FESTIVAL GATHERING FAQs
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What is a Festival Gathering? (FG)
• Mark 6:30-44 -- Feeding of the 5000The daily stories are first told in worship, and are then referred to during the keynote address. Each day, a workshop based on the story of the day. What is the Epic Telling? 
One of the most popular FG features is our Epic Telling, a kind of tag-team performance of a whole book or major portion of Scripture for which participants have each prepared a piece in advance. At the 2007 FG the Epic Telling was from Joshua and from Luke.
This is an incredible experience on many levels, as you hear many different styles, voices, and techniques in the tellers. You hear an entire section of the Bible told uninterrupted, which is a very rare and unique experience! Through this you may get a sense of what it might have been like for early believers as they listened and told the stories of the Bible. It's an eye-opening experience of the power of a well-told story. What About Worship Services? The worship services are the highlight of the conference for many participants. We plan creative services that are faithful to spiritual truths. There are four services in all, with the first three focusing on the story of that day. The FG concludes with a communion celebration worship. 
Since we represent a wide range of traditions, we strive to honor everyone and seek to make our services inclusive and ecumenical. We depend on volunteers for their gifts of leading prayers and songs and telling stories; so if you have a special talent or can help out with worship, please don't be shy! What is Lighting the Fire? Lighting the Fire is an old NOBS tradition. It takes place after hours, when people get together informally and tell whatever kind of stories they want. Anyone is invited to tell a story. It's a great way to get to know all kinds of people and hear some really wonderful stories. We usually have a convener for Lighting the Fire who keeps things moving and also decides when it's bedtime. But be forewarned, our folks can really get going into the wee small hours! It's casual, so you can drop in or out as you see fit. It's a great arena for less experienced tellers, because of the warm, accepting environment with lots of willing listeners. What are Story Swap and Favorite Bible Stories? We have a lot of really great storytellers in our midst, so these two events provide more time to share all kinds of stories. Story Swap is a time when anyone can sign up to tell any kind of a story, not just a biblical one. This is a time to tell humorous stories, folk tales, or any of your stories that have become important to you and heed to be heard. Because so many people like to tell, there is a limit of 10 minutes per story. Favorite Bible Stories is another popular storytelling time. You can tell any kind of Bible story (just text telling) but it can be no longer than 10 minutes. What are the NOBS Olympic Games?  On Friday night we celebrate our three theme stories and our Epic Telling by competing in games designed around those stories. You can even win a gold medal! These games are usually quite hilarious and can be done by all ages and abilities. Game details are top secret and you won't know anything about the game when you sign up expect the title.
What is the NOBS Seminar (Scholar's) Lunch?
This is an opportunity to eat lunch and ask questions of one of the scholars who are attending the NOBS Seminar (Scholar's Conference) which takes place just before our FG. You may also choose to dine with the keynote speaker and ask those questions that you didn't get answered during the keynote sessions. There is a limit of seven people to a table and there are about 15 tables.
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The Network of Biblical Storytellers' annual Festival Gathering is both a festival (open to the public, inviting all who are interested) and a gathering (a "family reunion" of the geographically dispersed members of NOBS.) It is a get-together characterized by a lot of storytelling, humor, and deepening spirituality. Once every year for the past 19 years NOBS has hosted such an event.
