Programs for Churches
Why tell Bible stories?
Bible stories, amplified through creative imagination, provide an experience that enlists the mind, the body, and all the senses. The event becomes “real.” Listeners hear the story in a new way, receiving not just thoughts but deep emotions. The inner spirit of the story becomes alive and activates the listeners’ commitment. Following the performance listeners personalize the story through dramatic play. |
Extending the Story
For Children
In addition to telling the story, Ms. Davin encourages active participation in the story’s message through mime, improvisation, dialog, and dramatization. Cooperative murals, storyboards, and puppets also provide ways for children to personalize and interpret the story.
For Adults
Both the Old and New Testaments began as orally told stories. Ms. Davin leads adults through a fascinating exploration of the history of this transition from the spoken to the written word. Adults uncover characteristics of orality that remain embedded in the written text. Participants learn to read the Bible as a “listener” who “hears the Word of God and keeps it.”
For Teachers
Ms. Davin shows teachers how to research, prepare, and tell Bible stories that are faithful to the text, historically sound, and theologically accurate. Teachers learn how to involve students in active retelling of the story. They learn strategies for managing student behavior in order to maintain respectful cooperation and a safe environment.
JANICE DAVIN has more than 40 years of experience as an educator and 10 years of experience as a Director of Christian Education. In her work with children and adults, she discovered the power of telling Bible stories from the point of view of a fictional eyewitness. Drawing from her extensive background in scripture, theology, and oral traditions, she presents a picture of Bible times that is Biblically sound and historically accurate.
MAGICwords