Christian Education, Biblical Storytelling, and Storykeepers
By Mike Cantley; Fork, Maryland
We think Storykeepers is effective for all ages! As pastor of a couple of local churches, I was thrilled to find a curriculum that led us in straightforward “Bible story” teaching. This summer, one of our young adult parents expressed her desire for all ages in our church to learn more Bible stories, so Storykeepers came at the perfect time for our Sunday School planning this year.
Our Sunday School teachers frequently brag on the Storykeepers material and tell the congregation what they are doing with the kids in Sunday School. To advertise for more teachers, Storykeepers has caused us to change our language toward simply enlisting “Bible Story tellers”!
One of our substitute teachers told me she appreciated the clear instructions for someone without a lot of prep time and the different options for the variety of age levels and activity levels teachers may encounter in class.
I bought sets of Storykeepers not only for two different Sunday School departments but also for myself. I will continue using it to resource the many opportunities I get for preaching, teaching, and storytelling as a pastor. Teachers of all ages will benefit from the insightful variety of background information, story learning and telling tips, and thoughtful preparation that the authors provide.
There is an inspiring prayer early in the Storykeepers teacher’s kit that proves true again and again. It goes something like this: “We have the stories of Jesus in our heart; we can take them out of our hearts and share them with someone; and, of course, we still have these wonderful stories in our hearts, because we are Storykeepers!” What better way to learn, teach, and keep the stories of Jesus?
On behalf of our local churches and the untold lives you are helping us touch with these stories, I send a BIG thank you to Amelia and Tom!
And thank you, Mike, for your testimonial. To purchase the videos and Teacher Guide from GoTell, email Amelia at info@gotell.org or visit storykeepers.com.
The Bible and Social Justice
by Amelia Boomershine
A string of paper cranes, representing the hope for peace, hangs in the lobby of Stony Point Center next to a wall of photos. The photos are of members of the Community of Living Traditions, organized by various work areas: office, kitchen, office, and so forth. The interfaith Community lives in this center, located in the Hudson River Valley of New York.
Stony Point is also home to The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice which recently hosted an event called “The Word is Action: Engaging the Bible and Social Justice in memory of Walter Wink.” Tom and I attended the conference where Tom presented about “The Messiah of Peace.” To download a PDF of his paper, click here.
As stated on the CLBSJ site,
There are few opportunities for a purposeful gathering of scholars and activists to discuss their shared commitments and understanding. Not all who stand in solidarity with calls for social justice consider themselves activists. Not all who seek a deeper grounding of their understanding of peace and social justice in scripture and research consider themselves scholars.
“Word is Action” brought together persons who span the entire spectrum of work for social justice from scholarship and education to preaching and marching in the streets. We were honored to participate.
Improve Your Storytelling: Less May Be More
This tip for improving your storytelling is reprinted with permission from “Scholarly Musings” published online by the Network of Biblical Storytellers. This month’s tip comes to you from Cynthia Park—biblical storyteller, Episcopal priest, and Hebrew Bible scholar.
The most helpful activity for me was working with Richard Swanson before I performed the Babylonian Creation story. I wanted Tiamat’s character to be “authentic” but I was using too many grand gestures in that attempt. Richard showed me how fewer, more subtle gestures actually created a more chilling effect, which was what I had in mind. He also suggested opening the telling by reciting softly the opening lines to the old rock ‘n roll song “Wild Thing” while softly keeping the beat against my thigh. With fewer and more intentional gestures, Tiamat’s wildness came through without overpowering the story. Now, whatever the story, I limit myself to three dramatic moves so that my embodiment of the performance doesn’t eclipse the narrative.
