a day to tell and make stories

Let me tell you a story ... And who doesn't like being told stories? 

Come and learn how to hear biblical stories as they were meant to be heard, and through this, how to hear and tell sacred stories yourself in a way that opens up conversation around the great themes of life and spirituality.  


Merryl Blair has taught the art of biblical narrative at Stirling, the Churches of Christ Theological College, Vic, for 20 years. She is passionate about the Bible's ability to engage ordinary (including non-Christian) people in meaning-making conversations. Join her for a day of story-telling and making.

Saturday 30th August - 10 AM - 4 PM
Cost $15 (lunch included)

@ The Village Well: Aldgate Churches of Christ 
54 Strathalbyn Road Aldgate 

RSVP by Monday, August 25th
Enquiries & RSVP to Anthony Risson - anthony@therissons.net or 0405 357 032

story spaces in february and march

Godly Play workshops and events

Hi Everyone

Here are some opportunities for information, resourcing and training in Godly Play. Get into it! 

Godly Play Core Training.

27th - 29th September.

This is going to be held in the Barossa. Contact Shannon on 0451 155 447 for details and bookings. There are only 4 places left.

Godly Play Open Day

26th September 2-4 Bethany Lutheran Church.

Not sure about Godly Play yet? Want to see more materials? Want to speak to an accredited trainer? This will be the opportunity. Perhaps you would like team members to experience more and be able to ask the tricky questions. Also contact Shannon on 0451 155 447 to find out more, bookings are not necessary.

Experienced Storytellers Gathering

9th November

This will be also at Bethany Lutheran. I will send out more detail closer to the date. This is opportunity for those of us trained in Godly Play or using Godly Play regularly to practise storytelling, make materials, share ideas and ask questions.

Godly Play Christmas Workshop

19th October

Story Session 1-2pm $10 and Advent resource making 2-5pm $40 (includes all plaques for advent story as well as paints).

Come and hear a story, have an experience of Godly Play and if you like make your own Advent Plaques. Bookings and material orders are essential. Book online at the UCA SA Godly Play website from the 2nd September (link to come) Please book for resource making by Friday the 4th October. Email me for more details. Everyone is welcome.

Kerry Folland

Godly Play Coordinator for the Uniting Church South Australia

children@ttguc.org.au

0417606255

2013 National Gathering - registration form now available!

In the beginning was  the word ... pass it on! 

The 2013 National Gathering of the Network of Biblical Storytellers will be held in Brisbane, from 5 – 7 July. Keynote speaker: Megan McKenna. This is the front page of the flier - click on the link to download the full pdf flier and registration form.

As we draw closer to the event, please visit the national website for updated information, including details for the epic telling of portions of the Gospel of John, and workshops being offered.

Please feel free to share the brochure through your networks, and encourage people to attend to discover and nurture the gift of inhabiting, embodying, and telling the Biblical stories.

exploring faith through our senses

We've been a bit quiet of late in this space, but the SA Network of Biblical Storytellers team members continue to be busily engaged in storytelling.

Gillian, as chair of the national board, is helping the Queensland folk put together the 2013 National Gathering, as well as continuing to tell stories in her local congregation.

National Gathering: 5 - 7 July, Brisbane
Keynote Speaker, Dr Megan McKenna

watch this space for registration and other information.

Marnie has been coordinating story spaces for families at Blackwood Uniting Church, with Messy Church, Godly Play and Playgroup growing healthy, supportive, creative community. She is in Melbourne this month for a Godly Play workshop.

Among other things, Sarah is telling stories at TEDxAdelaide and the Inter-Disciplinary.Net Global Conference on Narrative in May, and team teaching a course on faith and the senses for Adelaide College of Divinity & Uniting College from April to June.

National Godly Play Conference

sharing stories

This year, the Network of Biblical Storytellers Australia is not gathering nationally - we are putting our efforts into the local networks, encouraging people locally to learn the Biblical stories and tell them from their heart.

I am one of a number of storytellers in SA who will be looking for ways to share our passion for the Biblical stories, and the craft of storytelling, bringing the stories to life with a community of listeners, inviting deep and transforming encounter with God through these stories.

