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 ...