The Harbor district Lay Servant Ministries team presents Dancing with Words with Mel Pitts…

Note: This class has been rescheduled from the originally-advertised date of January 24, 2026.

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All participants are expected to read the participant book, Dancing with Words: Storytelling as Legacy, Culture, and Faith, by Ray Buckley, before taking this course.

For people of faith, storytelling has special meaning. We are people of the story, and we seek to identify and share our stories in nearly everything we do.

Participants in the course will:

• Learn what constitutes a good story;
• Discover storytelling styles;
• Learn the techniques of effective storytelling;
• Practice creating stories from their experiences.

For questions about the course, please contact Harbor Lay Servant Ministries district director Sandy Core (score@nccumc.org).

About the Facilitator:

Mel Pitts grew up in the Appalachia region of Southern Ohio. Her life was filled with blue grass music and folk stories. Learning and reading were prized in her family, so it is no surprise that she majored in English at Ohio University, Athens, where she graduated with honors. Shortly after graduating, Mel shared her love of learning, language, and literature as a high school teacher. Her teaching career spanned three decades. In 1979, she and her family moved to West Virginia. She relished the humor and story telling of the West Virginia people. Also, her lifelong quest for God led her to the United Methodist Church.

After Ms. Pitts moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 1990, she received her Master of Arts degree in English at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, as well as National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certification. Mel continued to grow spiritually through the United Methodist Church and became a UMC certified lay speaker.  Since retiring from teaching, she has more time for her creative writing. Her essays have been published in several periodicals, and Mel’s spiritual memoir, Stepping Stones to Me, was published. Mel continues to be active in her church and its outreaches.  She enjoys nature, animals, and, especially, her children and grandchildren.