Last night was one of a number of ways we will be spreading the word / Word:

Last night I was the guest at The Last Supper, invited to tell stories and provoke conversation. It was a great joy to participate in this gathering, to share stories, both telling and hearing, to wonder, ponder, consider different ideas and perspectives. http://t.co/MFyU0sQA

2011 National Gathering

The national gathering is coming up soon, and registration forms are now available. Click the image below to download.
Also check out the national blog for ongoing updates in the lead-up to the gathering.
I am sorry to miss out this year, as there are some events in my home 'parish' that I need to stay here for. I will be thinking of you all as you gather, and the team from Victoria who are hosting the gathering this year. May God bless you richly.

workshop with Payneham Road Uniting

Last month, I led a workshop on Biblical storytelling with the folk from Payneham Road Uniting Church. They're a passionate bunch, passionate about the Story of God and about sharing it faithfully with their community.
I learnt something new that day - that the reading of the Bible is often the part of gathered worship that worshippers least appreciate. We spent a bit of time wondering why that is, and came up with the same conclusion that the participants at Grow and Go did earlier in the month - that worship, whatever part of it, is not helpful when it does not engage, when it is boring.
Enter Biblical storytelling - and, to be honest, you don't even have to memorise the text, simply infuse the reading with some emotion and you'll bring it to life!
So this is what we did, took four hours out of our busy lives to invest in our ministry of reading the Bible aloud in gathered worship. It is an important ministry, and I was much encouraged by this group of readers so committed to getting the most out of the moment of bringing the Story of God's relationship with all creation to life for those with ears to hear.

If you would like a Biblical storyteller to come to your congregation to encourage and equip your readers so that they, too, can make the most of the moment and communicate meaning from this Sacred Story, please get in touch with us. We'll be delighted!

storytelling at national youth convention

One of our South Australian Biblical Storytellers was recently involved with the Uniting Church's National Christian Youth Convention as a Bible Study leader.

Sarah Agnew, minister at Belair Uniting Church and The Esther Project, led a bible study with Nathan Whillas, youth pastor at Parafield Gardens Uniting Church. Sarah led the studies through biblical storytelling, bringing stories from the Gospel according to Matthew and the Book of Isaiah to life for around 60 16-25 year olds.

The young people responded positively to this way of engaging with the stories of the Bible, and at least one has been inspired to participate in future storytelling events with her local congregation when the opportunity arises.

You can read Sarah's reflections on her blog - sarahtellsstories - where she shares about the bible studies, other elements of the convention and of an afternoon catching up with Queensland biblical storyteller, Jeff Lawrence (see pic, right).

If you have stories to share of your storytelling events and activities, email us at nbssouthaustralia@gmail.com

Goodbyes.

With the handing on of the story stick to Victoria's storytellers, we entrust the gathering into their care for 2011.
Thank yous were offered to guest workshop leaders, to Julia for the worship, to Steve for the keynote sessions, and to the coordinating team.

And then hugs all round - farewells to new friends and old, promises to keep in touch via the many modes of communication at our fingertips, and hopes of visits in the intervening months between this gathering and the next.
Some of us were heading straight home, others staying overnight because of flight schedules; and others were joined by family travelling from interstate for a holiday or from their nearby homes, for a week of holidays and connecting and stories ...

As we go, we will look for opportunities to invite others into the story of God's way of love in the world, revealed in Jesus whose way we follow; and we go trusting in the continued presence of God through Jesus, Spirit, and all of Creation.

Stay tuned for news from the network, in newsletter, mini-mag, and the soon-to-be-created blog.
This blog will continue to tell the story of the network in South Australia, and to provide links to other sites and people who tell and help others to tell the biblical story.

Day Three. Part Two.

At lunch it dawned on us that this was almost the end, and were a little sad at the thought.

We had a wonderful closing worship with eucharist led by Philip, with music led by Julia, liturgy from Uniting in Worship II and Rex Hunt's story liturgy, and the wrapping up of the collage of stories from the 10 storytelling gatherings that had been created over the weekend. If anyone has photos, let us know here in Adelaide and perhaps we can include some on the blog.

The story we heard was the discipiles' encounter with the risen Jesus on the mountain in Galilee.
Following on from that story, these were the words spoken as the story sheet was rolled away:

I am with you
in the story of God's love for all creation
in the story of the people
discipling all the nations, baptising into my body,
teaching all I have commanded
I have been with you
in your gathering, this year,
every year,
the story of this community of biblical storytellers
in our hearing of stories well told,
stories of Jesus who heals - the whole of our lives
in our learning together to live out all that
Jesus has commanded
in the origins of our stories - tradition, experience, passion
relationship, discovery, shared experiences and memories
through the Spirit of Creativity and Gifting
into which we are born, and reborn
in the stories we have told and celebrated
the stories we cannot tell, or cannot yet tell
the stories still forming, still to be discovered

I am with you as you go,
wherever the story takes you,
in your seeking, listening, telling
stories,
           stories,
                       everywhere ...


comment from Glenys: The final wrapping up was so beautifully done and so symbolic as the cloth was placed under the table of the Lord. May our storytelling always be under the blessing of the table of the Lord as we gather in the name of Jesus.

Day Three. Part One.

And it was morning. The Third Day.

After breakfast, rooms had to be vacated - Nunyara is a popular venue, and preparations were beginning for the next arrivals, a group from Kidney Australia, young folk with adult leaders and supporters having some time out in this place of healing.

