St. Mary's Episcopal debuts new curriculum

One of the new classrooms at St. Mary's Episcopal Church is shown.

When the children at St. Mary's Episcopal Church head to their Sunday School classes this week, they will encounter a new experience in a room made especially for them -- a place where they can discover God and explore their faith in a playful yet meaningful way.

Parishioners at St. Mary's have been busy over the summer transforming the Sunday School program into one that offers a unique and nurturing atmosphere for their young people. The "Godly Play" curriculum, developed by Episcopal priest Dr. Jerome Berryman, is a Montessori-based approach to the biblical stories.

"We began researching the possibility of using the curriculum in the spring and soon realized it was an amazing program. We had to find a way to incorporate it into our parish," said Tulisha Carson, St. Mary's Christian Education director.

"The process of transforming the room and putting together the materials for each lesson has almost been therapeutic for me," she added. "I find myself drawn into the stories, and I am ecstatic about beginning the storytelling so I can share that with the children."

Noah's Ark is a featured toy in the new room.

The Godly Play classroom surrounds children with the language of the parables, sacred stories, symbolic materials and meditative silence. After gathering for the story of the day, students will reflect on what they have heard through a time of wondering and individual response using crafts, poetry or journaling. A snack time follows before the session concludes. The process of each session subtly follows the order of worship that children experience in church: enter, hear the word of God, respond in prayer, Eucharist, depart.

The walls of the Sunday School classroom are lined with shelves that offer a variety of materials to aid in telling the biblical stories. In one corner is a replica of the church sanctuary containing childsized models of the altar, pulpit, lectern, credence table and sacristy. This fully furnished altar area will serve as a model to teach children about the furnishings in the sanctuary and their purpose in the worship service.

St. Mary's "Godly Play" program begins Sunday and will run through mid-June from 8:45-9:45 a.m. in the Parish Hall behind the church.

Activities conclude in time for children to join their parents for the 10 a.m. worship service.

Children ages four through fifth grade are welcome; membership at St. Mary's Episcopal is not necessary.

"This is an exciting time for us at St. Mary's that allows us to become more aware of the mystery of God's presence in our lives," added Mrs. Carson.