Grace by Heart - Biblical Storytellers
Telling the Scriptures by heart for worship at Grace United Methodist Church, Dayton has had a transforming impact on the Church’s worship life and on the lives of the tellers. The reading of the Scriptures was always meaningful but had become somewhat formal and flat, and was often only two or three verses. Telling the Scriptures by heart has made the weekly lesson a lively experience that makes the Word present with vitality, energy, and power.
The members of Grace by Heart have found that internalizing the Scriptures for telling has deepened their relationship with God and their understanding of God’s Word. In the words of Jim Vance, a math professor at Wright State University: Telling a Bible story by heart puts me inside the story, almost as if I were living in the story's setting. This experience is a bit difficult to convey clearly, but it is deep and meaningful and real. By-heart telling provides another way to witness and is a great blessing to one's listeners as well.
Grace by Heart was formed in the fall of 2007 under the leadership of Dr. Tom Boomershine, New Testament scholar, president of GoTell Communications, and founder of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, International. Tom led a six-session course at Grace on biblical storytelling for spiritual growth with the goal of forming a Scripture by Heart group. The practice of telling the Scriptures by heart every week began with six people who took turns with the upcoming "readings" of the common lectionary starting with Advent that year. The group has steadily grown and there are now more than twenty people who are part of the Grace by Heart community. The members of the group range in age from 12 to 70, are ethnically diverse, and include both laity and clergy.
At the time when telling the Scriptures by heart was introduced in worship, it was anticipated that there would be some resistance or critique of this new practice. However, there has been universal affirmation. In fact, there has been no expression of any lament about the change, only celebration and encouragement. The support of Rev. Marla Brown, senior pastor of Grace when the group was formed, was crucial to Grace by Heart's success.
Dr. Sherry Gale, Grace's current pastor, has continued such support and is an active member of the group. She is impressed with the impact of "Scripture by heart" on both the congregation experiencing it in worship and on those who do the telling: Grace members who have heard and read the Bible for decades express that hearing the scriptures told by heart has helped them to understand the messages like never before. And those who actually learn the scriptures by heart, who internalize these wonderful words and absorb these meaningful messages are most blessed. The words and messages that are in our heart are the ones we can lean on wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whatever is going on around us.
To visit the Network of Biblical Storytellers, click here.
