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News from Godly Play re: Vol 7 and 8

When’s ‘Volume 8’ coming out?”



BAD NEWS
There’s not going to be a “Volume 8”.  Let me explain&hellip

GOOD NEWS
Jerome Berryman is currently working on a completely revised and expanded second edition of the Godly Play curriculum.  By “expanded” I mean that it will contain a number of previously unpublished stories.  These will include the so-called “Jesus Stories” that were to be part of “Volume 8”.

GREAT NEWS
You won’t have to wait for the release of the second edition of the curriculum to get your hands on 7 of these new stories.

NAECED Conference, Feb. 3-5, 2011

Details about the 2011 NAECED conference in Charlotte NC are now available on the organization's website. The theme is "Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry." The National Ass'n for Episcopal Christian Education Directors meets annually and provides its members (lay & clergy, paid & volunteer) with professional support, networking, resources and leadership development. NAECED members around the country will attest that this organization is one of the best resources a Christian educator can have! NOERC (National Organization of Episcopal Resource Centers) members will meet at this conference in 2011, also.

New Blog for Christian Educators

Sharon Ely Pearson, Christian Formation Specialist at Church Publishing, Inc., has launched a new blog for all those involved in Christian education; find out more here. This blog is intended to be an ecumenical forum in which to share ideas, tools, best practices and encouragement. The blog is called Building Faith, and it features daily contributions from an impressive list of educators, lay professionals and clergy.

Christian Formation Lunch on Nov. 9 at Trinity Commons

All who are involved in Christian Formation are invited to a casual lunch at Trinity Commons on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 11:00 am-1:00 pm. The group will discuss Advent and Christmas-- bring your ideas to share. Bring a lunch or pick one up at Cafe Ah-Roma. No RSVP needed-- drop in when you can. The contact person is the Rev. Vincent Black, 216-774-0453, vblack@dohio.org.

Godly Play Core Training at St. Luke's, Cleveland, Dec. 3-5

Core training is the optimal training experience for all who teach Godly Play; accredited training will teach you about the spirituality of children, how to tell the stories of our faith and give all who attend confidence in their ability to help children in their faith journey. We are fortunate to have this training offered in Cleveland. For more information, see the link to this event on the Diocesan website, or contact Heather Wood at St. Luke's, hwood65@gmail.com, 216-631-2841.

An Evening with Wendy Mogel

Wednesday, October 27 - 7:30 pm

University School Shaker Heights Campus
Conway Hall Auditorium
20701 Brantley Road
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

Dr. Wendy Mogel is an internationally known clinical psychologist and author of the New York Times bestselling parenting book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee. A popular keynote speaker, she lectures widely at conferences, educational and religious organizations and schools.

A graduate of Middlebury College, Dr. Mogel completed an internship and post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Mogel serves on the scientific advisory board of Challenge Success, a program of the Stanford University School of Education and the boards of the Center for Early Education and the Counsel for Spiritual and Ethical Education—a century old inter-faith organization serving private schools. She contributes articles to many types of publications including Independent School Magazine.

Dr. Mogel’s lecture at University School coincides with the release of her new book, The Blessing of a B Minus.
Copies of Dr. Mogel’s books will be available for sale. A book signing will follow the lecture. See link to register for this event.
https://www.us.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=36644&rid=2751

Reminder!!!
Looking forward to seeing you in the Resource Library for our Christian Educator's Luncheon on Wed the 25th from 11am to 1pm.
If you have resources/Ideas for Blessing of the Animals or All Saints, please bring them to share!

Register NOW for the Pathways Youth Ministry Leader Seminar at Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, OH!
Pathways Youth Ministry Leader Seminar
9:00am – 4:30 pm, Saturday, October 16th
The Pathways Youth Ministry Leader Seminars offer theological and practical training for adult youth leaders as well as youth in grades 9-12. Join us for thoughtful presentations, engaging and experienced leaders, fresh thinkers, and the sustenance of interaction with others who bear the same passion for Jesus Christ, for youth and for the intersection of the two!
ADULT TRACK - $65.00
Plenary Speaker: Mark DeVries, founder of Youth Ministry Architects in Nashville, TN
Plenary Topic: “Sustainable Youth Ministry.” There are a handful of factors present in youth ministries that last over the long haul. Find out what they are and how to incorporate them into your church’s ministry.
Workshop Leaders: Becky Hart (Columbus, OH) and Neil Myer (Solon, OH)


