Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church recently appointed a new Children and Families Ministry Director, Ruthie Duran Deffley. She will launch the church’s new Godly Play program.

To prepare, Deffley attended a three-day training program by the Godly Play Foundation, immersing herself in learning the philosophy and curriculum. Prior to becoming Asbury Memorial UMC’s Children and Families Ministry Director, Deffley grew up in Mexico City and always had a heart for serving children. She volunteered in high school in a local orphanage and taught Sunday school at her church. After graduating from Georgetown University, she moved to San Francisco and became involved in children’s ministry at Cornerstone Church in the heart of the Mission District. She moved briefly to Beijing, China, as an English teacher and spent her Sundays at an international church volunteering with children in Sunday school from all over the world. She then relocated to Minneapolis, MN, to pursue a double master’s degree in social work and public policy. While at school and upon graduation, she was involved with the children’s ministry at Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MN. She also started a small group for couples at her home after she married her husband, Nicholas Deffley. In 2012, the couple moved to Savannah to be closer to family. Deffley began attending Asbury Memorial UMC as her in-laws were congregation members. She said she quickly realized her core values and beliefs directly aligned with the church, leading the Deffleys to join the congregation as well. Deffley is the mother of two young children, Caleb, 7, and Mirabelle, 1.

“I can’t thank our church congregation enough for making this program possible,” Deffley said. “Thanks to the generous donation of our members, a Godly Play room was created, and we were able to purchase a large portion of the curriculum.”

The Godly Play program is currently offered at the church, 1008 E. Henry Street in downtown Savannah, every Sunday during the church’s 11:15 a.m. worship service to children ages three to five. On Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., the program is suited for children in sixth grade and below.

The Godly Play approach focuses clearly and deeply on children’s spirituality. This evolves, enhances, supports and enlarges the quality of relationships in other activities for children and their families. The Godly Play method, which is based on Montessori principles and was developed using a spiral curriculum, serves children through early, middle and late childhood.