Everybody likes a good story…and in L’Arche we are no exception.
One of our assistants, Hilary Lacroix, is training to be a Godly Play Storyteller. She writes:
Godly Play is hard to describe, it is better understood by taking part! But at the heart of Godly Play is a story told in community.
A small group gather together. All are welcomed and helped to find a comfortable seat, on a chair or on the floor, if they prefer. Everyone takes time to make themselves ready. Around the room are an intriguing array of baskets, boxes and objects, containing attractive wooden and felt items, many of them handmade. These are the stories…which one will the Storyteller choose? Which one does the group need that day? A variety of things are brought into the centre of the circle.
A bag of sand appears, spread out on the floor. “This is the desert…the desert is a dangerous place…it takes courage to go into the desert, but so many important things happened to the People of God in the desert.” Small wooden figures are placed in the sand, and the story of the Exodus slowly unfolds, told by heart, using words sparingly and slowly, accompanied by hand gestures.
At the end of the story, the Storyteller looks up taking the focus from the story to the circle of people seated around the room. Everyone is invited to wonder about the story, either out loud, or silently. One or two questions are asked ‘I wonder what you liked best about this story?’, ‘I wonder what was most important in this story?’
The wondering continues as each one is invited to respond to the story in their own way – through using an array of art materials set out on the table, coming to touch the desert, hold the wooden people of God, look at a book, even to rest quietly. The atmosphere in the room is peaceful; it is a time for each person to use as their own, to explore, think, pray or relax.
After a while, the group is invited to clear away their work and come back together. A candle is lit and those who wish to pray or simply say a ‘thank you’ or express something in their heart, can do so, out loud or silently.
Finally, in L’Arche tradition, we finish by exchanging a sign of peace. People are free to go, but some wish to linger quietly, perhaps to talk or to finish some artwork for a few minutes.
We have experimented with a few of these sessions and they are proving popular especially among our Day Members, so we hope they will become a regular feature in the future.
For those who wish to know more www.godlyplay.org.uk
