Texas and Liturgy

Texas and liturgy

I’ve been in the great state of Texas for a week now. I have been privileged to participate in several events:

The Episcopal NAECED conference in San Antonio last week was a great gathering of people who are about sharing and exchanging ways to support each other in this great work we call Christian Education. A workshop on the similarities and differences between Catechesis and Godly Play was particularly helpful and insightful. There was a circle of dialogue where we together acknowledged and celebrated that at the core both of these programs are deeply rooted in our love for children and our deep desire to journey with them well, honoring their innate and deep spirituality. It was also helpful to clarify where and how they are different and what the implications are of those differences. I will be able to speak with much more clarity now after that insightful conversation.

Several of us who were at the NAECED conference left Friday morning for Thea Berryman’s memorial service in Houston. There were pews on the right front behind the family pews for “Godly Play Trainers and Staff” and we filled up several rows. The Children’s African Drum Ensemble and the Houston Boychoir filled St. Martin’s rafters with exquisite music and rhythm. It was Jerome, slowly finding his way up the stairs to give the homily himself that so deeply moved our hearts with compassion and gratitude and laughter as he paid tribute to Thea and celebrated her life. I hope to post a transcript of his words so you can all hear them for yourself.

I have been in Austin since the funeral with my main focus on preparing for the first teacher training from the Foundation in Spanish here in the United States. Several people have carefully and tenaciously birthed and nurtured this dream and the time has finally come. We begin this afternoon with participants from all over the country. Please keep us all in your prayers as you think of us this weekend. I’ll keep you posted!

On Monday, Sharolyn Browning, Godly Play trainer here in Austin had invited a number of Godly Play practitioners and interested people from “non-liturgical” or “quiet-liturgies” as Sharolyn called them, to gather for an evening of conversation about Godly Play and liturgy. It was a wonderful evening with Quakers, Mennonites, and members of the beautiful facility of The Church of Conscious Harmony that follows the teachings of Father Thomas Keating. They have many beautiful classrooms, around 60 Godly Play teachers – an equal number of men as women, and a leadership team of support and nurture that is exemplary.
We talked about liturgy being the work of the people - that it is simply how a particular people practice creating a space to “come close” to God. They are those practices that a particular community has found to be the best way for them and the most helpful ways for them to experience God. There is no right or wrong – its just the way that each community has found to be meaningful and helpful and those ways that mediate God’s presence for a particular faith community. Each Godly Play room will have lessons that will reflect the practices and important ways of that particular denomination – the practices that the children will see and experience when they are with the entire community in worship. It was a great conversation.