Interview for A Breath of Fresh Air
Last November I attended the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in Boston. While there, I was interviewed about biblical storytelling with incarcerated men and women. The interview was videotaped and recently went live online. It was produced by the publisher of my book, A Breath of Fresh Air: Biblical Storytelling with Prisoners.
It’s a promotional piece for the book, but I hope also for prison ministry through biblical storytelling. I tell about how I got involved in this work and developed Circle of the Word, along with a few stories from my experience. It’s 13 minutes long. If the embedded video below doesn’t work for you, click here
Giving Voice to Scripture
I just received the July-August issue of Worship Arts which includes an article I wrote about Scripture by Heart in worship and Circle of the Word in places of detention (pages 10-12). It makes the case for biblical storytelling in both venues, and briefly tells about my experience at Grace UMC and the local jail and prison in Dayton. Worship Arts is a publication of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts.
Telling the Stories (and Psalms and Prophecies and Laws and Letters and Poetry) in Worship Every Sunday: A How-To Workshop at the Festival Gathering
Richard Green telling Phil 4:4-9
For the past 10 years, members of the Grace by Heart storytelling team have transformed the worship experience by telling the scripture by heart every week – as well as Advent, Holy Week, and other special services – in Grace United Methodist Church in Dayton, Ohio. Since 2014, members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware have told the scripture by heart in about half of the weekly worship services.
Pastor Sherry Gale telling Ex 17:1-7
GoTell Board member Larry Ramey is leading a workshop at the upcoming Festival Gathering on this vital small group ministry. Grace by Heart members will share how they have organized, equipped, nurtured, and sustained the weekly storytelling ministry. Participants can learn how to develop biblical storytelling as a regular part of local church worship, based on the experience of the Grace and Trinity congregations.
Larry put out a call for “testimonies.” Here is what one Grace by Heart member shared:
David Larson telling on Easter Sunday
I love learning the scriptures by heart. It helps me to understand each one so well, and they are all then a part of me forever, even if I later forget some words. I want to reach the listeners, to make the words of the Bible come alive for them. Concentrating on that keeps me focused, like I’m talking to someone, and if I’m well prepared, I have no fear. As a layperson, being a storyteller brings a whole new dimension to my faith and gives me a much deeper understanding of the Bible. Effie Sue Kemerley
If you can’t make the Festival Gathering (Aug 1-4), but would like to explore starting a Scripture by Heart ministry at your church, contact GoTell or Larry Ramey.
Kololi Beach, Gambia on June 23, 2018
Telling for Baptism in the Ocean
By Benjamin Michael
Ten years ago Benjamin Michael attended events led by members of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, including Tom and myself of GoTell, who traveled to the Gambia in West Africa on a biblical storytelling mission trip (for a brief description, visit GoTell’s April 2008 News). Since then Benjamin has continued his own development of biblical storytelling skill and recently has been successful in encouraging its spread. What follows are his two latest reports.
These photos are of newly baptized candidates doing a Storytelling from the Gospel of John 1:19-34 on Saturday 23rd of June, at our Church ground-Evangelical Church of the Gambia (House of Wisdom), Sukuta. This was during the celebration ceremony following their baptism earlier in the afternoon.
A total of fifteen candidates were baptized. Six of them including three new Tellers who performed the story, which was entirely their initiative, not in any way prompted by me; they came up with the idea and chose the passage themselves and practiced on their own. I was only informed about their plans.
Three of our regular Tellers encouraged three of their friends to join the Team to participate for the first time! I am thrilled to see this happen with the youths without any directive from anyone. It goes to show how much they’re beginning to strongly embrace the tool of Bible storytelling. I feel great indeed and I’m glad to report it.
The Tellers were: Teny, Halima, Mariama, Gini, Mary and Saffiatou. Note, all of these Tellers are from parents whose backgrounds are from Islam but converts to Christianity. This includes the entire newly baptized candidates numbering fifteen that included three adults. This is what makes it more special. The baptism was performed at Kololi Beach.
Greetings in Christ!
Last Sunday [July 1], at one of our local Church branches in Brikama (Evangelical Church of the Gambia-House of Wisdom), I traveled with my family to deliver the sermon and to administer the holy communion. Instead of having us read my main text from the Bible, I told the story of the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” from the Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13. My sermon was based on this passage.
I took note that the small congregation particularly enjoyed the Bible story, so I hope to promote it further among them in my subsequent monthly visits.
Shalom!
And shalom to all of you,
Amelia
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