Orienting With the Word Storyteller - Joyce Peachey Lind | Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Duration: 7:36 1256 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Joyce Peachey Lind shares her experience of adapting the "Orienting with the Word" method for elementary school children at Eastern Mennonite Elementary School. Instead of leading Bible studies within a congregation, she worked directly with groups of fifteen to twenty students seated in circles, creating an inclusive environment where every voice was welcomed and acknowledged. The process began with low-bar questions that allowed participants to share simple thoughts or pass if they wished, ensuring no one felt pressured while fostering a sense of safety. To further engage the children, Lind assigned rotating roles such as ringing a singing bowl, which gave students ownership over the circle's rhythm and made them feel like active partners in the learning process rather than passive listeners. The core impact of this approach was observed through how deeply the children connected with biblical narratives and their own lives. Students began to identify personally with stories they had read or acted out, such as a third-grade boy recognizing his father as an example of welcoming foreigners from Psalm 104, or a classmate named Samuel eagerly taking on that specific role during a reenactment of the story of Saul and David. These moments of identification demonstrated that the texts were not distant historical accounts but living stories relevant to their experiences. Furthermore, this method provided a secure space for children to explore complex theological concepts about God's nature by imagining what might grow within His kingdom, moving from concrete answers like vegetables or even poison ivy to deeper spiritual virtues such as love, joy, and peace. Lind also highlights the value of allowing children to ask honest questions without fear of judgment, noting that some students did not attend church regularly yet still engaged deeply with biblical themes. One notable example involved a serious inquiry from a third grader about whether Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny appear in the Bible, which Lind treated as a valid opportunity for discussion rather than dismissing it. This openness extended to kindergarten classes where children initially offered literal or even negative answers regarding what grows in God's kingdom before being guided toward more abstract spiritual concepts. Through these interactions, Lind realized that seemingly unconventional responses, like poison ivy growing in the garden of God, were not foolish but worthy topics for contemplation about how difficult realities might coexist with divine presence. Ultimately, Joyce Peachey Lind concludes that orienting children with the word offers a unique framework where every student feels heard and valued regardless of their background or initial willingness to speak. The practice transformed Bible study from a rigid instruction into a dynamic exploration where students could find themselves in ancient texts and articulate their understanding of God's character through safe, guided inquiry. By validating both simple questions and imaginative answers, the method helped children develop a nuanced view of faith that accommodates doubt, curiosity, and personal experience without compromising spiritual depth. This approach not only encouraged participation but also modeled how to handle difficult topics with grace, leaving educators like Lind reflecting on their own understanding of God's kingdom in light of these honest conversations.

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My name is Joyce Peachy Lind and I live in Harrisonenburg, Virginia. And instead of uh doing orienting with the word in congregations in a congregation, I worked with children at an elementary school. Um I'm used to be a teacher at Eastern Menanite Elementary School and some of my um former colleagues are still there. And so I presented this idea. Um I had heard about orienting with the word and I said, "Melinda, hey, could I do this with children?" and she said sure cuz it's Melinda right um and so I am just going to tell you a little bit about my experience um and three things that um that I learned um we would begin each time um it was groups of 15 children 15 to 20 children in a circle and I would start out with a low bar question like tell me something you had for breakfast or what is what is something that you hope for and we would go around the circle. Um people could pass if they wanted often this got old but they wanted to pass so that we would come back around again and you know then they could then then they could talk. But um which took a long time with 15 children. But um beforehand I had always chosen a different child to be the person who would ring the singing bowl and I would sort of say now I'll tell you when you need to ring that and that was of course the coveted position to do and they would always ask me when I came in can I ring the singing bowl and um so they were a part of the circle and and different children would take turns doing that and what I loved about circle process which they were used to and they know about it um they had experienced it before. But in what I felt um it was kind of new for me is that it gave every voice every voice was welcomed and it gave a chance for everyone to be heard and noticed even if they passed we stopped and acknowledged them. And I I saw as we went on how important that was because children who didn't speak at first by the fifth or sixth time were starting to share even just a couple words. Um, so that was the first thing I um experienced and appreciated about doing orienting with with the word. I also heard children identifying with the stories. And here's two examples. I don't remember which psalm I want to say 104, but that could be wrong. Um, I was reading something about uh welcoming welcoming the stranger or welcoming a foreigner and then I sort of stopped. This was third grade. And I said, "Do you know what that word means?" And a couple of them said no. And so then I described what a foreigner is. Someone who has lived somewhere else and is now living in the country and in our country or a different place. U so they've come from another country. And um this third grade boy said, "Oh, like my dad." And I went, "Yes." Because yeah, he found himself in the story. um or his family in the story. And then the other thing we did was in second grade we um acted out the story of the anointing, not nearly with all the details. Um and Samuel, there was a Sam in our class and so Samuel wanted to be Samuel. Oh my. And that was great fun. But when we went around three or four weeks later to you know what is something you remember about doing these Bible studies and everyone said when Samuel was Samuel. So that was very important. Um so in this process I heard children identify with the stories um that we read and I the third thing that I appreciated about it is that it helped children imagine and explore who God is in a safe environment. When we started the very first session, I let them ask questions. First, we went around and said, you know, just say what you know about the Bible or something you know about the Bible. Some children, it's a Menanite school, but there are many children who um do not attend church or maybe come from another faith. Um so there were variety of of of responses. Um, and then I said, "If you have a question about the Bible," and so third grade had a had a wonderful array of questions, including um, "Are Santa and the Easter Bunny in the Bible?" So, I said, "Hm, let me get back with you on that." And I don't recall exactly how I answered that question, but I I mean, the the child was dead serious and I thought, "Well, what a great question. we talk about >> those things at those times of year and they're all kind of mixed together, especially if you don't go to church. So, um I thought it was great that he could ask that question in that setting. Um and my favorite story, and I've said it, sorry if you've heard this before, but in kindergarten, I mean, as you can imagine, kindergarten, um I wasn't sure if this was going to be appropriate for their level. Um, and we had talked about the kings and sort of went on the I I did my own variation of the theme that everyone else did. So, I started in the Old Testament and stayed there and then talked about earthly kings and then got to the New Testament. We started talking about Jesus and parables and what is God's kingdom like. And in kindergarten, um I think I phrased the question and I sort of was doing a teacher thing which was trying to get them to say, you know, a particular answer. Um sort of not on purpose, but I found myself reflecting on that later. Um but what I think we read the parable of the mustard seed perhaps and what do you think might be growing in God's kingdom? So child one maybe vegetables maybe. So we were getting concrete things and then dear John Luca said poison ivy. I think poison ivy might grow. And then of course going around the circle everyone else wanted to do poison ivy. Um so then I rephrased the question and said well what might God besides re I don't remember what I said something about what might be growing inside of you. what might God want to grow inside of you? And you know, then they gave the right answers. Love and joy and hope and peace. So I was processing this with Naomi afterwards. Um where is she? I don't know where she is. There she is. And she asked me this wonderful question. She we have we had someone who who talked with us and Naomi was the person who talked with us per talked with me periodically um like well you know what maybe there is poison ivy in God's garden. And so I started thinking about, okay, in God's kingdom, what might poison ivy be? And what maybe that wasn't a dumb answer. Maybe that really is something to ponder and think about. And so there are days when I ponder, is there poison ivy growing in God's kingdom? And what am I going to do about it?