October 31 is better known in northern Germany for being Reformation Day than for Halloween. It was fitting, then, that we spent the weekend after in the city of Wittenberg, where it all began. I had to finish some work with a Godly Play colleague who lives there, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to let our children explore a little history.
We attended church at the Schlosskirche, where Luther posted the 95 Theses that put the Protestant Reformation in motion.
Wittenberg is a charming small city that has lots of things to see: the Lutherhaus (Luther House), a kid-friendly museum; the Cranach-Höfe (Cranach Courtyards), which host art exhibitions and offer art courses and other activities for children; two historical churches; and a small zoo.
But the thing that my kids were most excited about was the Godly Play room located in the Cranach Courtyards. My colleague, Heidi, tells Godly Play stories to groups of preschool and school-age children who visit the Courtyards.
Believe or not, my kids had never actually seen a real Godly Play room, because our church plant does not have one and there is not one close to us. They were like kids in a candy store!
This was the first time my daughter had ever seen a "desert box". (We have a portable "desert sack" in Berlin.)
They saw a lot of materials that I don't have, and were amazed that all of those things could be in one place.
After a while, my son pulled out the Parable of the Good Shepherd and treated me and Heidi, my colleague, to a story. It was such a neat thing to see how he had internalized the story and was able to tell it from his heart.
We attended church at the Schlosskirche, where Luther posted the 95 Theses that put the Protestant Reformation in motion.
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| Schlosskirche, Wittenberg |
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| One of the many plaques of Luther inside the church. |
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| And this is the famed door where the 95 Theses were actually hung. Today, you can read them on the plaques to the left in the picture. |
But the thing that my kids were most excited about was the Godly Play room located in the Cranach Courtyards. My colleague, Heidi, tells Godly Play stories to groups of preschool and school-age children who visit the Courtyards.
Believe or not, my kids had never actually seen a real Godly Play room, because our church plant does not have one and there is not one close to us. They were like kids in a candy store!
This was the first time my daughter had ever seen a "desert box". (We have a portable "desert sack" in Berlin.)
They saw a lot of materials that I don't have, and were amazed that all of those things could be in one place.
After a while, my son pulled out the Parable of the Good Shepherd and treated me and Heidi, my colleague, to a story. It was such a neat thing to see how he had internalized the story and was able to tell it from his heart.
Interestingly enough, Heidi is working on a story told in Godly Play style about Luther.
If you are ever in Wittenberg in June, then you can check out the city-wide festival celebrating Luther's wedding to Katarina von Bora. (We hope to go next year!) And on Oct. 31, you can attend the Reformation Festival.
Love all the pictures, what a beautiful church. What a wonderful godly play room, all of the materials are so inspiring! :) April
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed it, April!
DeleteWow, what a beautiful church. I get so tired of the ultra plain contemporary ones here in the U.S. and yearn for these magnificent structures!
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is that my colleague, Heidi, who lives there and see it all the time, doesn't think that it is anything special at all.: ) It is nice to worship in the beautiful churches here.
Delete"my kids had never actually seen a real Godly Play room, because our church plant does not have one and there is not one close to us. They were like kids in a candy store!" I think every one of us at my Godly Play training course was like a kid in a candy store as well! Even those who had been to real GP classrooms already had not seen ALL the materials before.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post! :)
Thanks, Storyteller! I know I still get that way, too, when surrounded by all those beautiful materials.
DeleteSo good to hear (& see) your children's reactions to a 'real' Godly Play environment. I guess they'll now be pressing your church plant for a similar room back home! :D
ReplyDeleteI hope so! But since we don't have a building of any kind, they might have to add a room onto our kitchen.: )
DeleteI am really interested in your friend Heidi Luther's story. I also prepared one last year and I am looking for inspiration for this year:)
ReplyDeleteHi there, Thank you for your interest! Are you able to read German? I know that her story is in German. If so, I'll ask if she would be interested in a story exchange where you send her your story and she could send hers. Maybe you could get inspiration from each others' ideas!
DeleteIf you can leave your e-mail here, that would be helpful in contacting you. Just leave out the @ sign to avoid spammers or make it into 'at'. : )
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