YOUTH TRACK - $40.00
Plenary Session: A Theology of Christian Leadership
Workshop Topics: “Learning and Leading: Creative Bible Study,” “Recreology: The Theology of Recreation,” and “Wade in the Water: A Vocational Exploration”
Take Home: Each youth participant will receive a Pathways Masters messenger bag filled with resources from each component of the day!
Leadership: John Vest (Keynote), Beth Bannerman Gunn (Recreology), John Lee (Music),
Aimee Wallis Buchanan (Vocational Exploration), Kerri Peterson-Davis (Bible Study)
For details and registration information, Click here or visit us at:
www.ptsem.edu/iym or 609-497-7914

Pathways is offered through a partnership between Princeton Theological Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry & the PCUSA Office of Ministries with Youth and Office of Christian Vocation.

We are getting a face lift!

The resource library is in the process of purging and updating materials, to enhance the browsing experience here at Trinity Commons. Thank to the hard work of interns, we will be able to start the fall with a new, clean, fresh look! In addition we are developing a database that will make it easier to locate resources and will aid in the tracking of borrowed materials. In the meantime we continue to be open on Mondays from 10-2, so check us out!

FREE!!!

Free for the taking!!!

ECC-Episcopal Curriculum for Children

MOST of materials for the 9 year program...entire thing is also online and can be supplemented that way.

Nice to have hard copies of the teachers manuals and most posters.

Use it to supplement your current curriculum!

Share,Save, Spend---NEW RESOURCE!

Now available for borrowing from YOUR resource center is the complete kit for Share, Save, Spend with facilitator guides and a CD for youth and adults.

"The goal of this Financial Sanity seminar is to help parents, educators, financial advisors, youth leader and other concerned adults teach spiritually, psychologically and fiscally healthy financial habits to the next generation, giving them the best possible chance at financial success and a financial life built on practices that relect their walks with Christ."

Call, email or stop in to reserve this resource.

Book Review- "Praying in Color : Drawing a New Path to God"

Praying in Color : Drawing a New Path to God, by Sybil MacBeth

If you share one of these “prayer dilemmas”, this book is for you!

• You make a list of people to pray for and then you can’t figure out what to pray for.
• You can’t stay still long enough to get past the starting point
• Your prayers sound like a wish list, and not a conversation with God
• You try to find the words, and can’t, so you give up
• You try to use the Bible or Book of Common Prayer as a starting point, but the words just don’t speak to you.
• Your prayers seem selfish, or small
• Your bored with the same old prayers
• You can’t wait for prayer time to be done with
• You start to pray and find yourself thinking about something else
• You feel as if you are praying a list and not for real people
• Praying feels like drudgery
• You feel as if you are bad at praying

If you are a prayer “popper” this book is a way to stay in touch with God. Prayer poppers send lots of little postcard prayers, without really spending time building the relationship.

This book teaches you ways to pray while basically doodling. And no, art skills are not required! As you enhance your drawing (doodle), think of each stroke and each moment spent as time spent in prayer with the person for whom you are drawing. This is an easy, colorful, unique way to pray for people and issues. Many technique starters are presented to get you on your way. All you need is some space, quiet, and time as well as paper and pens, pencils, markers or even crayons!

This new book is available for sign out at the Resource Library.

Welcome, Mary Ann!

With regret, I am leaving my position as manager of the Diocesan Resource Library, in order to give more time to my duties at Trinity Cathedral. I have enjoyed this work and am grateful to have met so many nice people around the Diocese during my two years in this position. Mary Ann Semple, a part-time youth minister at St. Matthew's Church in Brecksville, will be interim manager in the library on Mondays, 10 am-2 pm, beginning March 8; I hope you will welcome her. Mary Ann can be reached at resourcelibrary@dohio.org, and has been added as a contributor to this blog.

Upcoming Safeguarding God's Children Classes

Saturday, March 6, 1-4 pm, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 9549 Highland Dr., Brecksville. To join the class, leave a message for Mary Ann Semple at 440-526-9865 or e-mail youthministry@stmatthewsbrecksville.org.

Saturday, March 20, 9:30 am-12:30 pm, at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. To join the class, contact Ginger Bitikofer at 216-774-0407 or e-mail gbitikofer@dohio.org.

