Peter Privett (he/him)
I’ve been involved with Godly play since 1998 and have been a trainer for over 20 years. I have had the privilege of initiating and supporting Godly Play throughout the world. I guess I have been working with children all my life, firstly as a teenage Sunday School teacher, primary teacher parish priest and diocesan education adviser. I am now retired and live in Rugby UK and sit on the floor with children most Sundays.
Workshop: Sitting With Children in Wonder
The title comes from Bishop Rob O Neil's funeral address for Jerome. Each word is deeply theological. The workshop will offer an opportunity to explore together how this applies to our Godly Play practice and theory.
Zinaida Lurie (she/her)
Zinaida Lurie lives in St. Petersburg and is leader of Godly Play Eurasia. She is deeply involved in children's ministry and support of youth ministers in the Lutheran church of Ingria. By professional education is historian (Doctor of Sciences) specializing in the history of culture and education of the Reformation era. Among courses she teaches at the Lutheran Seminary are lectures on Christian pedagogy and educational methods. She also is the author of the Children's Catechism, an adaptation of Martin Luther's catechism for modern children. Zinaida has been using Godly Play for about eight years.
Workshop: Godly Play and Effective Dialogue
Godly Play is a method that involves deep discussion and reflection dialogical by its nature. It could be individual dialogue with God, and it could be a dialogue in the Circle. Participants create the meaning, and it is important to speak freely, to be heard and to listen to others. As children grow older, it appears that the second type of dialogue is becoming more important for them. And it turned out to be a challenge in my circle when the second Godly Play room for children app. 9-12 years old appeared in my parish. For several years I was thinking and trying to find the way that would allow maintaining the importance of the Circle and openness to make the discussion more inward-looking and effective. The answer was to use the methodology gleaned from the “School of Dialogue of cultures”, based on Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of cultural communication.
Mary Hunter Maxwell (she/they)
Over the last twenty years, Mary Hunter has worked as an educator and administrator in both church and school environments in Atlanta, GA. She has a particular passion for early childhood approaches like Reggio Emilia and Montessori that have the observation of children at their heart. Mary Hunter is a Licensed Godly Play Trainer and a Certified Trainer in the NurturedHeart Approach. One of her favorite parts of working with children and their caregivers is providing tools and support to challenging children and the adults who love them.
Workshop: Supporting the Circle with The NurturedHeart Approach
The NurturedHeart Approach was originally developed as an alternative to traditional behavior management systems for particularly intense children. Over time, the parents, teachers, and other adults who began using NHA noticed that the approach nurtured relationships of all kinds and fueled self growth in unexpected ways. This workshop will be a (very!) brief introduction to the NurturedHeart Approach with an emphasis on how to integrate basic NHA practices into your Godly Play circle.
Doug Watts (he/him)
I am an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ. I am a Godly Play practitioner and trainer. I am active as a storyteller and door person at my church. I have served as a Godly Play trainer focusing on training for persons in a pediatric hospital setting. I discovered Godly Play as a hospital chaplain and led the establishing of The Center for Children's Spirituality and the Godly Play Chapel at Children's Health in Dallas, Tx. I served on the Foundation Board for nine years and as President of the Board. I am a father of four adult children and papa for five grandchildren.
Workshop: Taking Care of Self and Soul for the Godly Play Practitioner
Taking care of ourselves, being aware of ourselves is a primary responsibility of being authentically human and is the greatest gift we can give to the world. In this workshop we will explore how the work of Godly Play is the work of soul, it is the giving of oneself as an authentic, real human being. We will look at how our work in the circle with children is also our inner work. The two are intimately connected. I believe Godly Play is a spiritual discipline and can be our guide to becoming fully human. Come and Play!
Brenda Timmer (she/her)
I am a minister in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, a Spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition and a Godly Play Trainer in South Africa. My great passion is God's invitation to all of us to friendship and helping people grow in that friendship with God. As a parent (4 young adult children), a member of my community (volunteering in Scouting) and in ministry I really hope people feel loved, seen and valued because of what I do.
Workshop: A Gift That Lasts, Godly Play and Spiritual Formation for Life
As a spiritual director I work mainly with adults - adults who have so much unlearning to do because of early formation. In this workshop we will explore the life long gifts of Godly Play for forming healthy spirituality. I hope Godly Play practitioners will leave with a deep sense of the significance of your work.
Abby Arvold Richards (she/her)
Abby Arvold Richards has been teaching Godly Play for nearly 20 years, and recently became a licensed trainer. Initially a Youth and Children’s Minister for the Episcopal diocese of West Texas in San Antonio, she and her family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2019 to become the full-time Godly Play teacher at St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, a school serving predominantly Hispanic students and families. Abby has the joy of sharing Godly Play with nearly 500 K4-2nd grade students each week! In addition to this, Abby enjoys studying the Enneagram and Family Systems Theory. She loves spending time in nature, especially walks by the many WI lakes. She and her husband Greg live in Milwaukee where Greg is a Sr Pastor, and high school teacher of Theological Ethics and Christian Worldview. They have 4 children, Ellen (16), Colette (19), Calvin (22), and Josh (24).
Workshop: Sharing Godly Play with Senior Leadership in Churches and Schools
How do we best share Godly Play with the people who make decisions in our churches and organizations? In this workshop, I will share with you my experience working with the Senior leadership of my school as they look to me for assurance that Godly Play is still the best option for our K4-2nd Grade students. Especially as we open a second school in the Fall of 2026. How do I, as a Godly Play practitioner, take on this enormous challenge, especially when they are under pressure to quantify and evaluate student growth in order to produce data that justifies the use of curriculum and programs in an educational setting. In this workshop, I will share the work I have done leading up to the preparation of this presentation for these leasers. Those attending this workshop will have the opportunity to wonder with me as I share with you this presentation, and to share your wisdom of what has worked for you who also are tasked with sharing Godly Play with your leaders! It is my hope and prayer that we will leave our time together with new tools and excitement to share this program with the leadership in our churches and schools, or in new organizations interested in Godly Play!