Biblical Storytelling & Evangelism, Part Two
by Amelia Boomershine
“Made Known” by Cortney L. Haley (inspired by Luke 24:13-35)
Kathy Culmer’s questions about biblical storytelling in relation to evangelism were listed in April’s GoTell News for you to consider. Here are my responses to the first three:
- Evangelism simply put is…Telling people that God loves them, that good will triumph over evil in the end, and that we know this because of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- Why would biblical storytelling be a useful tool for evangelism? Because it’s the most direct way of doing what evangelism is (telling people that God loves them, that good will triumph over evil in the end, and that we know this because of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
- How can biblical storytelling be used in evangelism? Tell a story; teach a story.
In April’s News I gave an example of how I’ve used biblical storytelling as evangelism in a grass roots, interpersonal (one-on-one) setting. Here’s how I used it in a structural, “communal” context:
I’ve recently gotten involved in a movement powered by the American Civil Liberties Union to protect immigrants, refugees, and people who look like immigrants or refugees from persecution by the federal administration and its agents. As advised by the ACLU “Freedom Cities” campaign, I scheduled a meeting with the Chief of Police in my city to review nine policies that the ACLU recommends and ask where our city stands with regard to each.
In recruiting participants, one person asked if the meeting was political. I said it was not Democratic-or-Republican-party political, but did have to do with public policy. Then I went on to say that my motive was spiritual. I said I wanted to be in compliance with God telling the people to care for “orphans, widows, and aliens” and with Jesus’ teaching that the nations would be judged, among other things, by whether or not they welcomed “the stranger.”
This was very abbreviated biblical storytelling in a communal venue, and a form of evangelism because I was telling someone who is not familiar with the Bible how biblical stories compelled me to engage in social action to align public policy with Jesus’ values and norms.
Evangelism for Children
GoTell recently received an email requesting a Story Keepers Kit with this message:
A few years back at the Festival, I purchased Story Keepers for my College Park church. I loved it. We used it for activities while parents were learning English as a second language. I need to replace it so we can use it again. Can you send information on how to order it?
Rev. Fay Lundin
College Park United Methodist Church
College Park, Maryland
If evangelism is telling people that God loves them, that good will triumph over evil in the end, and that we know this because of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then “The Story Keepers” is a wonderful resource for evangelism with children.
The Kit includes a Guide for teaching the stories and the complete set of 14 episodes on four DVDs. Both the Guide and the DVDs are in English and Spanish.
In case you have the same question as Pastor Fay, you can order by sending your request to amelia@gotell.org The cost is $99 plus shipping of $6.00 for a total of $105.00 payable to GoTell Communications, Inc.
Evangelism in Prison
If evangelism is telling people that God loves them, that good will triumph over evil in the end, and that we know this because of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then Circle of the Word is an effective process for evangelism with prisoners.
This month GoTell and Grace United Methodist Church will establish a Circle of the Word at Dayton Correctional Institution (DCI) for women in Dayton, Ohio.
The theme for the first series, “Love Your Enemies” has been a favorite with women at the Montgomery County Jail. We will see how it is received in the context of a prison. Pictured here is the flyer that was posted around the DCI campus.
