There were 11 of us gathered for the June CinDay meeting at Clifton UMC, Cincinnati. The discussion mainly focused on creating and sustaining a Scripture telling group in a local congregation. The discussion was practical, rather than theoretical, since 2 of the local churches represented in CinDay are interested starting such groups in their own settings.
So, how do you start a local church scripture-by-heart group? Here are a few tips:
- select the Sunday scriptures at least 1 month in advance, so people have time to learn them
- get the storytellers together on a regular basis, so they have the opportunity to sign up for scheduled stories and discuss the stories as they work on learning them, as well as build a community of storytellers
- provide a combination of individual coaching/feedback and continued learning and exegesis (performance criticism) of the stories. The continued growth is essential to group morale and energy. Story-learning workshops open to everyone will help people get over that “I can’t remember a whole story” fear (yes, really, you CAN remember a whole story)
In addition, involve both laity and clergy in storytelling, and draw on people in your congregation who are involved in other Arts: drama, music, visual arts, etc.
And one last helpful resource: the book Story Journey: An Invitation to the Gospel as Storytelling, by our own Tom Boomershine.