Children telling bible stories (rehearsed and read from notes)

To: Storytellers:
Re: children telling bible stories.

This little girl is amazing--a true "spellbinder".  Maybe she could do  our
training next time!  Thankful for each of you and your storytelling  gifts.
 Linda
Lexington Spellbinders


I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did... this  little girl has quite
a gift!
_http://vimeo.com/16404771_ (http://vimeo.com/16404771)

Yes, Thank you Linda:

This shows well what talented and well rehearsed children can do in storytelling.  It is delightfully performed with charming gestures.  She is also very cute and adds delightful detail that could not come from a readying of the bible. In particular a child’s reading.

In fact, hers is a free interpretation of the book of Johan that is full of add-ons not found in the bible story. Nothing wrong with that. But her interpretation turns the story of Johan into a “feel good, happy ending story,” This is not the story of Johan in the Word of God in the Bible..

I suggest that our first challenge in teaching bible stories tp children is to be faithful to the biblical text and the actual message that emerges  in the text.  I suggest that anyone here return to the actual text to discover the differences for themselves. The mystery portrayed in the text is clearly not the mystery of Johan’s repentance.

I will not present those differences here to argue the point except to say that there is no evidence that Johan learned anything, and that instead, Jonah is not a prophet to be in any way admired.

To turn bible stories into “feel good” stories or encourage children to do so is not appropriate. Please do not take me off your future lists. I am learning all I can about this movement to return the bible to children.

Rev. Dr. Paschal Baute
Spellbinder storyteller
Ordained Minister of the Gospel
Teacher in the Godly Play--
a program teaching bible stories
to childrens.  Lexington, Ky
www.paschalbaute.com 

Re Stories about death and heaven for children.

TO        St. Michael’s Godly Play parents
FROM     Paschal, Spellbinder storyteller
RE         Your questions Sunday
VIA        Casey Hinds
DATE        November 23, 2010

We assume you have access to the internet and google.
Sources of stories re children, death and heaven.

Talking to children about death
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/famsci/fs441w.htm

Death, dying and grief, story lovers world, collection
http://story-lovers.com/html/listsdeathchildrenstories.html

Stories about death for children, discussion
http://www.amazon.com/Stories-About-Death-For-Children/forum/Fx140AENHLNZF94/Tx3KJXJQ9BH6FBX/1?_encoding=UTF8&asin=1598791192

shoort stores death of a child
http://www.helium.com/items/382875-short-stories-death-of-a-child

Children’s bible lessons, heaven.
http://gardenofpraise.com/bibl35s.htm

I will contact a social worker who worked for years with cancer ridden and dying children at the UK hospital (left recently, bun out) for her best and favorite stories. Expect follow up by me.  I may have a favorite or two by Christmas.

See my web site for an original  story about a young turkey who jumped the fence. Note: contains the several challenges of the cross cultural story themes. Tell-able or readable.

http://storytellinglexingtonky.blogspot.com/

Storytellers: grow Your Skills

Grow your skills in the art and craft of storytelling
Free Opportunities for Storytellers
in Central Kentucky.  From Paschal Baute

As a storyteller (or apprentice storyteller) in Central Kentucky, you are invited to accept free admission to the next production of the Woodford Theater, on Thursday eve, December 2, at 8 p.m. The production is “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  Come and study the five language of storytelling: words, sound, gesture, attitude and interaction.  You may bring a significant other. Simply call l Paschal (293-5302) before Dec. 1st, so we can have a number count.  Woodford theater is in the new community center across from the Railroad museum, about 10 miles pas the airport..
More info including directions and map
 http://www.woodfordcountytheater.com/home/

Those who are fifty years young are eligible for the University of Kentucky Osher Lifelong Learning programs, a variety of courses for ten dollars.  Paschal and Charlie Eyer, another Spellbinder storyteller will teach an interest group that you may sign up for in the Spring. Get on their mailing list now. 
More info   http://www.mc.uky.edu/aging/olli.html, or Diana Lockridge, 257-2658.

