Supporting Christian Education Volunteers

By Michael O’Loughlin

 

A wide range of Christian education curricula are available to Episcopal parishes today [TLC, April 19]. But a key element in the success of a formation program is the training and support that volunteer educators receive in implementing those curricula.

 

“In late summer we train the teachers prior to the beginning of the fall program. All new teaching ministers must take the training,” explained Malinda Harris, director of Christian formation at Christ Church, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

 

“We have many experienced teachers, since we have been doing Godly Play for over 10 years,” Ms. Harris noted. “After two to three hours of training and orientation, new teachers are placed with experienced teachers for on-the-job experience and learning. This mentoring and joint teaching is a successful way to shorten the training process.”

 

Ms. Harris said that several of Christ Church’s teachers have attended additional training.

 

“Occasionally we bring in national trainers or send our teachers to other sites for more intensive training in the program,” she said. “We meet as a group twice a year, but we have in place a process so that teachers can contact us frequently to ask questions or get support.”

 

The church also has helped other area parishes to begin using Godly Play, and was instrumental in creating a Children’s Chapel at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., which also uses the program.

 

At Good Shepherd Church, Waban, Mass., teacher training is offered on an as-needed- or as-requested-basis, said Mary Ann Stewart, director of Christian education. The parish uses the Bible-in-Life program for preschool through first graders; the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum for grades two through five; and the Episcopal Curriculum for Youth for grades six through eight.

 

Teachers have traditionally signed up for a 12-week block of training, she said, “but lately teachers are finding it difficult to commit for the whole block, so we are signing up teachers in smaller two- or three-week blocks for each class. We are seeing new adults participate in this approach.” 

 

Another key consideration is the number of volunteers needed to run the program. Diane Bjorklund, Christian formation director at St. John’s Church, Ames, Iowa, said that the Godly Play program her parish requires a smaller number of volunteers for the size of the congregation compared to other programs.

 

“In other curricula, the smallest number of teachers we could identify would be eight: two for each of four grade-level programs—Pre-K, K and 1, 2 and 3, and 4 and 5,” she said. “St. John’s began with one Godly Play class and three teachers, though two are all that are required. We now have two classes and six leaders.” 

 

Leaders from St. John’s participate in annual workshops within the congregation and diocese. The congregation helps pay for teachers to attend a regional Godly Play certification course held annually.

 

“Time is the biggest obstacle for individuals, so we have used the Complete Guide for Godly Play as a training resource while continuing to encourage the leaders to attend workshops and certification as their time will allow,” she said. “We have semester meetings of all the leaders to plan the year and gather feedback.”

 

Time is also an important consideration for parishes considering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd approach to formation.

 

“The process to become a catechist is extensive and mirrors the oral method used to train Montessori teachers,” explains Anna Hurdle, children’s ministry/Catechesis coordinator at St. Peter’s Church, Charlotte, N.C. “Formation training courses are given at three successive levels, with each level building on the last. The formation courses consist of over 90 hours and include both theological and pedagogical background information, demonstrations of the presentations given to children, adult practice with the materials, materials making, and the writing of album pages describing the presentations.

 

“Many of our parish catechists have participated in conferences and workshops for additional renewal,” Ms. Hurdle continued. “Informally, our catechists and I discuss the children and their work through emails. Our catechist community is very supportive of each other, as our common work has brought us together.”

 

Ms. Hurdle noted that the suggested weekly meeting time for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is two hours, “which can be an adjustment for parishes accustomed to a 45-minute Sunday school time slot. Again, this is an important component of the work and can be achieved when the parish staff and community work together.

 

“The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a lot of work, but most involved with it would agree that this work is a gift, not only to the child, but to the entire parish.”