| Pastors at storytelling event say stories can help in crises 03/24/2001 By Marcus Stewart / The Dallas Morning News The Texas Storytelling Festival this week in Denton is delivering the usual tall tales, Texas legends, children's stories, ghost tales and outrageous lies.
But several participants in the 16th annual event, which continues Saturday and Sunday in Civic Center Park, use stories to help people through difficult times. At least four of the presenters are current or former ministers, said Karen Morgan, executive director of the Tejas Storytelling Association.
These storytellers "have worked with people who have suffered loss and hardships ... faced crises of illness and of hard times and they worked through stories with these people to help them arrive at a better place," she said.
"Stories resonate with human experience," said the Rev. Dale Schultz, pastor of Heritage Church – United Methodist in Grapevine. "We can use stories in a way that people can relate to out of their own pain and brokenness to move toward wholeness."
Dr. Schultz, a minister for almost 19 years and a storyteller for seven, sheds his robe, sits on a stool and often tells a story for his sermon during the contemporary worship service at Heritage Church. He has experience telling stories outside of church and led a festival workshop Friday on how a storyteller must be sensitive to the setting and to the audience.
In addition to workshops, the festival, "Myth, Music and Memories," will include a sacred stories concert at 10 a.m. Sunday. Call 940-387-8336 or visit www.tejas-storytelling.com.
Another presenter is Tom McDermott, a Methodist minister who left the pulpit 10 years ago to become a full-time storyteller. He says a key to effective storytelling is to "create a space where people can be in the story."
"If they get to the right place," he said, "they will never forget it, and the messages that it means to them will come later."
Mr. McDermott will lead a workshop at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on "The Slender Thread: Stories and the Healing Journey." Participants will explore "the whole issue of illness as journey, as heroic journey, and find ways of connecting story issues to physical and emotional issues."
Mr. McDermott uses musical instruments to create imagery for a story.
"I mess with a story in a way that connects to me," he said. "I craft it in a way to highlight issues that I think the story is addressing and I think the community needs to hear."
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