Faith & Play Stories

Faith & Play™ is a set of stories for Friends to use as a vehicle for learning about Quaker faith and practice, and to explore our identity as Friends. Because the format is experiential, listeners can find meaning in the story drawing on their own life experience. Stories provide an opportunity to explore faith both as an individual and as part of a spiritual community.

Following the Godly Play® model, a Faith & Play story is told both verbally and visually, using simple materials, with participants gathered in a circle. It is characterized by:

• Reverently-paced storytelling
• Periods of reflective silence
• Gentle gestures and movements of story materials
• Invitations to wonder out loud together
• Affirmation of each person’s sharing
• Individual work and creative expression using art or story materials
• An ongoing rhythm of communal listening, worship, and sharing.

Faith & Play stories were originally intended for children 3-12 years old, and this remains our primary focus. At the same time, the stories are also used with older youth, multigenerational groups, and with adults new to Quakerism.