“Chicks Change Lives”
by Amelia Boomershine
The children at Bellbrook (Ohio) United Methodist Church raised money for Heifer Project during Vacation Bible School. I told the scripture for Sunday morning worship there on the last Sunday in July and was rewarded with a handful of bumper stickers proclaiming “Chicks Change Lives.”
I requested them to take to our Seeds of Grace meeting the next day. What better motto could there be for a group of women dedicated to telling and teaching biblical stories in the county jail every week! We trust through God’s grace that lives are changed among the women in the jail who attend our Circle. But we know for certain that this ministry has changed, and blessed, our lives.
The main agenda item for our July 27 meeting was videotaping a demo Circle of the Word for circleoftheword.gotell.org to help others do what we do. Look for those “tutorials” by the end of August.
Left to right: Amelia, Jennifer, Myrna, Susan, Barbara, Roberta, Sharlyn (and Rhea, not pictured). We used to joke about being “jail birds.” Now it’s “jail chicks”!
Sunday Worship, Scripture by Heart
The recital of the Scriptures by heart by a community of clergy and laity brings vitality and life to Christian worship. Based on the experience of two local churches that have proclaimed all of the Scriptures in their worship for five to nine years, Tom Boomershine and Dennis Dewey are planning to write a book that will provide a combination of theological/historical background and practical resources for enabling a local church community to engage the Word of God.
The book will include surveys of the experience of those who have done Scripture by heart and of congregations who have embraced this emerging spiritual disciple as an integral part of their worship celebrations. Without exception congregations have found that the recital of the Scriptures by heart makes a positive difference in the experience of the Word of God. Virtually no one wants to go back to the monotone reading of the Scripture that has become the dominant practice in most churches.
“Breaking Into” Prison Ministry
Bob Booz, Biblical Storyteller
Central Keystone Guild
I have been a Biblical Storyteller since early 2012 but have had only a few opportunities to practice my skill at local churches or workshops. While attending my first Festival Gathering in 2014, I watched Tom Boomershine passionately plead for us tellers to prayerfully reach out to the incarcerated populations in our local communities. That’s when God’s spirit touched me and guided me to where I am today…
…So on Thursday, July 23rd, the chaplains [of a state prison in central Pennsylvania] wanted me to perform for the general population of inmates who attend regular Bible study in the church sanctuary. They wanted to see how the inmates accepted biblical storytelling. I performed Mark 9:14-29 “I Believe…Help my Unbelief!” There were 50-75 inmates (average age ~45-50).
They were absolutely wonderful, and many were very knowledgeable of the Bible. God was surely among us that morning!! The plans are to wait and see how the inmates “talk” about my visit and go from there. Both chaplains were very encouraged by the response of the inmates and have high hopes for setting some regular programs up in the months ahead.
And just when I thought God was pleased with what I accomplished with His help, that afternoon my phone rang…it was the County Jail Chaplain calling. After we talked on the phone about what a biblical storyteller does, he asked me when could I come to the jail and get started there with him!
I’ve been told that God gives us no more than we can handle…so now I’m off to the county jail to meet younger inmates and face a whole different type of culture. Wish me well…oh, and I can always use some prayers too.