This Advent journey is for both liturgists who prefer to read the Scripture in worship, and biblical storytellers who tell by heart. In churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary, Advent 2026 begins the year of focus on the Gospel of Mark, who has no specific Christmas story. So this year we’ll explore the wonderful prophetic and incarnation texts in Mark, Isaiah, and John.
It’s a relaxed but in-depth journey, as we work not just to read, but to proclaim the Scripture texts “with a storytelling spirit”!
Six Blackboard discussion board assignments will be spread over the five weeks, as well as one-hour Zoom meetings Mondays at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central time; they will not be recorded. You may attend either one (or both) each week. Participation in at least one of the Zooms for four of the six weeks (as well as the Blackboard interactions) is required for a certificate. The last event of the course will be the Zoom sessions on Dec. 21.
This course has been approved by Discipleship Ministries as an advanced course in Lay Servant Ministries. It provides the required 10 contact hours.
This course is eligible for 1.0 CEU.
Quick Info:
Number of weeks: 6
Price: $110
CEUs: 1.0
Required books: No
Blackboard: Yes
Zoom: Yes, required
Certification or Series: Yes (Lay Servant Ministries)
Read course description for details.
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About the Instructor
Rev. Beth Galbreath is passionate about worship, helping folks grow deeper connections with God through bringing Scripture to life by Telling by heart or by reading it “with a storytelling spirit.”
Beth has Told Scripture by heart for over two decades. She is a former vice president of the Network of Biblical Storytellers International and a leader in her biblical storytelling guild, and has taught biblical storytelling in Cameroon, Bolivia, Haiti, the Philippines, and India as well as the U.S. Over the last decade, she assisted in planting a new congregation in the Chicago area, and there she trained many folks in proclaiming Scripture with a storytelling spirit!
Past Learners Comments…
“I liked the fellowship and support of my classmates. The course was set up so we were a team, not individual learners gathered together. Also, tied for what I like best were the commentaries. They helped to flesh out the people and events which helped the class to better prepare for telling the scriptures.”
“I learned to not feel awkward at putting expression into the Scripture readings.”
“My congregation commented with appreciation on how I tell scripture and how I read it. They didn’t know I was studying this. The skill carried over into my preaching where I might be telling a story (not memorized scripture) and people seem to really enjoy listening to my storytelling.”
“The ZOOM sessions have been very helpful as I learn better ways of telling Biblical stories for my congregation.”
“I was unfamiliar with this technique as a tool and really learned a lot. It was particularly meaningful as the story pertained to the season. Really appreciated the historical background and commentary offered each week.”
“This course is amazing as well as fun. We as a class learned from each other as well as our instructor Beth. As we read each story we learned so much more, the commentaries were great Just an amazing class.”
“As usual, Beth was a great teacher. I have taken a variety of different classes from her and have always found her to be on top of her subject. … I was grateful that the Lenten and Advent studies were spread out a bit more given all the other activities going on during the two seasons. It is a great idea to allow us to work on storytelling without getting overwhelmed.”