Those who may have some interest in telling stories to our public school children, folk fairy tales, may want to google Spellbinders and consider the three day training for the Lexington chapter uncoiling this summer. DTBA.  Lexington now has the second largest chapter of Spellbinder storytellers in the country, with Berea, Richmond and Jessamine County just adding local chapters. Call Greg David, Lex Pub Lib, 231-5554,  to be put on mailing list for future dates. The training is free.  In the meantime if you want to just tag along and observe a storytelling session in Lexington, call Paschal’s cell. I am telling at Cassidy and Liberty monthly. 293-5302

Upon invitation, starting in January, weather permitting, Paschal will accept an invitation to come to your adult Sunday School to  speak to parents in the power and value of storytelling in nurturing the spirituality of children.  He will use several handouts developed in other teaching. This is offered as an opportunity for your church to promote you Godly Play program and recruit volunteers. 293-5302.  You can expect me to support the Godly Play program.

For those who want just to listen or observe storytelling, do not overlook Public radio 88.9 every Friday eve, 7-9 and Sat at non.  Also Kentucky Stloryteling Association has a program at Natasha’s downtown on the last Monday of each Month at 8 p.m.
Common Ground Coffee Café has Open Mike Storytelling every second Thursday 7:30 to 9, location on High near Rose. If you want to be put on a list to remind you of these events, let me know. Paschal.baute@insightbb.com.

Bible stories. BTW, we are fortunate to have an extraordinary teacher and scholar of the bible here in Lexington, Dr. Margaret Ralph. She is now completing book #15.  My brother, a retired Shell engineer has read all 14, after I introduced him to her first book some ten years ago, “And God Said What?” I would regard that book as essential reading for anyone who wants to teach bible stories.

If you ever have a chance to hear her, do not miss it, she is one of the best teachers and workshop presenters I have ever observed.  She just completed a workshop for my brother’s Catholic parish in Covington, LA, and he agreed with me. If you are looking for a really meaningful gift for someone or yourself this Christmas, consider this book: And God Said What?

Bible stories. I will soon be making a number of suggestions to improve Godly Play both lessons and training.  As far as I can tell, it has never been subjected to a serious critical review, and has a number of flaws, some I consider serious, both educationally and scripturally. I will offer this review so that your Godly Play program may have more effectiveness and accuracy to the inspired Word of God. This will be available after Christmas by visiting one of my blogs at
http://biblestorieschildren.blogspot.com/ 

I will not post these suggestions here. You may find them only at the web address above.

Hope some part of this spurs your interest in storytelling, which will also spur your motivation and skill for the Godly Play program.

Hope to see some of you Dec. 2. I usually sit on the front room, middle. Come, observe and enjoy the five languages of storytelling: words, sound, gesture, attitude and interaction.

Paschal Baute
Lexington Spellbinder

MY OHTER BLOGS ON STORYTELLING (3)

My other storytelling blogs are three

http://healthyspiritualityblog.blogspot.com,
This is currently discussion how storytelling nurttuyres the spirituality of children.

http://lexingtonspellbinders.blogspot.com/
 This discusses local opportunities

http://storytellinglexingtonky.blogspot.com/
MORE CREATIVE WRITING.

Paschal, I thought you might enjoy the following article:

Paschal,

I thought you might enjoy the following article:

http://www.churchplantingvillage.net/Storying_the_Bible_in_N._America.aspx

 

Mike Green

 

Storying the Bible in North America

Chronological Bible Storying is changing Christian communication and training dramatically. Church planters that learn how to address oral learning preferences will ride what has been called by some “the next wave of missions advance.”
Mike Mohler, pastor of Trinity Point, a new church plant in an affluent part of Easley, SC, turned to Bible storying for their family small groups. They grew from one small adult Bible study to nine small groups with 90 participating that met in homes in a span of six months.
Cathy Palmer found that her work among refugees in Clarkston, Ga., was accelerated when she gathered women to sew quilts and casually introduced them to one Bible story at a time.
A Nehemiah Church planter in Louisville, Ky., found Bible Storying extremely effective in evangelizing and then discipling several Muslim-background and Catholic Iraqis.

It can be said that about half of North America’s peoples prefer an “oral” approach to communicating and learning. The U.S. Department of Education now divides literacy into four groupings: below basic, basic, intermediate, and proficient. This replaces the past designations of illiterate, functionally illiterate, etc. Canada uses a four-level scale, not using titles at all.

A 2003 literacy assessment survey of 18,500 people in the U.S. and 23,000 people in Canada revealed that one in seven adults were Below Basic readers (U.S.) and one in five fell in the Level 1 category (Canada) for handling basic prose in English, like in the Bible. This means some—but not all—could sign their name or find dosage levels on a medicine bottle. Right at half (50%) of all U.S. adults and a little less than half (48%) in Canada fell into the Below Basic and Basic reading categories (level 1 and 2 of 4 in Canada). Only one in three of those earning college degrees were rated as “proficient readers.”

