Marlene and I are planning to start a
Story Sharing Circle this Fall at Fellowship Church, Holland, MI. Friends in West
Michigan are invited to join this group that will meet to share life-related
stories. The stories are written and spoken for the purpose of learning from
each other’s journeys, experiencing community, and gaining spiritual insights
that are connected to the Biblical story.
The format for each meetings
includes the following components.
--Bible or inspirational
story by facilitator or group member (5-10 minutes)
--One-on-one story sharing in
answer to a question posed by the group facilitator (5-10 minutes)
--Reading or telling by one
or two individuals of their story(ies) to the group (10-20 minutes)
--Affirming, encouraging,
empathizing response by group members (5-10 minutes)
--Prayer by facilitator or
group member
Participants have freedom to
choose their own topics. Stories that are shared may cover any area of
life-experience that the narrator is willing to share, from describing single
events to reflecting on a life-journey to sharing spiritual convictions.
Examples of starter questions
include:
--Memories that you would
like to share about your family
--Work and education
experiences
--A time when you felt
especially powerful or powerless
--Innovations and inventions
that have made the biggest impact on your life
--Difficult experiences you
have had, and what you have learned from them
--Changes you have seen in
churches over the years
--A deeply moving spiritual
experience that you have had
--What you would like your
children, grandchildren, and future generations to remember about you
The group will function
according to these guidelines.
1. Everyone is asked to share
a story with up to two people sharing at a single meeting. Anyone may delay
sharing until they feel ready. Story content may range from lighthearted to
serious and sobering.
2. Participants listen to one
another’s stories deeply, empathetically, non-judgmentally, and respectfully. The
intent is to accept, understand, and encourage; not to advise, fix, solve or
direct.
3. What is said in the circle stays in the circle and will not be passed on to others without explicit permission.
4. Stories may be up to 20
minutes long. They are timed with a “one minute left” indication given to
presentations approaching the time limit.
5. Stories are scheduled in
advance, written for a specific meeting, and read aloud to the group.
6. After a story, one of the
facilitators will coordinate a brief time of group affirmation, connectivity,
and blessing.
Marlene
and I have recently published our own stories. Burt’s are in a book entitled My
Stories of a Road Less Traveled and Marlene’s book is Joy in the Journey.
These were done through StoryWorth (storyworth.com), a web-based, life-story
sharing site. Writing our stories has helped us realize afresh the many ways
that our lives have been blessed and the unique ways that God’s grace has been
experienced, often through the most unlikely events and individuals. We look
forward to sharing some of our stories and enjoying the stories of others.
If you
are in the West Michigan area and interested in participating in the upcoming
meetings of the Story Sharing Circle, please contact me for specific
information about meeting times and dates. I wonder if there may be interest by
friends who are in locations outside of our area to participate in a Story
Sharing Circle remotely through video conferencing by means of Zoom or Skype.
Blog: https://bloggerburt.blogspot.com/
