The Writer's Gathering: Writing Among 'The Living Stones'
What better place for a story teller to come than the scene of the Greatest Story Ever Told … Israel. That's why Gary and Cindy Bayer have been doing for years, bringing the best storytellers of our generation to the land of the Bible to see for themselves this land called "holy."
Writers come to experience for themselves not only the sights and sounds of the land but also to meet the people - "the living stones" - that make this land come alive. They call it the "Writer's Gathering."
Living in what the Bible views as the "center of the world," Gary and Cindy Bayer have a front row seat for events unfolding in this very strategic crossroads of the Middle East. Both were drawn to Israel for different reasons. But having met and married there, they now share a common purpose which has opened doors to relationships with local people and has given them the opportunity to share their journey of faith.
Here's our Gary and Cindy describe it on their website, The Place of Stories is Israel
After marrying in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday 2005, Gary and Cindy created The Writers' Gathering Jerusalem which sponsors established screenwriters, TV writers, playwrights, and novelists for a two-week experience in Israel. The news media often paints a negative portrait of life in this ancient contested crossroads, but Gary and Cindy believe that exposing writers to the history and the uniqueness of the various peoples that call this tiny land "home" could give the world a more positive view of this Land of the Bible.
They are also very involved in sharing their table with others at both their Sea of Galilee home (The Place of Stories) and their little rooftop apartment on the Via Dolorosa in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. In the States they enjoy speaking engagements, meeting writers, and seeing their five children and five grandchildren.
With the Sea of Galilee as a backdrop, we sat down with Gary and talked about his desire to share the joy of story in the land of the Bible.