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Saints Alive; Stories from St. Margaret's 1995 told by Ron Baker. Two audio cassettes, ninety mms. each, $12 + $2 shipping.

Of Water; Stories from St. Margaret's 1994 told by Ron Baker. Two audio cassettes, 60 mins. and 70 mins, $12 + $2 shipping.

In the wilderness chapel of St Margaret's at Cape Chin on the Bruce Peninsula, cottagers and locals gather on summer evenings. In this place, prayer, praise and story link God's people, past and present Here, storyteller Ron Baker recounts stories of Biblical characters and saints to bring messages of faith to his listeners. Each summer the stories share a theme: Acts of the Apostles (1.992), Of Bread and Wine (1.993), Of Water (1994), and Saints Alive (1995). These have been recorded and are available on cassette tape. Woven of historical account, legend, biblical tex:! and creative imagination, Baker's original, first person stories take us into the lives of those who have lived, loved, and suffered many years ago. We meet Rhoda, the matchmaker of the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine, Margaret of Antioch, a young Christian martyr whose humourous escape still led to tragic death, Hannah, the mother of a blind man healed by Jesus, and Bilhah, Noah's aging daughter-in-law. Each of the characters asks the kinds of questions contemporary people of faith will ask, and their statements of wisdom and steadfastness serve to encourage us. Baker is warm, gentle, and humble in his tellings, often ending his tales with a twist of humour or a sharp shock.

I had the opportunity to listen to Of Water and Saints Alive, both double cassettes, and found myself particularly caught up in the story of Columcille, a Celtic Christian, excommunicated and banished from Ireland for his convictions. In this story Baker is at his best, poetic and passionate, as he delivers this heartrending yet triumphant tale. One difficulty the listener will need to deal with is a buzz and echo on the Water tape. I found I could not hear the tape outside, or in my car, and needed to turn the volume high even indoors. These recordings will be of interest to teen and adult storytellers and listeners, both to nurture faith, and to inspire them to keep the Bible and saints alive through storytelling.

I must confess that even before I listened to the stories, I was enticed by the attractive packaging to visit St Margaret's the next summer Sunday I am able, to experience the quaint setting and join in the sacred transcendence of time and space. But until that happens, I know I can order these tapes, and more, from Ron Baker, RR#l, Miller Lake, Ontario Canada. NOH 1Z0. Phone 519 795 7652.

This review was written by Dorothy Bowman, a storyteller and leader of workshops on Biblical storytelling. She is the founder of the first Canadian chapter of the Network of Biblical Storytellers.

The Second Story Review, Vol 1, No. 3, September 1996