Story Sharing Circle

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.

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