The Search For Meaning - Even In The Very Young - by Amanda Tudor

     On April 25, 1986 the Alpine village of Mogno was engulfed by an avalanche. The snow slide demolished the community’s focal point; the 17^th century church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The community commissioned Mario Botta, renowned church architect, to design the new chapel. What’s probably not surprising to most is that his design aligned the new church spire with the exact spot of the nave of the former church. What the architect wrote about his design – that’s what caught my attention. He said, “The design arose from the

​....

need to bear witness to something greater than one’s own life and

​ [to]​

overcome the sense of loneliness that permeates modern society.

​"

     As I read the architect’s reflection on his design and this comment about this sense of loneliness that permeates our society, Godly Play popped into my mind. For those of you that are not familiar with Godly Play, it is our Sunday school curriculum for 3 year olds through 5^th graders and we have used this framework for over 25 years here at Christ Church Cathedral.      You see, I have been a Godly Play teacher for several years now and more recently I have been the lead teacher for the class of 3 & 4 year olds. Not only is the goal of Godly Play ​to ​help children (and me, as a teacher) learn to use religious language to know God and find direction in life; the language of Godly Play gives us a way to confront this sense of lonliness that permeates our society.  

     Now you might be saying, W​HOA.  What are you all doing on Sunday mornings!?  Let me reassure you - Godly Play provides a cornerstone in the lives of our children (and in me, as a teacher) and this work is vital to our spiritual growth!

     During Godly Play

we discover meaning

​through amazing stories.
W

e understand more clearly what it means to be free because we have been forgiven

​, and​

through God’s Grace,

​we ​

​can ​

forgive ourselves and

​forgive ​

each other

​.​

W

e

​actively talk about how

 we are not alone

​ -​

 God is with us!
W

e build our relationships of love and listening to each other and we know we don’t have to suffer in loneliness. 

​Every week we make time to sit together in silence, 

​because we are not 

able to understand why things happen the way they do, but we trust in God no matter what.

Godly Play transforms me every week and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

     If you have children in the Godly Play program and you’ve wondered, what exactly is going on in those classrooms, we want to invite you to join us in a few weeks for special orientation time. Please stay tuned for the date and time of an orientation.