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Wednesday 6 November 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm, Ruislip
Friday 15 November 2024, 10.00 am–2.00 pm, Penrith
Saturday 16 November 2024, 10.30 am–1.30 pm, Worthing
Monday 25 November 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm, York
Wednesday 4 December 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm, Byfleet
Wednesday 14 May 2025, 10.00 am–1.00 pm, Swindon (includes a drama workshop)
Monday 4 November 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm - [Fully booked]
Tuesday 5 November 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm - [Fully booked]
Tuesday 12 November 2024, 10 am–1.00 pm
Thursday 28 November 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm - [Fully booked]
Thursday 12 December 2024, 10.00 am–1.00 pm
Get started using Makaton in your assemblies and join Steff in one of our Makaton sessions. The November and December sessions will be Christmas themed (wear your Christmas jumper)! Learn how to sign ‘Happy Christmas’ as well as all the signs you’ll need to do a Nativity story assembly.
Wednesday 30 October 2024, 9.00–9.30 am
Thursday 21 November 2024, 1.00–1.30 pm
Wednesday 4 December 2024, 2.00–2.30 pm
With every blessing
Meet Martha
We’re excited to announce that Martha Flavell is back! Previously, she spent five years working as the Open the Book Training and Development Officer for the North East, but more recently she’s been working as Bible Society’s Children and Family Lead. Martha now has a new role with Open the Book as our Storyteller Support Lead.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am American, but 27 years ago I married my Yorkshire husband and moved to the UK. We’ve lived in Hexham for the last 20 years. We have two daughters and a black Labrador.
Who first told you Bible stories?
My parents. They bought me an LP of Bible stories. I can still see the cover in my mind. I listened to it over and over. ‘Daniel and the Lions’ was my favourite story.
What advice would you give your ten-year-old self?
I would say, ‘God will be faithful through it all.’
Who is your favourite Biblical character and why?
Peter, because he is flawed and makes mistakes, but he never gives up. His story comforts me and empowers me when I don’t get things right.
Why do you love Open the Book?
I love OtB because it offers everything I need to live out Matthew 28.19 which says, ‘Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.’
What is your vision for your new role?
I want every Storyteller in England and Wales to feel valued, supported and equipped to deliver OtB stories in their setting.
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’ Matthew 13.34–35 (GNB)
Jesus was a storyteller and Jesus’ life was a living story of who God is. We are storytellers too. How do we live out God’s story in our lives?
Do check out the 90 Bible studies in the membership area of our website. You can use them as a team or as an individual. There’s one for each of the OtB stories.
This prop idea comes from an OtB team in Newcastle. They’ve made a wooden frame that can be used in a variety of ways, e.g. as an archway in the temple or to attach ribbon prison bars to.
‘The wood for the frame was standard stuff bought from B&Q (other DIY shops are available) and is about 4 cm wide. The height of the frame is about 2 metres. We made two cross bars: one of about 1.8 metres and one of 90 cm so we can have two frames of different sizes.
‘We used bolts long enough to go through two pieces of wood, with wing nuts that were also bought at B&Q.
‘The cross bar at the top is easily removable, so that the whole frame can be put into a car. The stabilising bars at the bottom are designed to be taken off as well, but in practice we almost never take the bottom section apart since it fits into the car boot with the long poles poking between the two front seats!’
Please keep sending us your photos. We love seeing your creativity and sharing your ideas with other teams. If you have any ideas for other props to feature, then please send them to [email protected]
Annette asked the men of her congregation in Devon to donate a tie so that this wonderful coat for Joseph could be made from them. Isn’t it wonderful! It was shared on our Facebook page this month and received 102 likes!
OtB first came onto my radar more than ten years ago when my children started telling me about a team having visited their school and talking about the assemblies in detail. I was struck how interested they were and the effect it had had on them. They rarely talked about much after school, so this must have made an impression.
The enthusiasm my children showed led me to join an OtB team and become an OtB Storyteller, and I still volunteer doing this. My older children are now well past primary school age but we still talk about OtB regularly at home as they ask me what stories we’re doing that week in the primary school.
Rachel, OtB Storyteller, North Yorkshire.
Have you ever thought about using puppets in your OtB team and want to explore how to go about it? The Equip Festival may be of interest to you if you are nearby. Be sure to add that you are part of Open the Book when you register.
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