Your Meeple Message

Issue #1 ~ November, 2022

Welcome

to the first edition of Your Game Minister's newsletter, Your Meeple Message

Thank you for signing up for this email newsletter. 

Once a month or so, Your Meeple Message will arrive with:

  Big News - Exciting happenings at the intersection of Spirit and Play!

  Upcoming Events - Games, Workshops, Pulpit Appearances, and Parties with Your Game Minister.

  Invitations - Special offers and opportunities for special Meeple-- YOU!

  Prize for Playing - Something useful and/or fun for your own Spirit & Play.

  Recommendation - A book, game, media, app, or other resource for your Gaming Spirit.

  Your Turn - an offering or submission from a fellow Meeple.

It's Your Turn! Let's Play!

Your Game Minister,

Rev. Craig Schwalenberg

BIG NEWS

Your Game Minister Officially the

Affiliated Game Minister

of the

Church of the Larger Fellowship

The Church of the Larger Fellowship is the Unitarian Universalist "Church Without and Beyond Walls".  The congregation exists completely on-line and with almost 3,000 members.  The CLF has it's own team of called ministers, an amazing social justice ministry to incarcerated members, weekly worship services, a video podcast, and on-line programming. They also have a cadre of dedicated, specialized affiliated ministers.  In October, the CLF Board of Trustees voted to approve affiliating with Rev. Craig Schwalenberg.  Your Game Minister is now the Affiliated Game Minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.  As an affiliated minister, Your Game Minister will be offering programming, games, and workshops to members of CLF.  We are also exploring ways to provide Game Ministry as part of the Incarcerated Ministry program.   Members of CLF will receive a discount on all Game Ministry services offered by Your Game Minister. 

"I'm honored and thrilled to be the Church of the Larger Fellowship's Affiliated Game Minister. 

I look forward to discovering new ways to bring my ministry of games

to our CLF members on-line."

 Upcoming Events

Youngling D&D LIVE Game

Tuesdays 6p - 8p at the Bearded Dragon Game store in Oneonta, NY.  Free!  Ages 4-12 

The younglings are currently attending Spelljammer Academy, a 4 part mini-campaign.

FREE Pastoral RPG Trial Session

Monday, November 21st, 7:30p - 9:30p  ON-LINE  Registration required; slots still available.

Experience the fun and benefits of therapeutic gamemastering in a Pastoral RPG.

Private Events

Your Game Minister is running Hero Kids for 6 younglings at a birthday party.  

(Book your party or evening NOW!)

Advanced Training

Your Game Minister is taking the final level 3 classes to be certified in 

the Game to Grow Method of Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games.

(See the Training Pastoral RPG special offer!)

Invitations

Pastoral RPG Training Special

Get a huge discount on a Pastoral RPG package

AND

Help Your Game Minister fulfill the final certification requirements

for the Game to Grow Method of Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games.

Sign up for 10 3-hour Pastoral RPG sessions for ONLY $300!

(That's 60% off the regular rate!) Only 4 spots available!

Sign Up Now!

Holiday Game Parties

Reserve Your Game Minister now for an IN-PERSON or ON-LINE Game Party.

Intergenerational, Custom Themed, Fun for All!  

Family Gathering, Friendly Celebration, Staff Party, or Just Because.

Role-Playing Games

Check out the new role-playing games available on StartPlaying.Game.

Explore D&D's newest setting by enrolling in 

Spelljammer Academy.

Play as your favorite woodland creatures in the

 Hidden Heroes of Awakened Woods.

Adventure with the power of friendship in

 Epic Tails of Equestria.

My Little Pony and Dungeons & Dragons?

Yes!

Other Game Ministry Offerings

Your Game Minister is also available for

 Pulpit Supply, Workshops, Introduction to Role Playing Games, Trainings, and Consultation.

 Prize for Playing

In the USA, many celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving in the month of November. In that spirit, I offer you a few of my favorite gratitude based Spiritual Games from Drew Leder's book, Games for the Soul: 40 Playful Ways to Find Fun and Fulfillment in a Stressful World.  I've shared some of these games on the Your Game Minister YouTube channel. (Subscribe and comment if you would like to see more videos in this series.)

Dayenu

Inspired by the Jewish celebration of Passover, the game "Dayenu" literally translates as "It would be enough."  How many times can you say "Dayenu" and mean it during your day?

Thinking to Thank

How many people, places, and things can you express thanks to during your day? What's the most unusual thing you sincerely said "Thank you" to? How do you feel after expressing gratitude this way?

Limitations: The game does require the ability to read English and some manual dexterity to manipulate the word pieces. Vision is also required.

Recommendation

If you are looking for a fun game to play with the family and friends over the holidays, you will find it in "Ransom Notes" by Very Special Games.  It's a bit like Apples to Apples played with a huge magnetic poetry kit.  Each player gets a handful of words on magnetic backed pieces.  You pick a card, "Give your qualifications for the big job you are applying for" and everyone take a short bit of time to assemble their note using the magnetic word pieces on a little metal tray.  You spin the box to see who the judge is.  Share your notes, make your case, and the judge awards the point.  Grab a handful of new magnetic word pieces and start the next turn.   Some of the notes are bit edgy, but they aren't mean or excluding as some other popular games tend to be.  

Your Turn

"Satanic Panic"

a documentary by the Rev. Derek White, a.k.a. The Geek Preacher is now available to watch for FREE on Tubi. This film won the Best Gamer Film award at the 2020 GENCON (the biggest gaming convention in the United States). The film examines the cultural hysteria surrounding Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980's. There are numerous disturbing parallels between the Satanic Panic and the moral panics being perpetrated in our modern day. Like Your Game Minister, The Geek Preacher is trained in Therapeutic Game Mastering through Game to Grow practices a Game Ministry.  

[The picture links to the movie entry on Tubi.]

If you have a piece of Game Ministry to share or a question you'd like answered

in Your Meeple Message, submit it to Your Game Minister at YourGameMinister@gmail.com.

To subscribe to or unsubscribe from Your Meeple Message email your request HERE.

Your Game Minister

Oneonta, NY

YourGameMinister.com