Lenten Resources and Ideas for 2010

At the Winter Convocation in Perrysburg on February 5-6, many people picked up a list of Lenten resources and ideas (for all ages) from the Resource Library table; if you did not get one of those lists and would like to have one, please e-mail me at resourcelibrary@dohio.org, and I'll send you an electronic copy.

Christian Educators' Lunch on February 25

Clergy, volunteers and church staff involved with Christian formation for adults, children or youth are encouraged to attend a lunch with Canon for Formation Vincent Black on Thursday, February 12, 11:30 am-1:30 pm, at Trinity Commons in Cleveland. Bring a lunch or purchase one at Cafe Ah-Roma. RSVP to Rev. Black at 216-774-0453 or vblack@dohio.org; drop-ins are welcome, too. This group meets to share ideas/resources and support one another in Christian formation work. If you would like to have Rev. Black attend an educators' meeting in your area, please contact him at the above phone or e-mail.

NAECED: A Fabulous Resource for Christian Educators

Perhaps you've seen the acronym "NAECED" and wondered about it-- who is it, what is it? If you are someone whose work or volunteer work includes Christian formation (for any age group), then NAECED is for you. The acronym stands for National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors, but it is an organization that happily includes and represents all individuals who do formation work. The NAECED community supports educators, advocates on their behalf, helps to educate them, promotes their interests, provides resources, and much more. It is the largest group of lay professionals in the Episcopal Church, over 300 members strong. One of the group's best resources is an active list-serv, where members share ideas and support each other. NAECED offers an annual conference, where members can worship, attend relevant workshops, enjoy spirituality and relaxation offerings and connect with others who do similar work. The 2010 conference (Jan. 22-24) was held at the Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park CA-- I just came from there-- and the 2011 conference is scheduled Feb. 3-5 in Charlotte NC. Find out more about this outstanding organization here; well worth its membership dues!

Godly Play Core Training Offered April 15-17

Godly Play Core Training (which provides teacher certification to those who complete the training) will be offered April 15-17, 2010, at Calvary Episcopal Church near Cincinnati. This training was originally scheduled January 21-24. The trainers will be Mary Gardner White and Lois Howard. Cost is $295 for advance registration (at least 2 weeks prior) and $360 after that. The contact person is Helene Ault, call 513-861-4437 or e-mail hault@fuse.net,

Online VBS Workshop

On November 5, 2009, Virginia Theological Seminary's Center for the Ministry of Teaching (in Alexandria VA) hosted a workshop called "VBS 2010: Planning a Summer Program That Works." The workshop can be viewed online here. If you haven't yet discovered all the resources available through the Center for the Ministry of Teaching, read on, and visit their website. Each February, the CMT staff reviews a variety of the current year's Vacation Bible School curricula and shares the results on their website. CMT has an extensive circulating collection of books and films available for lending. CMT can help with curriculum selection and is the author of Episcopal Children's and Youth Curricula and Episcopal Teacher newsletter. CMT also posts Christian formation career opportunities and hosts/sponsors special events. Virginia Theological Seminary offers a variety of degree programs and certificates for Christian educators, as well as leadership seminars, through the Institute for Christian Formation and Leadership.

Bookmark This: Candle Press

Candle Press is a small publishing company operated by Episcopal educator and former curriculum specialist Helen Barron, of Denver CO. Candle Press offers low-cost (and high-quality) faith formation materials for Advent, Lent, as well as baptism and Eucharist instruction. These materials are appropriate for church education, but are even better used as faith-nurturing tools for families. Helen also offers 17 sets of downloadable materials "to-go," on a variety of topics, including Stewards, The Lord's Prayer, Ubuntu: General Convention, Millennium Development Goals, Grace at Meals, Thanksgiving, Summertime, Praying Together and more. Any of these materials could be used by families who find it difficult to get to church regularly, by parents who homeschool their children and want a faith component or by churches who want to continue Christian formation when Sunday School is on a break. All of Candle Press' materials encourage families to create and celebrate faith and "togetherness" traditions, with suggested activities, materials, prayers and illustrations. Consider signing up to receive Helen's seasonal e-newsletters, on the website. This publisher offers a high level of customer service, due to its small size, commitment to quality and concern for each customer.

