripture, history, theology, and liturgy.
Schedule
The normal schedule for most ninety-minute lessons is as follows (see each lesson for exceptions):
• Story: thirty minutes (including the Wondering)
• Work: twenty minutes
• Study: twenty minutes (the introductions to the stories from The Complete Guide offer useful material for this study of basic theological themes)
• Feast: twenty minutes (including prayers and departure)
Room, Materials, and Resources
Space
For Course I, we do not use the Godly Play® space. That space is for the children, intentionally designed for access to materials, containing tables and chairs just the right size — ready for them in every way. The space is both open and boundaried. To help adults enter into the wonder of Godly Play®, we must make clear that becoming like children is not the same thing as pretending to be children. We will take a little more time helping the adults get ready, building a space just for them. The series honors where they are, taking into account that they bring their own stories and experiences with them. Some have been damaged by other experiences, some are anxious about taking this step, and all are on a journey that will create a safe place to belong.
You need a large conference space that allows for a circle accommodating ten to fifteen adults and a table setup in a square for face-to-face conversation. The tables also provide workspace after the storytelling. The space should be as open and uncluttered as possible and must be relatively quiet and light filled. Some participants may need to sit in chairs for the storytelling, and some will prefer the floor. There is no right way, just the way that makes engagement easier. We will move between the circle and the square, learning to shift our focus between more active (direct instruction) learning and the contemplative pace of Godly Play®. Modeling this pattern and encouraging participants to establish this rhythm in the day to day are parts of creating an integrated life; learning how to become centered and engaged is our true work.
A small bookcase or open shelving is placed behind the Storyteller, as in a Godly Play® space, providing a focal point. The story of the holy family is placed there at the first gathering and through the following weeks, each new story is available for review and reflection. By the end of the twelve lessons, all the stories are on display, including participants' own Object Boxes, reminding them of the journey they have taken.
Materials and Resources
Because it is likely that the space in which you meet is being used by others, it is helpful to provide each participant with a container to hold the materials — papers and other objects — accumulated during the twelve weeks, which will provide them with a sense of ownership of their work. It should be big enough to hold a three-ring binder, a composition journal, some good art paper, some precut cardstock, colored pens, a good pen or pencil, and other materials as desired. The room should also have available colored drawing pens, paints, clay, scissors, glue, origami papers, colored beads, card stock, fabric, and copies of beautiful photographs and images of nature, spaces, light/ darkness, and people.
Two special projects are included in Course 1: an Object Box story of one's life and meditation beads. (See images in the appendix.) During this series, participants will create Object Boxes in order to tell their own stories. They may supply their own special box or use one provided by the leader. Instructions are available on pages 22–24 in The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 1. The meditation object includes beads that represent the stories, providing a mnemonic device to help sustain the practice after the course is concluded.
A variety of poetry books, prayer books, hymnals, and Bibles are helpful — and participants can be encouraged to bring their own favorites. The list is not exhaustive. Be creative in providing materials for their work that make sense for adults. Invite the participants to bring food and drink for the Feast after the first two lessons, offering one another the chance to practice the value of a bite of one delicious thing.
Lesson 1: Circle of the Church Year
(The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Vol. 2, 23–33)
Lesson Overview
This story is part of the genre we label Liturgical Action and is a Core Presentation. We begin with an orientation in time and encounter the unique nature of religious language as opposed to all the other languages of our culture — scientific, legal, economic, psychological, sociological, political, ethical, philosophical, technological, and even the language of the marketplace. We discover the realm of a different kind of time: the rhythm of beginnings and endings, punctuated by an encounter with mystery — the elusive and hidden Holy One. Help participants prepare for this encounter.
Notes for Storytellers
Because this is your first time together, allow time for introductions and an explanation of the course. It is important to spend a few minutes describing the sequence of events for each class. Invite each person to briefly introduce themselves. Describe the desired outcomes for the course and the class agenda. A short overview about the Godly Play® history and method, the lessons, getting ready, wondering, and other useful information found in this text or in The Complete Guide will help them prepare.
