SIU Training Opportunity

A year ago, I highlighted our partnership with TRAIN International and their TELL division in my January 2021 blog. I am pleased to announce the upcoming open enrollment training, TELL: Bridges to Oral Cultures, to be held in Joplin, MO March 22-26.

Daniel’s story conveys the value of this training. After attending a training Daniel wrote an article on Renew.org about what happened when he put what he learned into practice. Here’s an excerpt of his experience:

A few weeks ago, I participated in a “storying” training. Led by a friend who works with Muslim refugees, the training centered on how to tell gospel stories for a small group setting. His method was surprisingly simple: You memorize a story from the Bible. You recite the story word-for-word. You recite it again. You ask questions taken directly from the story. You recite the story again. You ask the group what they learned.

I have always enjoyed creative communication. Part of what’s energizing about writing sermons and lessons is the creativity that goes into crafting them. But after the storying training, I decided for my next sermon to put creativity on hold and give this simple storying method a try. It was a chapel service at a local Christian school.

From the Gospels, I picked a Bible story I had never taught from: the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50). I memorized it ahead of time from the NIV. Then, when it came time to preach for the chapel service, I recited the story for the kids. Then I recited it again. Then I asked twenty or so questions, straight out of the text. I made a couple points of application from the story, prayed to wrap up, and I was done.

It was the best chapel sermon I’d ever preached.

The kids were engaged in the story, and when it came time to answer questions from the story, it became immediately clear that they had listened incredibly well, for they were nailing the answers. As she stood behind him at his feet doing what? Weeping. Then she wet his feet with what? Her tears. Then she wiped them with what? Her hair. Then she did what? Kissed them. And then what? Poured perfume on them. Afterward, I kept hearing from students and staff how helpful it was. Jesus’ compassion toward the excluded woman had really moved them.

And you know what’s funny? I had nothing to do with it. I was honestly just the messenger relating a story word-for-word from the Gospels. I didn’t even feel like I was the teacher that morning. I was simply relating a story in which Jesus was the point and the Holy Spirit was the teacher. The experience chastised my self-reliance and elevated my faith.”

Click HERE For Daniel’s entire article:
“The Secret to Telling the World a Better Story.”

Not Just “Storytelling”

In partnership with TRAIN International we are making our Bridges to Oral Cultures training we use with partners around the world available to you here in the United States. It’s not just “Storytelling.” We train how to engage people with God’s whole story along every step of the journey:

• Finding Good Soil (New relationships)
• Sowing Kingdom Seeds (Evangelism)
• Watering the Seeds (Moving people closer to the Kingdom)
• Harvesting (Repentance & baptism)
• Storing/protecting the Harvest (Deeper discipleship & Church Planting)
• Selecting Seeds for the Next Harvest (Training leaders)

Who is this Training for?

As we follow Jesus, we journey with other people who can be at any point in the process. How can you meet them where they are? This training helps bring clarity, depth & joy to the process. We believe the training benefits everyone, however this training will be particularly helpful for:

• Working with Internationals, Immigrants & Refugees
• Sending Organizations sending workers to unreached people groups
• Missionaries currently or planning to work among unreached people groups
• Urban Ministry
• Prison Ministry
• Family/Children/Cross-Generational Ministry
• Discipleship Ministry
• Church Planting Ministry

TELL: Bridges to Oral Cultures Event Details

Where: 2111 N. Main St. Joplin, MO
When: March 22 – 26, 2022 (Tues – Sat)
9:00am – 5:00pm (each day)
Cost: $250/person
Ages: Adults only (no childcare)
Trainers: TRAIN & SIU Staff
More Info: Check out the Video HERE
TELL Training Registration

Unique Opportunity

Every time we hold a Bridges training event, the Holy Spirit shows up in so many ways. We hope to have more of these Stateside trainings in the future, BUT ONLY IF we draw enough participants to engage, become excited and want to be equipped to truly make it worth the time, talent and energy. I will say it again: This is a truly unique opportunity that doesn’t come along often. Is the Lord directing you to go and participate? Spend time with the Lord praying about this and see if He is calling you to TELL: Bridges to Oral Cultures.