Faith & Play Stories™
Faith & PlayTM and Godly Play® for Friends
Used together, Faith & Play and Godly Play stories create spaces for children to explore Quaker faith and practice, the experience and witness of faithful Friends, and biblical stories. Participants hear and respond to the stories in age-appropriate ways, making the method ideal for a multi-age religious education program. Using stories in a contemplative and highly visual manner, it also creates a welcoming environment that is conducive to wonder and worship — building intentional spiritual community.
Godly Play and Faith & Play acknowledge that God is active in children’s lives long before they enter the religious education classroom; even very young children already have spiritual lives. Both resources:
● are designed for children 3 to 12, but are also used with youth and adults, and in intergenerational settings,
● are experiential and use open-ended questions that invite wonder and reflection,
● present a collection of stories that gives children images and language for talking about faith and practice using shared language in community, and
● use an approach to religious education that is most effective when practitioners have been trained.
Faith & Play stories explore Quaker faith, practice and witness. Play is children’s practice, hence the name Faith & Play deriving from the book title Faith and Practice. Faith & Play was created as a Quaker supplement to Godly Play stories, and is intended for the storyteller trained in the Godly Play method.
Godly Play is a Bible stories curriculum that was created by Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman. Its origins are in the Episcopal Church, although today Godly Play is used by Christian denominations worldwide. Bible stories are presented in a way that invites children to experientially “find themselves in the stories” and makes space for continuous revealing of Truth. This approach helps many Friends to experience this as a Quaker-friendly way to explore stories in the Bible.
”Playing in the Light” training is where Friends learn how to use both these resources, and is available through Faith & Play Stories, Inc. Learn more at: quakerfaithandplay.org
Faith & Play is a partner of FGC, and QuakerBooks carries publications from Godly Play and Faith & Play, and story material kits for Faith & Play stories.
Hear more about Quakers sharing Faith & Play Stories in this short video: “Making Space: Stories in Religious Education”