We begin at the tables so that participants can get oriented to the time and space that will become a nest of sorts. Most adults know how to sit and listen in an auditorium, or classroom with tables, desks, and a podium. Here we have two spaces. The circle is the place where we enter into the story. After we are done with the story and our work, we will convene at the table, crossing a threshold to a different kind of learning. We will then return to the circle for the Feast and dismissal.
Getting Ready
In Godly Play®, children are encouraged to ready themselves; adults, however, may need a little more help. When all participants have gathered, the Storyteller can invite everyone to get in a comfortable position, either in a chair or on the floor, and to close their eyes. For a minute or two, all are invited to breathe deeply, in and out. Breathing deeply brings oxygen into the body, lowering anxiety, releasing the tension we hold in our bodies all the way down to each cell. It also helps participants shift into a different kind of learning mode. Throughout this series of lessons, we will follow a similar pattern of getting ready for our story.
Allow two full minutes for this opening meditation, inviting everyone to sit comfortably, close their eyes, and place their right hand over their heart. Ring the bell or sound the bowl to begin. Breathing in and out through the nostrils, count softly: Breathe in 1,2,3,1 and breathe out 1,2,3,2, breathe in 1,2,3,3, breathe out 1,2,3,4 and breathe in 1,2,3,1 and breathe out 1,2,3,2, breathe in 1,2,3,3 and breathe out 1,2,3,4. Keep the breath going, reminding them that when the mind starts wandering to just come back to the breath.
After two minutes, ring the bell or sound the bowl, signaling the end of the meditation. Listen to the sound until it can no longer be heard. Now we are ready.
Telling the Story of the Circle of the Church Year
Our first lesson is also Lesson 1 in The Complete Guide, Volume 2, and begins on page 23.
The Wondering
The Wondering questions are found on page 32 (p. 10 in the digital version of The Circle of the Church Year). At first, the Wondering will be awkward. Adults often think there must be a correct answer or perhaps there is a trick to wondering. Silence can be unbearable. The Storyteller must breathe and let the silence continue until someone is brave enough to respond. The good news is that they will get better and better at Wondering.
The Work
In this first lesson, some of our regular available time for Work was used in the orientation.
The participants will have a chance to look at their containers and the additional art and response resources in the room. (A sample list of items can be found in the appendix.) Even their container should be beautiful and well made. The idea that they are beginning a journey and will accumulate their work will begin to create a sense of value, including what we create and treasure: their container, responses, the rosary, and their own story kept in an Object Box all signal that this is going to be a different kind of learning.
Note: Table Time will sometimes follow the Work for Course I participants.
The Feast
Leaders provide the Feast for the first two lessons, and then class members bring something special for the next nine lessons. (Prepare a sign-up sheet for Lesson 2.) The last lesson may include the Eucharist.
Participants return to the circle for the Feast. After the prayers, they will begin a small project, selecting a bead that represents this first story. Each bead will be chosen with intention as a sign of the mystery in their life. A small bowl will be passed around and each one will select a bead that best represents our story on Time. The bead is the first piece of a tool for meditation that we will assemble over the next twelve weeks. A bead will be selected at each lesson and will provide a mnemonic tool for each participant. "A mnemonic device (derived from the ancient Greek word for remembrance) is any learning technique that aids information retention, especially in visual or kinesthetic forms."
In the Godly Play® classroom, the children are immersed into the experience of the space and the spiral curriculum. As we work with adults in a more restrictive and limited environment and time frame, it is useful to reinforce the experience by activating the "medial temporal lobe and hippocampus in which the episodic memory is synthesized." Mnemonic devices are especially useful in helping adults stay connected to the artful stories and experiences of the circle.
The Dismissal
In this holy time each person will be sent off with a blessing from the Storyteller. See The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 1, page 58 for thoughts about sending out into the world. The Storyteller can say something such as, "It was wonderful to have you here today."
Lesson 2: Creation
(The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Vol. 2, 41–48)
Lesson Overview
As infants, we first orient in space and time. In scripture, we also orient in space and time. We begin with creation, out of nothing, first light, the impulse of energy — wave and particle. The beauty of beginning at the beginning allows for a graceful emptiness: we begin with nothing, and soon we find ourselves surrounded by wonder. With these first two lessons (Circle of the Church Year and Creation), we are now ready; oriented in space and time, now it is time to get moving. Who are we and where are we going?
