The big story - Martyn Payne

The Big Story contains a treasure bank of creative, visual storytelling sessions designed to unpack six big Bible themes. The approach connects up the whole story of the Bible and attempts to give an overview of God's purposes by seeing the Bible not as a collection of unrelated events but as an amazing and ordered revelation of God's love. Each of the 36 sessions contains a wealth of thought-provoking activities and reflective ideas to accompany the storytelling. The material includes an initial overview in the form of a visual timeline of Bible history, designed to help children and their leaders gain the bigger perspective. The six themes are then each introduced by a reflective story that acts as an anchor for a further six individual stories. The material in The Big Story is ideal for 6 - 10 year olds. The big themes explore: Enemies and friends: God's longing for friendship with and between all people Dark and light: the first gift of creation and abiding reality of re-creation Famine and feast: the rhythm of abundance and shortage Death and life: God's heart for bringing life out of places of destruction Depths and heights: journeying with God from despair to joy Hide and seek: experiencing the immediate presence and apparent absence of God The material can be used in a variety of ways: As a stand-alone resource to begin thinking about special times of year To give an overview before picking out two or three of the individual stories As the basis for a children's activity day or holiday club As a three-term programme with one big theme being explored in each half-term period The Barnabas Children's Bible, with its unique reordering of the stories into their chronological order, has inspired the development of The Big Story materials.