What started as a thoughtful reflection from Lhanbryde Active Church,
‘We’re connecting with people who haven’t yet come to Sunday worship but enjoy Active Church. How can we introduce the Bible and have meaningful faith conversations without it feeling awkward or off-putting?’
grew into a region-wide gathering held at SALU on Saturday, April 5th to look at the issue and to learn from each other.
Hosted jointly by SALU and the Methodist Church, the ‘Telling the Stories’ conference invited over 50 people from Elgin, Aberdeen, Buckie, Inverness, Keith and Huntly to explore meaningful, accessible ways of sharing faith and scripture within community settings. With the creative leadership of Jo Love (Wild Goose Resource Group, Iona Community) and Reverend Trey Hall (Methodist Director of Evangelism and Growth) alongside the Methodist Learning Network, the day was rich with inspiration and challenge.
✨The Morning: Unlocking the Bible for All
Participants dipped into interactive ‘tapas-style’ workshops ranging from Havruta-style discussion, prayer stations, Godly Play, and character-based Bible readings to craft, games, and six-word life summaries. Through storytelling, creativity and reflective play, the sessions offered bite-sized experiences showing how scripture can come alive for all ages – even those who’ve never opened a Bible before.
🗣 The Afternoon: Conversations That Matter
Shifting gears, the afternoon invited attendees to think about how to foster kind, honest and aXirming conversations about life, belief, and curiosity – with no pressure or performance – just space to connect and wonder together.
💡Ideas That Will Keep Growing
Outcomes from the day didn’t stop at inspiration; they bloomed into an action plan to:
- Integrate various elements from the day into Connect and Explore Bible study groups
- Initiate craft groups, welcoming parents and preschoolers with co=ee and conversation
- Introduce playful activities into Active Church celebrations
- Include character-based Bible readings in worship
- Prayer stations for Holy Week 2026
- Partnerships with recovery services like CrossReach
- A vision for a café-style meeting space alongside the church thrift shop
- The Bibles for Bairns as a potential Guild project
At its heart, Telling the Stories reminded everyone that sharing faith begins with relationship – with the courage to laugh, listen and journey together. And it left participants eager to carry these stories into homes, halls and high streets, knowing that even the smallest acts of welcome can point toward a greater Love.
