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splash We are creatures of story, and for untold thousands of years people have shaped, remembered, and passed along human culture by telling stories. When a story is told – by heart – teller and listeners share a living experience of voice and place. I've told stories at open-mic night at a cafe - at the hospital bedside of a sick friend - at a statewide women's gathering - by candlelight, at the Great Vigil of Easter - at parties and wedding brunches - in living rooms and sanctuaries and Sunday school rooms and workshop sites - at a town gazebo on a lovely July day - at dinner with my grandchildren - and every telling is one-of-a-kind.

Storytelling Programs

These five- to fifteen-minute programs can be used to begin a meeting, as an after-dinner program, or anywhere you'd use a short meditation.

  • The Sower and the Seeds
  • The Wind of Freedom - Paul and Silas in Jail
  • Waiting for the Bridegroom
  • In the Beginning
  • ...and many more

These twenty- to forty-minute programs include storytelling, guided reflection and shared song. Journeying together, participants visit some familiar spots, see some new sights, and find some surprises.

In the Mud With God
Good dirt, abundant water - these are vital resources for growing food, starting a family, making a culture. Mud is holy! We'll get in the mud as God creates (Genesis) and renews (Psalms) and as Jesus brings healing (John). Pamela's approach to these stories has been shaped by the scholarship of Marti Steussy and Walter Brueggemann.

In the Vineyard With Jesus
The sun, the twining vines, the winey, tingling smell of the ripe grapes - to look on God's abundance and sense Jesus' intensity, we'll hear vineyard stories from Isaiah, Matthew, Mark and John. My approach to these stories has been shaped by the scholarship of William Herzog, Richard Swanson, Warren Carter and Ched Myers.

Beauty Past Change
Water, wind, light, birds, beasts, creeping things - we live and walk in a creation that constantly renews itself and transforms itself, the gift of a transforming and renewing God. Hear stories of God's creation and God's power to restore and renew. (Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah) My approach to these stories has been shaped by the scholarship of Ellen Davis and Walter Brueggemann and by the poetry of Wendell Berry and Gerard Manley Hopkins.

The Beautiful Peep-Toe Gray Suede Pumps
This original story is a reflection on our expectations of one another and on the Spirit's power to heal the church.

The Voyage of Saint Brendan
This original story wanders through Celtic Christianity, Irish folktales, and the nature of miracles.

These more substantive programs can be used whole for an evening event, study afternoon or quiet day, or broken up to be told and talked over for several sessions.

Ahab - The Worst King Israel Ever Had
Willfulness, greed, hypocrisy, the headlong rush into war - it's all there in the stories of Ahab told in the first book of Kings. - This program from 1 Kings was originally designed to fill in the story of Mendelssohn's Elijah oratorio, but it's also a fine exercise in examing the ethics of leadership. Pamela's approach to Ahab's stories is informed by scholarship by Walter Brueggemann, Jerome Walsh, and W. D. Berard.

When We Were First Called Christians 
Join Peter and Cornelius, Paul and Barnabas, James, Judas and Silas in the Book of Acts for the moving story of how the word about Jesus was opened to the world. Pamela's approach to these stories is informed by the scholarship of Horst Balz and Richard W. Swanson.

Comments From Listeners

I learned so much!

You did certain things that worked so well to help us really see what you were describing.

Pamela is a spellbinding storyteller.

. . . expressive and articulate . .

It's a profound thing the power of storytelling . . . the way it goes right to the heart.

What a journey you took us on!

The birds, the animals, and especially the stars in the firmament will be remembered for a very long time.

You have spurred my interest and I would like to read them again and think about them as you told them.

Powerful, yet personable . . .

Your combination of gesture and word and humor made those events come alive and created connections . . . and gave deeper meaning to things I . . . understood only intellectually.

Contact Information

The best way to reach me is via email: narthex @ baba-yaga.org