Worship and Wonder
Worship and Wonder is our spiritual formation approach for children ages 4 to 10. Also known as Godly Play in other church settings, it was created by Jerome Barryman and Sonja Stewart to address the unique ways children develop their own relationship with God. 
Worship and Wonder sessions are primarily focused on stories taken from the Old & New Testaments.
One of the reasons All Pilgrims picked Worship and Wonder as its curriculum for children aged 4 to 10 is its theological openness. It’s the nature of our church but also of our times that even within the confines of “orthodoxy” we hold divergent views of how to interpret or understand key Christian themes. As a result, it’s important to develop the capacity to ask questions, wonder, and come to our own relationship with God. That’s what Worship and Wonder does.
Barryman began his career as a minister working with children in hospital settings, either those who were ill or teenagers who had attempted suicide. As he watched these children deal with questions of life, death, and meaning, he discovered the transformational power of stories. Children used Bible stories as ways to engage difficult subjects and emotions, and through this they discovered their own ways of connecting to God and making meaning from experience. The power of shared story is the central dynamic of Worship and Wonder.
Our services typically include gathering, lighting the Christ candle, singing, storytelling, response time, prayers, and The Feast. The Feast is our community time when we share in juice and crackers, and talk about what’s happening in our lives. We conclude Worship & Wonder in time for children to come back to the sanctuary to have Communion (another form of The Feast) with their families.
Worship and Wonder starts at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. We ask parents to arrive about 5 to 7 minutes ahead of start time, to allow time to say good-bye and for children to get settled.
For additional information, please contact Danielle Hulton, danielle@gmail.com
Child Safe Practices
If you are with us for the first time, we ask that you arrive 15 minutes ahead of class to complete an intake form with parent and emergency contact information and release instructions. All of those who work in our nursery and the Worship and Wonder program receive abuse prevention training and a background check. Nursery attendants are required to have current Red Cross certification.