New Godly Play e-Newsletter

Sharon Pearson, Christian Formation Specialist at Church Publishing has announced the launch of a new Godly Play e-newsletter, "I Wonder: A Newsletter for the Godly Play Community." Sharon says it will begin as a quarterly publication, and hopefully will become a monthly one. The newsletter is a collaborative effort between the Godly Play Foundation and Church Publishing, and will feature tips from trainers, stories from the classroom, new initiatives, articles from the Foundation and more. To receive the Godly Play newsletter, visit the Church Publishing website and sign up for their mailing list in the lower left corner of the home page (there will be options for different newsletters once you enter your e-mail address in the box).

If you use Godly Play or are considering this curriculum, you may also want to join the Godly Play list-serv on Yahoo; the group shares ideas, answers questions and helps new programs get started.

The Resource Library has multiple Godly Play resources available for loan: training tapes/DVD's, Volumes 1-5 in The Complete Guide to Godly Play series (also Volumes 2-4 in Spanish), sample Parent Pages and Jerome Berryman's latest book, Teaching Godly Play: How to Mentor the Spiritual Development of Children. For more information on these and other resources, visit the Godly Play website.

Advent Resources for All Generations

Here are some of our favorite resources for the Advent season; look for more under Seasonal Resource Links in the right-hand column of this blog:

What We Do in Advent: An Anglican Kids' Activity Book by Anne E. Kitch, helps children explore Advent with clear line drawings and simple activities; this book is appropriate for family and church use. Another is Prepare Ye the Way, a collection of downloadable Advent resources from LeaderResources; the collection includes various resources for Advent wreath-making, -blessing and -lighting, Advent art work, a no-rehearsal Christmas pageant and a multi-session children's program. The Advent Jesse Tree, by Dean Meador Lambert, is a classic book of devotions that can be used with children and adults, in conjunction with your church's Jesse Tree project (copies at Trinity Commons Books & Gifts). Best of Blessings: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany is a wonderful book of seasonal activities for children and it includes a CD-ROM of reproducible materials. Forward Movement offers a number of different Advent tracts and meditations and Creative Communications for the Parish is a good resource for affordable Advent calendars, bulletin inserts, postcards, devotional booklets, children's sermons, special services and much more.

If you have signed up for Morehouse Education's "Living In-Formation" e-newsletter, this month you will find there 8 pages of Advent resources (historical notes, resources for handling grief during the holidays, Advent wreath ideas, a Christingle craft, prayers and blessings, ideas for simplifying Christmas, different ways of making an Advent calendar and resources for adult study and reflection). If you didn't get the November newsletter, send us an e-mail (resourcelibrary@dohio.org) and we'll send you a PDF of the Advent resources.

We just got in the Resource Library a copy of Go Tell It On The Mountain, a book of three Christmas pageants for church schools, by Gretchen Wolff Pritchard-- this book is a classic. You can borrow it, but you might consider purchasing it, as it includes music, costume ideas, pageant bulletins, scripts and even more that can be printed from the included CD-ROM. This book can be purchased from Trinity Commons Books & Gifts.

Other Advent materials in the Resource Library: Daily Reflections for Advent & Christmas: Waiting in Joyful Hope 2009-10, Waiting for the Wonder: Voices of Advent (3 CD's), Songs in Waiting: Spiritual Reflections on Christ's Birth, Light to the Darkness: Lessons and Carols, Public and Private, The First Christmas (children's VHS), The Nativity, from The Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible (children's VHS) and The Jesse Tree: Stories and Symbols of Advent.

Middle School Pilgrimage at Trinity Cathedral

Save the date! Trinity Cathedral is planning another weekend of service, education, spirituality and fun for Diocesan middle-schoolers (grades 6-8), March 13-14, 2010. For more information, contact Adam Spencer, 216-774-0415, or aspencer@dohio.org.

Prayers for an Inclusive Church

Prayers for an Inclusive Church, by Steven Shakespeare, has just been received in the Resource Library and Trinity Commons Books & Gifts. The book is a collection of prayers (collects) that covers all Sundays and most major festivals in the church year, for all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary cycle. There are additional Eucharistic prayers for each of the seasons. The author "uses expansive and inclusive language and imagery to address and describe God, to describe God's presence and action in the world and to describe the people of God." Here's a sample collect from Advent 3 (Year B):

Lord of Light, who sent the Baptist to offer hope and face the world's scorn:
open our ears to hear the cries from the margins, exposing our fears, inciting our vision and calling us to a step of faith;
through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. Amen.

Shakespeare is a priest in the Church of England; this Church Publishing edition has been adapted for use in the United States.