But the biblical storytelling gathering wasn't done yet.
Shorter worship, a song and a prayer, was followed by the story of Jonah artfully told by Gillian, and then the final installment of the story of Esther from Annette. We remarked later how it seemed important to those who recorded this story to reiterate that, though granted permission, the Jews did not take plunder from those they killed ...

We took some time then to discuss some business of the network: information on how we're managing membership and a network of friends who receive information and news; roles in the network and on the board - watch the web for a new blog for the network of biblical storytellers australia (though, really, does the world need more blogs from sarahsstories ?); news about the desire of the board to support storytellers attending the australian and international gatherings in order to nurture this gift, particularly in young folk; and updates on finances and the mini-magazine.

As we broke for morning tea, our guest workshop leaders for the day arrived, Chris to lead a workshop on narrative and healing, and Andrew one on imagination and storytelling. The animated responses following both indicated that they were well received. The coordinating team was thanked and congratulated for the workshop on narrative and healing - the invitation was issued to Chris because I had participated in a one-week course introducing narrative therapy at the Dulwich Centre just before the gathering last year and was raving about all I had learnt and discovered, and the interest in those I shared this enthusiasm with inspired me to ask Chris to come along. I am so glad I did. Andrew writes the Lost Sheep books, which are delightful, and people were buzzing with energy following his session.
I led a workshop, too, in which we explored narrative threads and how the broader narrative can help us to glean meaning for the smaller stories we often are invited to tell. We began with Matt 28:1-10, 16-20, and the theme of incarnation in Matthew's story of Jesus, which led to the importance of embodiment of a story for the telling of a story well. After some discussion of the community in which Matthew's story is thought to have emerged (Jews in the diaspora, disconnected from home, from the synagogue and not part of the Gentile world), our conversation ranged all through Matthew's story, and over the Old Testament, letters of and not of Paul, and the art of storytelling generally. Thank you to the group for rich discussion and helpful discoveries for each other.

Day Two. Evening.

After the epic our celebration dinner - celebration of this, the tenth gathering, in the 20th year of the Network of Biblical Storytellers in Australia/New Zealand.
Marnie had organised people who had been at past gatherings to share a memory from a gathering, so that we had one or two stories from each of the previous nine gatherings - sparking memories for those who were there, and inviting those who weren't to enter the story of this community of biblical storytellers through these stories.
Rex Hunt, who instigated the formation of an Australia / New Zealand chapter of the Network twenty years ago, visited through Skype, and wished us well, encouraged us to tell the stories, to engage in the process of understanding the stories, their origins, context, to discover meaning for today.
And Philip Liebelt was made a life member of the Network - an honour he thought was reserved for those who have retired, since it was on retirement that we bestowed life membership on Rex: was this a hint, Philip asked?! No, rather an appropriate gesture to celebrate at this milestone gathering.
One of the traditions that we continue is to sing an 'Alleluia' in gratitude for stories that are told, and for people who have given us gifts. Denise taught us some words to sing from her language, the language of the Indigenous Australians from the Flinders Ranges (and rather than misspell the name of her people, or misrepresent the words she taught us, I'll leave it there until I've checked with her). As a language person, I loved learning some of the words of Denise's people in this song and in her stories.
Some of our participants departed the gathering after dinner, with communities to lead for gathered worship on Sunday morning. We were so glad they could take the time they did to participate in the gathering.

Conversations continued, stories continued with lighting the fire, stories that provoked wondering and imagining and discovery ...

And it was evening. The Second Day.

The Epic

Yesterday afternoon we told Matthew's story of Jesus together in our epic telling.
There are mixed feelings about the epic telling, for sum it is not and for some it is the highlight of the annual biblical storytelling gathering.
What always stands out is the sheer diversity in our humanity, our encounter with and interpretation of the story and our expression of it. For that alone, I continue to believe in it as a worthwhile experience. When it comes to a book like Matthew, even when we cut out whole chapters, it is still a loooong story to tell, which is hard to manage, especially with technical difficulties and catering time commitments.
However, I think it went well, from the responses I've heard.
Highlights included Ian's visual telling of the parable of ten bridesmaids, very cleverly done with a banner painted and with flaps; David's representation of John the baptist and his facial expressions as he 'ate' locusts and honey; Gillian's workshop group of new tellers standing together, backs to the listeners, each turning when it was their turn to pick up the story; and the sparse telling of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus with Robyn and Jeannette carrying black and cream fabric in for each part, and only some of the phrases from the story spoken over Barber's Adagio for strings. I didn't see, but around the time the story was moving into the Jerusalem passion scenes, the big cross outside the chapel here was lit up (as it is each night), with poignant timing.

Day Two. Part Two.

