Open the Book was established in 1999 in Gloucestershire when a small group from various churches came together with a heart for reading Bible stories in their local schools. The scheme grew and grew until it was adopted by Bible Society in 2013.
Stories from Open the Book teams
The initial Welsh language resources were published by Cyhoeddiadau’r Gair in 2008, with Cynthia Davies translating the Storyteller Bible into Welsh. The resources were received with great enthusiasm and many new teams were established. With the work growing so rapidly in Wales, a need was seen for an officer to promote Open the Book and provide training through the medium of Welsh. Brand new resources were launched in 2023, and these have also been translated into Welsh.
There are currently over 6,000 volunteers acting as Storytellers across the UK, going into schools and building relationships with staff and pupils to bring the Bible to life in an exciting way for hundreds and thousands of children every year. In Wales there are around 300 Storytellers and 40 Welsh-speaking teams. There is great variety amongst our teams: some are in towns while others are in the countryside; there are interdenominational teams; teams that visit the school occasionally and teams that visit every week; teams made up of Welsh learners and teams under the Cytûn umbrella.
If you would like to know more about Open the Book please contact Sarah Morris, South Wales Development and Training Officer, at [email protected].
Carmarthenshire
Helen Gibbon is a team member in Carmarthenshire, and she describes visiting a local school as a ‘weekly highlight’. Their team began back in 2014. ‘We had to arrange who was acting which character, who was bringing the props, what costumes were needed and who was providing them, who was reading, who was presenting and guiding us into the story. It didn't take long for us to get used to the routine; and by now, we are able to hold a short rehearsal before the service begins. Everything works very smoothly.’
Helen also receives a very encouraging response to the Open Book presentations. ‘The pupils are eager to dress up and recite their few words. There is no doubt that bringing a story to life brings blessing to the team, the teachers and their pupils.’
Wrexham
Siwan Jones is an Open the Book storyteller in Wrexham. The first team started there in 2014 and went to three schools in the town centre. In 2019, two more groups started in the area, and by now, two further groups have been established. The team in Rhos visits six schools in total and the Llangollen team visits three. Another Welsh language school has opened in the town and the Wrexham team are in the process of engaging with them. Once that happens, all ten Welsh language schools in the county will have Open the Book provision.
Siwan notes that Welsh learners enjoy being part of Agor y Llyfr, as they have the opportunity to practise their Welsh. The schools are very happy to welcome the team and appreciate the help with services. Many of our teams are now local celebrities and are occasionally identified on the streets of Wrexham! The teams have a lot of fun rehearsing the stories and enjoy sharing the stories with the children as well. It's an excellent opportunity to share Bible stories with the children, perhaps for the first time.
Anglesey
Revd Alun Thomas is a member of an interdenominational team in Anglesey. He likes that ‘the kids get a chance to step in and be part of the story while playing a role and getting a chance to dress up as some of the characters! They obviously enjoy doing that because there's never a shortage of actors. It’s certainly a special way of building a relationship between the chapel and the local school. As a minister, Open the Book has been a blessing in sharing about the love of the Lord Jesus Christ with our local schools. It's great to see the positive response from both the children and teachers to what Open the Book provides.’
Pontarddulais
Samantha Jones leads the team in Pontarddulais, one of the most recent teams to be established. Samantha says, ‘We love that the material is being provided for us, and because we have to stick to the script, there is no pressure in terms of trying to think of what to say. We now run a monthly service at two local schools and the feedback we have received from staff and children has been fantastic. The children love the ways they can relate to the story – whether that's shouting words or sounds, moving around or coming out to the front to get involved.’
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