3rd Sunday: Storytelling Night 

We are people of story. Our traditions, religions, histories, and biographies are compilations of stories told and received, handed down, edited, redacted, metaphorized, dreamed up. It's how ancestors passon knowledge, how teachers inspire, and how we make narrative sense of the world. In pairs, in families, even in virtual communities, we use stories to learn about our world, our neighbors, and even ourselves. Our stories - happy, frightening, tragic, inspiring, comedic, ironic, explanatory, moral, etiological, entertaining, poetic, personal, universal - are integral to who we are, individually and together.

At University Lutheran, we believe in the power of stories, and in the importance of telling them. We gather weekly around the stories of God and God's people. And, we believe that each story - of our fears, of our hopes, of our lives, of our families, of our undoing, of our renaissance, of our redemption - can be inspiring to us and to others . . . but only if that story is shared. The practice of storytelling (and of story-hearing) is an essential part of being human, and we want to encourage, uplift, facilitate, and gather around the telling and hearing of stories.

So, Storytelling Night - monthly evenings of food, fellowship, and storytelling - resumes this spring. Each month, we'll meet for dinner and casual conversation before settling in to hear stories from each other (original or borrowed) on a particular topic, to be announced on this page ahead of time. Join us for Storytelling Nights on the Third Sunday of every month. We will gather at 6:00 PM, unless otherwise mentioned. You can bring a story, improvise a story, or just come to listen to others' stories. All are welcome.

​Note: We meet in person on odd months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov) and even months online via Zoom (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec).

For Zoom details, please contact UniLu Palo Alto for the link at office@universitylutheran.church.

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We will gather for dinner, conversation, and storytelling at 6:00 PM on the 3rd Sundays of the month. Tell us a story about...​

• ​June 2023:  a time you were proud of a family member or friend ~ (online)
• July 2023: the story of your name ~ (in person)
• August 2023: a story about a physical scar on your body (not emotional scar) ~ (online)
• September 2023: a striking experience with water ~ (in person)
• October 2023: the first time you won a prize/trophy/contest ~ (online)
• November 2023: a favorite song or album ~ (in person)
• December 2023: a favorite poem ~ (online)

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Previous Storytelling Night themes include:

​​2023

• ​May 2023: a favorite tv show
• April 2023 - a person who inspired you
• March 2023 - a time you made a mistake
• February 2023 - a time you saw the face of God
• January 2023 - an unexpected friendship

​​2022

• December 2022 - a time/skill you learned​
• November 2022 - a time you laughed
• October 2022 - a time you were scared
• September 2022 - kid logic
• August 2022 - a new job
• July 2022 - a time you asked for help
• June 2022 - learning a new activity
• May 2022 - an animal encounter
• April 2022 - a new beginning
• March 2022 - a funny story about a pet
• February 2022 - a favorite book
• January 2022 - leaving home

​​2021

• December 2021 - a book or movie you would like to be a character in
• November 2021 - a time you got lost
• October 2021 - a favorite tradition
• September 2021 - a gift you received
• August 2021 - a favorite movie
• July 2021 - an amazing food experience
• June 20, 2021 - someone with whom you’ve lost touch
• May 2021 - a breakthrough
• April 2021 - a case of mistaken identity
• March 2021 - shoulders upon which you stand
• February 2021 - an act of sacrifice

​​2020

• Storytelling Night took a break while we regrouped during the Sequester.​
• January 2020 - a time you revised your beliefs

​​2019

• December 2019 - an experience of the sublime
• November 2019 - a family drama
• October 2019 - a mystery that has fascinated you
• September 2019 - a time you stepped out of your comfort zone
• August 2019 - a time you felt nourished
• July 2019 - a time you took things too far
• June 2019 - a sermon that influenced you
• May 2019 - music that is special to you
• April 2019 - an adventure in nature
• March 2019 - your experience of prayer
• February 2019 - a cherished friendship
• January 2019 - a time you got a fresh start

​​2018

• December 2018 - a Christmas Miracle
• November 2018 - a time someone's thankfulness surprised you
• October 2018 - ​a game from your childhood
• September 2018 - ​a food that's special to you
• August 2018 - ​a time when you healed
• July 2018 - ​a time someone showed you mercy
• June 2018 - a time you felt doubt 
• May 2018 - ​a time you celebrated
• April 2018 - a time you were afraid 
• March 2018 - a story that your family passed on to you
• February 2018 - a person you met in church (any church)
• January 2018 - a dream of yours

​​2017

• December 2017 - a place that's close to your heart
• November 2017 - a time you encountered a stranger
• September 2017 - a fictional character who has meant something to you
• August 2017 - an ancestor of yours
• July 2017 - a time when you faced a fork in the road of your life and the path you took
• June 2017 - change, transitions, and evolutions​​