Your member discount has been extended, plus volunteer opportunities and scholarship deadlines approaching

Members Only Early-Bird Discount Extended to May 15

Sometimes grace comes in the form of extra time, and we're delighted to extend that gift to our community. The early-bird window for our July conference has been expanded through May 15, giving you additional weeks to claim your $150 member savings.

This extension acknowledges the rhythm of discernment many of us know well — the way decisions about gathering, learning, and community often unfold in their own time. Whether you've been waiting for clarity about summer plans or simply need a few more weeks to arrange details, this extended window creates space for your participation.

For those considering membership, this season offers a particularly meaningful opportunity. Joining our community now not only connects you with storytellers worldwide but also opens access to this significant conference savings. The investment in membership pays for itself while drawing you into a network of practitioners who understand the sacred work of giving voice to ancient stories.

Call for Volunteers for the 2026 Annual Conference

Planning for our July Conference is well underway and now it is time for you to volunteer in any way you are able. We need –

Musicians – Bring your instrument and join the impromptu orchestra to playing during worship!

Storytellers – to learn and tell the themed Biblical texts for each of the 3 days of the Conference.

Storyteller to tell a non-biblical story – The Happy Prince

Pray-ers – to lead the assembly in prayer on each of the 3 days of the Conference.

Worship Leaders – to lead the assembly during Worship.

People to participate in various rituals during Worship

People to hand out items during Worship.

Presiders at Communion during Closing Worship on day 3 of the Conference – 2 people.

People to distribute Communion at Closing Worship – 6 people

Someone to provide cups/goblets and plates for Communion

Emcee's – 2 per day for each of the 3 days of the Conference.

Other Tasks

Registration Table

Setting up the Book Shop

Please email Program Chair, Carole Danby at caroledanby@gmail.com if any of these opportunities sound perfect for you.

April Online Learning

The visions of Ezekiel and Revelation — two texts that shimmer with imagery both fierce and tender, both warning and promise. This month's online learning invites us into the landscape of prophetic imagination, where exile becomes a teacher and endurance reveals itself as hope's quiet sister.

Scholars Cliff Barbarick and Marty Steussey will guide us through these visionary texts on April 26, creating space for both newcomers to biblical storytelling and those preparing for our summer conference. Their exploration promises to illuminate not just the texts themselves, but the prophetic imagination that breathes through them — that capacity to see beyond present circumstances toward God's persistent movement in the world.

Whether you're drawn by curiosity about these magnificent, sometimes bewildering texts, or you're intentionally preparing for conference participation, this evening of learning offers both scholarly insight and practical engagement. The conversation begins at 7 PM Eastern and continues through the gift of community questions and discoveries.

Conference Scholarships Available

Every year, scholarship applications remind us of the breadth and beauty of our storytelling community — first-time conference attendees preparing to step into this particular form of sacred gathering, young adults carrying ancient words into contemporary contexts, international members bridging continents through shared practice, and voices from communities too often marginalized in traditional academic spaces.

This year's scholarship opportunity continues NBSI's commitment to ensuring our annual conference reflects the full diversity of those called to biblical storytelling. Full conference registration scholarships are available for active members, with applications due April 17 and notification by May 1.

The scholarship committee, appointed by our Board President, will review applications with particular attention to those groups historically underrepresented in our gatherings. If financial constraints are the only barrier between you and conference participation, we encourage you to apply. Sometimes the stories that most need telling come through voices that most need supporting.

Hotel Accommodations for the Conference

If you're planning to stay on-site — and we'd love for you to — the Maritime Conference Center offers lodging at $175.00 per room, per night (single occupancy), plus 14% tax. The rate includes dinner and breakfast each day, complimentary parking, BWI Airport/Amtrak shuttle service, Wi-Fi, and access to the indoor pool, fitness center, and game room.

One important note: lodging must be reserved separately from your conference registration, and to get the group rate you'll need to use the booking link on our website rather than booking directly through MCC. You can also call their reservation line at (866) 798-9469.

If you'd prefer to stay nearby, the Holiday Inn Express BWI Airport North is just two blocks away at 1510 Aero Dr., Linthicum Heights (410-859-0003), and offers its own airport shuttle service — close enough to stay connected to everything happening at the conference.

From the Biblical Storytelling Library

▶ Click to watch

Check out this epic telling by the Metro/DC Guild, Voices of the Heart. Eleven tellers held a Zoom meeting on March 16, and invited family, friends, and neighbors to join the meeting to experience the Bible told by heart. They told the whole book of Esther, had a good sized group of attendees with an introduction and opening prayer and a talkback after the telling. In order to be able to put this telling on the NBSI Storytelling Library, they recorded the telling and then edited it by deleting the intro and opening prayer and deleting the talkback at the end.

Advancing the Mission Grant

Twice each year, the Advancing the Mission Fund creates space for member-led projects that extend biblical storytelling into new contexts and communities. With the May 1 deadline approaching, we're reminded of the creative ways our members have answered the call to "encourage everyone to learn and tell biblical stories."

From international workshops that cross cultural boundaries to conference scholarships that remove financial barriers, from intergenerational programs that bridge age gaps to innovative digital projects that reach virtual communities — these grants support the imagination and initiative of storytellers who see possibility where others might see obstacle.

The application process invites you to articulate not just what you'd like to do, but how your project aligns with NBSI's mission and serves communities that might otherwise lack access to biblical storytelling resources. Special consideration goes to international projects, initiatives serving young adults, and applications from members who haven't received recent funding. The online form guides you through project description, budget details, and impact expectations, with decisions announced by June 15.

May these spring days bring you both the stories that challenge and the stories that comfort, and may you find your voice among the chorus of tellers who keep ancient words alive in contemporary hearts.

In the fellowship of story,

The NBSI Community

Network of Biblical Storytellers International
1218 W Alder St | Shelton, WA 98584
Facebook  ·  nbsint.org