Keynote Responders

Our Keynote Responders

Just what is a Keynote Responder?

This year we have invited three gifted biblical tellers to open each of Steve Bell and Rabbi Elyse Goldstein keynote sessions with a telling. At the close of each 45 minute keynote, they will share their own reflections on their ideas, based on their personal experiences, their place within their own culture, and their practice as a biblical teller. They'll have the opportunity to interact with our keynoters about their talks for the last 10 minutes of each theme hour.

Keynote Address Number 2 (Friday) will offer an opportunity for group Question and Answer period.

Jan Bihl

Jan Bihl is a teacher, leader, lover of spirituality, and one sustained and deeply enriched by the creative power of story and song. Jan's varied life and faith adventures have woven together into a love for people and for accompanying them on their spiritual journey. Her background as a farm girl with a deep connection with the earth, the seasons, and the Manitoba mud…and then with the majesty and vistas of the Rockies…and then with the west coast ocean waves (boogie boarding, anyone?), has grounded her appreciation for landscapes of the soul. With gratitude and delight, Jan has trained and worked as a dental assistant, office administrator, public school teacher and minister. In her active retirement, in British Columbia, she continues to have a zest for life, laughter, creativity, community… and great coffee… friendships, savouring sunrises, quality time with her loving spouse, Gerhard, and the motley crew, near and far, who they are blessed to call family.

Ken Quiring

Ken Quiring is a Winnipeg spiritual health practitioner in a personal care home for seniors. A pastor for over 30 years in the Mennonite tradition, he served largely in his home province of MB. Much of his focus, in his studies in theology and ethics, was on end-of-life issues. Now exploring the intersection of Christian and Indigenous ways of healing, he is also employing storytelling as a means of uncovering truth and connecting the community to its roots. He is a past member of the NBSC vision team - now wise consultant - and on the board of the NBS International.

Linnea Good

is a composer, performer, worship leader, accredited biblical storyteller and Christian educator. Well known in the Canadian church, she has written music for hymn resources around the globe. She and drummer-spouse David Jonsson live in Summerland BC, where they strike an un-balance between Linnea's local and online music teaching, and their work in concerts, conferences, missions and worship animating for the wider Church – such as "Ukulele Church". She and David have been blessed to travel regularly to India where they have shared in music ministry and biblical storytelling with Christian leaders. Co-lead of the Network of Biblical Storytellers Canada, she has recorded weekly videos of lectionary-based scripture for an online audience since the first day of lock-down.