Notes for Storytellers
In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth ...
It is like this in the human realm as well — from nothing but love, a child is born.
We begin our second lesson with the story of Creation, gathering the community into the circle for the second time. This is a Sacred Story and one of the Core Presentations in Godly Play®. (Remember the four genres Include Sacred Stories, Liturgical Action, Parables, and Silence.)
Jerome Berryman reminds us: "With this lesson we begin to trace the elusive presence of the mystery of God in the story of God's People. We begin to play hide-and-seek with the Holy One and ask, 'What can we know of the Giver by the gift?' "
Developmentally, a child journeys across a threshold called object permanence somewhere between one and two years. This milestone represents the ability to hold an object in one's mind, even when it is not in sight, or present through the other senses. This is the moment when games like "peekaboo" bring delight to child and parents alike; a special kind of play begins with this ability. It is interesting to note that although this ability is critical to the development of the frontal cortex, its value is often lost in the rational adult who says, "Seeing is believing." We have forgotten how to play.
We discover with the Creation story an opportunity to recover the delight of playing with a Creator who is hidden from view, yet present in the very creation that surrounds us. Our work with adults must rediscover what is key to the Christian life: God fills all of Creation, even when not apparently visible. Young children have far less trouble playing hide-and-seek in the time of wondering than adults. So we will begin with remembering what we cannot see or prove, anchoring ourselves in space and the wonder of creation.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Graceful Nurture by Rebecca L. McClain. Copyright © 2017 Rebecca L. McClain. Excerpted by permission of Church Publishing Incorporated.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface,Getting Ready,
Essentials,
Lesson Planning,
Overview of the Stories,
Course I The Heavenly Banquet (Preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, and Reaffirmation of Vows),
Designed for twelve weeks with ninety-minute lessons,
Desired Outcome,
Room, Materials, and Resources,
Lesson 1: The Circle of the Church Year,
Lesson 2: Creation,
Lesson 3: The Great Family,
Lesson 4: The Exodus,
Lesson 5: The Exile and the Return,
Lesson 6: The Holy Family,
Lesson 7: Advent and Christmas,
Lesson 8: Parable of the Good Shepherd,
Lesson 9: The Faces of Easter I–VII,
Lesson 10: Knowing Jesus in a New Way,
Lesson 11: The Greatest Parable,
Lesson 12: Baptism, the Good Shepherd, and World Communion,
Course II Dessert Only (Preparation for Families Beginning Godly Play),
Designed for six weeks with sixty-minute lessons,
Desired Outcome,
Room, Materials, and Resources,
Lesson 1: The Circle of the Church Year,
Lesson 2: The Great Family,
Lesson 3: The Holy Family,
Lesson 4: Parable of the Good Shepherd,
Lesson 5: The Faces of Easter I–VII,
Lesson 6: Baptism,
Course III Slow Cooking (Retreat),
Designed for a day and a half with ninety-minute lessons,
Desired Outcome,
Room, Materials, and Resources,
Lesson 1: The Circle of the Church Year,
Lesson 2: Creation,
Lesson 3: The Great Family,
Lesson 4: The Holy Family,
Lesson 5: Parable of the Good Shepherd,
Lesson 6: Baptism, the Good Shepherd, and World Communication,
Course IV Coffee with Cream (Sunday Mornings),
Designed for twelve weeks with forty-five-minute lessons,
Desired Outcome,
Room, Materials, and Resources,
Lesson 1: The Circle of the Church Year,
Lesson 2: Creation,
Lesson 3: The Great Family,
Lesson 4: The Exodus,
Lesson 5: The Exile and the Return,
Lesson 6: The Holy Family,
Lesson 7: Advent and Christmas,
Lesson 8: Parable of the Good Shepherd,
Lesson 9: The Faces of Easter I–VII,
Lesson 10: Knowing Jesus in a New Way,
Lesson 11: The Greatest Parable,
Lesson 12: Baptism,
Bibliography,
Additional Resources,
Authors and Other Sources of Inspiration,
Appendix: Sample Materials,