Flannelgraph: a “Low-Tech” Tool With High Impact
“You are welcome, Daddy Paul and Mommy Grace!”
We had barely unpacked our suitcases from our trip to Tamale in northern Ghana, when Daniel, the GILLBT* security guard, came to our apartment to welcome us back. The warmth of his voice was matched by a broad smile and hearty handshake.
“Oh, the people in the village will be so glad to hear you are back. They have been asking about your return for over a year. So when will you be able to come and share a flannelgraph story again? The people still remember the stories of Zacchaeus, and the creation, that you told two years ago. I am going to the village on Monday and they will expect me to tell them exactly which Sunday you can come.”
Paul and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.
“I’m sorry; we can’t give you an exact date because we don’t have our own means of transportation," I answered sympathetically. "We’ll have to see when we can borrow a truck, Daniel. We don’t want to make a promise that we might not be able to keep.”
“But you must give me a date, because the people will not give me any peace until you do,” Daniel persisted. “You and Daddy Paul introduced us to this wonderful visual aid, so the people want you to visit again and share more Bible stories. You see, the adults tell me that when they see the ‘photographs,’ they understand the stories so much better and quicker than when they are told the stories or try to read them for themselves.
“Remember the elderly lady’s response when you shared the creation story? She said, ‘So that is how the world was created!’ She never understood until she saw the figures of the sun, moon and stars go up on the board.”
Daniel continued, “For this reason, the elder in our church sometimes uses the flannelgraph, too, when he preaches. It is the same in the three other more remote villages where the Sunday school teacher has visited to share the gospel using our flannelgraph set. Now they, too, have experienced how much the 'photographs' help them to understand the Bible stories. Those villagers are also waiting for you to visit their churches and are planning on attending the next flannelgraph workshop you hold so they can purchase their own sets.”
With that, Daniel rested his case. We agreed to visit his church the third Sunday in August, when a friend’s truck would be available.
God is using this simple, inexpensive visual medium to help people from oral societies understand His priceless message. With so many churches and groups eager to learn how to use flannelgraph, it looks like we’ll be packing and unpacking our suitcases often in the months to come.
* GILLBT: Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation
—Grace Closius has served with Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1969. During her missionary career she has served in the United States, Colombia and Ghana, and has filled many roles: school teacher, nursery supervisor and English as a Second Language tutor. While in Ghana, Grace also volunteered with Source of Light, using flannelgraphs to share Bible stories.
