07/02/2022
HEAR A NEW STORY
•TELL: A narrator tells a Bible story (keep it whole, biblical, intelligible, memorable, and appropriate).
•RETELL: Ideally, another narrator retells the same story (or the original narrator tells it a second time).
INTERNALIZE THE STORY Balancing the desire for variety and consistency, choose one of these tools each time:
•GESTURES: The leader examines the story for frequently repeated key words, phrases, and actions. Each member of the group chooses one of these and comes up with a gesture to represent it. The narrator retells the story while members perform their gestures each time they hear their word or phrase spoken.
•TABLEAU: The leader guides the group in choosing the significant moments from the story that can be portrayed by posing themselves in a sequence of “snapshots”. Divide up and assign a different snapshot to each small group. After groups practice posing, the narrator begins to retell the story. At preselected moments, the narrator pauses to say “Curtains up,” and the first group freezes in the predetermined posture. After the narrator says “Curtains down,” the next group moves to create the next scene. The narrator continues the story, pauses again, and so on. Alternatively, if participants are few, the entire group can pose all of the scenes together. It can be fun to take an actual photo of each “snapshot”.
•OBJECTS: The group selects various nearby objects to represent people, places, or things from the story. The narrator retells the story and members of the group pick up the objects and place them in order whenever those things are mentioned. Someone may try retelling the story while moving the objects or while watching others move them. An alternative is for each member of the group to control one object, moving it each time it gets mentioned in the story. Another alternative is to line up entirely different objects to represent each part of the story without moving them during the retelling.
•STORYBOARD: Provide pencils and paper, sticks and sand, or chalk and blackboard. The leader divides the story into scenes and invites the listeners to divide their paper (or area) into as many sections (by folding, then re-flattening the paper). The narrator begins to retell the story slowly, scene by scene. In each section, listeners sketch simple stick figures and symbols (not fine art and no written text) to recall characters and events of each scene. During a retelling, they may scan their storyboard, adding anything significant that they missed the first time. Alternatively, assign one listener to illustrate each scene, then view all the scene illustrations in order together. Ask for volunteers to retell the story, referring to storyboards only as needed.
•COMPOSITION: Where time allows, individuals or teams may create and perform an oral art form of the story using repetition, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, couplet, song, chant, call-and-response, or other poetic form familiar to the group, while keeping it simple, memorable, reproducible, and appropriate.
LIVE THE STORY
•REENACTMENT: The leader assigns volunteers to portray the characters in the story, divides the available space into scene locations, and provides props as needed. When actors are in their places, the narrator begins to retell the story, and actors act it out. When there is dialog, the narrator may say a character’s spoken lines and prompt the actor to repeat them. Some may remember their lines without prompting.
DEBRIEF THE STORY
• 5 QUESTIONS help to reflect/unpack the significance of the story and move it from the head to the heart:
1) What was the best or favorite part of the story? (initial reactions)
2) What surprised or disturbed you in the story? (challenged thinking)
3) What did you learn from this story about what people are like? (human condition)
4) What did you learn from this story about what God is like? (character of God)
5) What changes in your life now that you have heard this story? (personal takeaway)
PRACTICE THE STORY (choose one or two)
•TURNS: All sit in a circle. The narrator tells the beginning of the story and then asks the next person to tell what comes next. When that person gets stuck, he or she passes the telling to the next person. The leader may intervene to allow everyone a chance to tell a portion of the story.
•PAIRS: Divide the group in pairs and have each one retell the story to the other.
•VOLUNTEER: The leader asks a volunteer to tell the whole story; others may help if the volunteer gets stuck.
USE THE STORY
•MULTIPLY: Remind everyone to retell the story to family, friends, or even strangers.
•PRAY: Ask God: 1) to speak to you through His story and 2) for opportunities to share it with others.
