OutoftheBox in Church

“OutoftheBox is a flexible resource for all kinds of church settings. I have used it in healing services, in Saturday Gatherings and in more traditional Family Services on Sundays. It encourages interaction and touches members of the congregation at all levels.”
Rev Dr Louise Castle, Associate Vicar at Rotherham Minster and St Paul’s Masborough
and Healing Advisor for the Diocese of Sheffield 

Would you like to explore new ways of using stories from scripture to facilitate a search for wisdom and well-being for children, families or in inter-generational settings? Would you like to engage all ages in listening to the stories with their hearts, and help them explore through playful dialogue what they mean for them and the whole community? OutoftheBox will help you to rediscover how stories and play can open the imagination and awaken the soul.

A growing number of Christians from a range of traditions believe that the contemplative way of OutoftheBox is helping them tune in to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.  OutoftheBox encourages critical thinking skills and helps people explore ideas, see things afresh and imagine a better future.

“I have used OutoftheBox in numerous contexts, and I have especially been impressed with the potential to use simple but profound stories as a creative way into difficult but necessary conversations while holding a safe and respectful space for all in the circle”
Rev Brenton Prigge, Methodist Minister, Plymouth

“OutoftheBox gave them time to relax and think more openly and freely about the topic we were discussing later.
One person even said it was the best Church Trustees meeting he had ever been to!”
Rev Lorraine Shorten, Minister for Bath Weston and Bath Moravian Church 

“The OutoftheBox creation story used as a prayer station at a service for the healing of the world and ourselves as we grapple with climate anxiety at St Mark’s Broomhill last Sunday. We were all invited to place ourselves in the story where we felt the most connected in creation… perhaps where we felt closest to God or a sense of something greater than ourselves… The story seemed to work really well as a prayer station.”

Rev Louise Castle, Associate Vicar at Rotherham Minster and St Paul’s Masborough and Healing Advisor for the Diocese of Sheffield 

“Angie shared an OutoftheBox story with the lovely people at Exmouth Salvation Army Church in their gathering this morning. She told the Invitations story on a drum. We had a lovely, insightful conversation about generosity, welcome, hope, trust, inclusion, equality and neighbourliness. We looked at a 16th century painting of the last supper with Jesus seated around a circular table with his friends. We wondered, imagined, hoped and prayed for transformation in our own lives and in our communities.”

Exmouth Salvation Army Church

This is a recording of a church service in Florida, United States, where OutoftheBox was used as part of their morning worship. 

“In OutoftheBox story circles, participants listen deeply to themselves and to one another exploring deep truths through the lens of wisdom stories from various traditions, all in the spirit of playfulness and wonder.”  

Claire Helton, UUCP, Pensacola, Florida

“We use OutoftheBox in Steel City Choristers to tell the stories behind the music we sing. We have explored the stories behind pieces such as the Magnificat, the Nunc Dimittis and the Lamentations of Jeremiah, as well as stories of the church year such as Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas. 

The choir is open to children of all worldviews and the OutoftheBox approach suits this freedom and sense of mutual respect. The choristers get 20 minutes of youthwork a week, and the Juniors have 30 minutes.

We use the Wisdom stories to explore issues such as taking responsibility, being kind and building resilience. And we use Community Play on its own to talk about how the children feel about choir. For example in the photo here we are debriefing what it was like for them to sing at an Anglo Catholic church service.

We have also used OutoftheBox stories in our Trustees meetings, to help us talk about strategic issues.”

Kate Caroe, Chair of Trustees, Steel City Choristers

OutoftheBox is being used in a church in Russia:

“Last Sunday I had the privilege to share Psalm 23 with my class at church. It was my first OutoftheBox story to play with the kids. We all loved it and eagerly wait for the next Bible lesson with such simple yet speaking to the soul materials”

Anastasia Shishkina, Sunday School teacher in Russia

Sallie Butcher is a vicar of six small churches in rural Worcestershire and she uses OutoftheBox in two primary schools and with pre-school children.  She uses OutoftheBox as part of collective worship and finds that it is just what she needs to encourage children to be more reflective.

“Really thought-provoking reflections today at Bread Church around The Big Story… of course, it reminded us of Israel and Palestine. One of the adults wondered who built that bridge. Why did they do it? His daughter suggested it maybe was a coloniser. Another child thought perhaps it was the people who went outside to look at the stars at the end. Maybe they built it to bring people together but then they fought. Afterwards I shared some thoughts from Padraig O’Tuama about love being the human project and about prayer not needing faith, just an acknowledgement of our shared need. Someone suggested we sang One Fine Day – “I believe that one fine day, the power of love will rise above the love of power”. We left the story at our centre – it was part of our song and our prayer … and during the song the people came and stood on the bridge together. Thank you OutoftheBox developers. It’s a wonderful resource you’ve given us.”

Angie Carney,  Community Development Manager for The Salvation Army in Sidmouth, Devon

“We are a small mixed group aged 8-80, of those with faith and those who are questioning faith. We meet weekly over a shared meal. We started exploring faith with simple stories, adapted from the gospels and/or well known prayers. The experience has taught us how to allow all the voices in the group to be heard. We have built on this and are now able to have confident and playful conversations exploring big questions.”

Rev Lucy Bolster, Pioneer Minister, Poole Missional Communities

“Metaphor and imagery in OutoftheBox can help people articulate deep truths about what is happening in their communities”
Rev Lucy Bolster, Pioneer Minister for Poole Missional Communities