Robyn reflects on the day so far: oh, the song, I said to Julia: 'give us the courage to enter the song' - it was the first song, I couldn't sing any of the others.
Steve's pictures of a dark forrest, mountain tops, angel moments - through which we were invited to share stories of these moments from our lives. I've been flicking through them because the stories so often involve all three elements. Seemed to be the case for a few people in the group.
It's been very moving.
I wrote down something around what Steve was saying was stepping out of the patterns of our lives. We talked about the Chinese symbol of change as crisis and opportunity. and remembering when God has spoken directly into our lives.

As we talk ... I reflect on the part of the epic I will be telling this evening that picks up Matthew's emphasis on Jesus as the incarnation of God - God with us. and Robyn says, I remember Jesus says I am with you, and you can interrupt me any time ... I wonder how it will reshape the way I tell the story this afternoon ...

Day Two. Part One.

This organising caper is hard work. Just when you think you can relax, your work is done, something else needs your attention. My body thought I was done, and was ready to stay in bed and relax this morning. Oh, it was hard to coax it back to standing, moving, thinking ... !
Others had less trouble, and were up early for a walk before breakfast.

But we were all a little late to the first session.
Julia led us in a worship service of healing, with an ancient ritual of anointing with oil as a sign of the healing we find for our whole lives in God who is Love. It was very moving, and I was beginning to find it difficult to continue playing my clarinet when the ritual drew to a close. We were joined this morning by Ian on guitar, which was lovely, and assisted by Deb on the piano. Deb also amazed me by graciously taking the passage for the day and learning it to tell. She did it marvellously.

Featured storytellers this morning were Ian and Annette. Ian told us his story of God's promise to Noah and the whole of creation, beginning with the story of creation, and finishing with the story of Jesus. We were involved with cues to affirm that 'this was bad' or 'this was good' - though at times, our storyteller contradicted us because it wasn't really good that all creatures were kept, when this might have been an opportunity to be rid of those pesky flies ... ! Ian then told us stories from Christmas, first a song of the wise men and then a rap of the shepherds, involving listeners each time. We are delighted to experience the depth and the breadth of approaches to telling the biblical stories.
Annette continued to tell us the story of Queen Esther, bringing to life the pompous Haman with great skill!

Then it was keynote two.

Steve framed this session with a retelling of the story of a man who found treasure. The treasure of story. I was in and out of this session with some administrative tasks so I'm going to ask someone else to reflect on that session. stay tuned!

Day One. Part Two

our first day ended with the first keynote session from Steve, and lighting the fire.

Steve invited us to ponder from where do stories come? We heard how the kingdom of God is like the worldwide web, with twitters and facebook telling of the Story. We heard a reimagined telling of the story of breaking through the roof of a house in order to reach Jesus and ask for healing - the story of Bill and Ben and their pet goat Raisins. And we pondered - what is it that makes a 'good' story? things like imagination, and characters, and clues for the listeners to identify with their own experience.
Then a story of a girl whose father contracted a skin disease that pushed him outside his community, and how an encounter with Jesus not only healed her father's skin disease, but healed their family and restored them to community. And we wondered some more about what makes a 'good' story - emotion and love and passion and more ...

In the evening at the gatherings we 'light the fire' - tell stories from the different parts of our lives, biblical, cultural, humourous and tear-jerking. We heard stories from the Aboriginal community of the Flinders Ranges, from a trip to Fiji, a story told in different ways of Truth and Story, poetry from Shakespeare and Banjo Patterson ... and more.

And on the way to bed, some heard a bed-time story from the creators of the Lost Sheep stories.

Gathering Day One. Part One.

We are here! We're at beautiful Nunyara, with the sun shining in clear blue skies, folk from all over the country gathered for a weekend of stories.
As we gathered, the stories began, catching up with each other from the last time we met, or for the first time.
Today we have worshipped together and heard some storytelling - stories of the paralised man lowered through the roof, the father with two sons told with drama bags then through the eyes of two ladies from the town, and the first installment of the story of Esther (more to come over the weekend).
And we've had our first workshop session - lectio divina, godly play, and crafting our stories - all of which have given us inspiration, new insights into our craft of storytelling.
Now, people are wandering the grounds of Nunyara, having a cuppa, making raffia baskets, scouring resources, having a rest, practising music for worship, settling into rooms, or blogging.

Thank you to our workshop leaders today, Gary, Judyth and Steve.

Thank you to Julia for leading our worship, and choosing lovely music.

Thank you to the kitchen for wonderful food.

This evening we spend a bit more time with the story of the paralysed man, and begin to think about how we reimagine the biblical stories to bring them to life in our time.

1 more day

we're almost there, friends! one more sleep and the 10th National Biblical Storytelling Gathering will begin.
goody bags are being packed, name tags printed, and participants have begun arriving in Adelaide.

See you tomorrow - registration at 11 am.