Voice of the Bible ‘powerfully heard’ at storytelling events

SWINDON, England — About 1,000 people experienced the Gospel of Mark in a new and vivid way during storytelling events organised in January through The Telling Place – a joint initiative by the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) and the Northumbria Community.

The two organisations have been working together since 1998 to use the art of storytelling, which is experiencing a revival, to captivate audiences with the stories found in the Bible. The partnership forms part of the Bible Society’s wider goal to put the Bible at the heart of British culture and make its message heard in a society that is increasingly secular.

The Gospel of Mark, performed by six storytellers and two musicians, was a great success, filling theatres in Swindon, Barnet and Manchester and drawing positive feedback from the audiences.

Escape church walls

“The Bible needs to escape the confines of church walls,” commented Derek Tidball, Principal of the London Bible College, who attended a performance. “Hearing Mark’s Gospel told dramatically from beginning to end gave it an impact that is all too easy to miss when we read just a paragraph or two. The figure of Jesus, the radical nature of his teaching and the significance of his death came over in stark and refreshing ways.”

Modern day

Commenting on the blues guitar and percussion that accompanied the narration, another member of the audience said that “the fusion between music and storytelling…somehow brought it into the modern day, making it more personal.”

Others felt moved by the rapid movement of the story from humour to moments of intense seriousness. One man commented: “It was powerful, impressive, moving, dramatic, funny, homely, friendly, great fun: all of life was there.”