Making Disciples of All Peoples or Just the Elite Literates?
As church planters who are comfortable reading and operating in literate networks, we must give thought to those we hope to make disciples (Mt. 28:18-20). If Christians are serious about actually communicating with the lost and discipling spiritually-reproducing believers, then issues of “orality” will rise in importance. Literate approaches will certainly have their place, but will intentionally need to diminish in our planning priorities as fewer and fewer Bible readers attain acceptable text-handling proficiency. The good news is that the Bible is 75% continuous prose. The bad news is that we so often focus on only the 25% of the highest forms of literature and we deliver it in an analytical style common to proficient readers, but not the other vast majority of the people we encounter both outside and inside our own church walls.
Church planting efforts can be minimized or caused to struggle if attention is not given to methods that convey biblical content in the most effective manner possible. For instance, the beloved “three points and a poem” and textual exposition have their place, but inhibit a believer’s efforts to pass along what they’ve heard. Rapid-fire exegetical sword drills from the pulpit become cul-de-sacs in the mind just when preachers want their church members to become the gospel-telling superhighway.
Church planters that use audio recordings are not automatically off the hook just because they don’t use print in their outreach and discipleship plans. Recording things that started off in print is not enough. An audio recording of something that was written for literates is heard differently from an audio recording developed for an oral learner. Church planters in tune with issues in orality are beginning to distinguish between “oral” and “audio.”

Oral approaches are geared toward those who can’t, won’t, or don’t read. We can understand and even test for the “can’t” category. However, it is an amazing thing to discover those who “won’t” or “don’t” read walking the hallowed halls of our seminaries, universities, and church buildings. Others read vigorously at work, but in their spare time seldom continue reading. A distinction for this group, titled Secondary Orality, is being made between those that can read, but stop reading unless they are required to do so.

Why Storying is Working
People who do not read regularly, have a tenth grade education or less, have been taught by rote memorization, are overwhelmed with too much reading, or only read on the job are attracted to Bible Storying. There are significant advantages for most church planters:
Memorization of Scripture.
Retention with the ability to understand meaning at a deeper level.
Reproducibility as the narrative is passed along with relative ease.
Stories do a great job of addressing bridges and barriers in a people group’s worldview. A bridge is anything that may provide a positive connection while a barrier inhibits someone from embracing the truths of the Bible.

Instead of a non-linear frog-hop through Scripture, it is possible for those who fall into even the most basic literacy categories to serve as evangelists, teachers, pastors, and godly believers who start new churches. Yes, even those who fall into the Below Basic or Level 1 category can – and do – have a place in church planting using storying methods.

Memorizing Bible stories is not enough. Oral learners must be led to harvest the Bible truth from the storying presentations. This usually comes through dialog rather than preaching. Applications to real life are drawn from participants in the storying session who are alert and engaging God’s Word. And they do it from within their own unique context.

Often church planters express concern about a “disconnect” between what they preach and their church members’ lifestyles. Bible Storying is based on Bible principles that address theology, and practical, real-life issues, many of which are barriers to faith and righteous living. Storying can also reinforce positive bridges to the gospel’s acceptance and application. Dialogue, discussion, repetition, and even drama or singing the stories aid in retention and re-telling. Bible Storying is an effective tool for church planters in gospel sowing, making disciples, and equipping leaders.

Where to Start for Further Study
For further information on Chronological Bible Storying and how it can be used in church planting, please contact or check out the following websites:
Donny Coulter, Canadian Baptists’ First Nations advocate – dcoulter@cnbc.org
John Gaskin, National Missionary to Native Americans, NAMB – jgaskin@namb.net
“Storying in a Day” – Free training includes manual from NAMB – msnowden@namb.net
“Life Journey” – Free 16-week collection of Bible stories from NAMB – msnowden@namb.net
Bible Storying newsletter – Free from J.O. Terry – biblestorying@sbcglobal.net
Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies, SEBTS – http://college.sebts.edu
Four-day CBS course and semester-long course, SWBTS – www.swbts.edu/catalog
International Orality Network -- www.internationaloralitynetwork.org

Written by Mark Snowden. Mark is a member of the Church Planting staff at NAMB.