Friday, May 4th, 2012
Heidi Olliff, Director of Children's Formation
My name is Heidi Olliff and I am the new Director of Children’s Formation at SPR. In this role I oversee the nursery, Godly Play, Children’s Chapel, and Vacation Bible Camp. My role is to serve as a catalyst for the overall spiritual growth of children by envisioning and implementing the Christian formation program and by taking an individual interest in children and their parents.
I grew up in the same church from early childhood through high school. I developed close friendships and found it a safe place to be myself through the teen years. I grew up valuing the importance of a safe, sacred place for my spiritual journey.
Because of our early experiences with church, when Ken and I started a family it was very important for us to find a wonderful church home for our children. We found that in SPR.
Our daughters, Chloe and Clara, are growing up in SPR. They started out in the nursery and now attend Godly Play, Children’s Chapel, St. Nicholas Choir, Choristers, and VBC. They love the programs and enjoy the friendships sparked out of the common connection found at church. I am so thankful they are having this early church experience.
My hope for children to have a positive early church experience led me to volunteer with the Godly Play program 5 years ago. I wanted to help bring a program to SPR that strives to provide a safe, loving, and sacred space for our children and in turn allows them to experience, explore, and grow in their own spirituality. Something I was not expecting, in the process of growing this program for the children, is how deeply I would benefit in my own spiritual journey. It has been an incredible experience for me.
I would love to help build connections between all of the children’s programs at SPR. I plan on working with the nursery staff to bring age-appropriate Godly Play materials and a Godly Play-inspired circle time to the nursery so that our youngest SPR members can experience the wonder of Godly Play. I also plan on working with the dedicated volunteers in Children’s Chapel to help incorporate some elements of Godly Play in the children’s liturgy each week.
Vacation Bible Camp has always been a great way for the children in our parish and in the larger community to worship and play together. I look forward to working with our fantastic volunteers to create a fun and meaningful camp this summer. We will celebrate what our church does well —hospitality — through music, Godly Play stories, service, play, and feasting. This year we will connect VBC with the wonderful new garden and focus on feeding those who are hungry, as well as feeding ourselves spiritually through service. VBC will be August 6-10. I am so excited about this year’s program and know it will be a fantastic experience for our children; you can sign your children up here. If you would like to volunteer to be a part of this great program, please talk with me at church or email me at hmo@sp-r.org.
I am so lucky we have such an amazing group of dedicated volunteers and wonderful parents that I get to work with to foster a sacred space for our children. Without their commitment and passion, we would not be able to accomplish the wonderful things that we do.
I feel blessed and grateful that I get to call something a job that I feel so passionate about and enjoy so much. I look forward to many conversations with you, and please feel free to email me anytime at hmo@sp-r.org.
Posted in Word
