Storyteller entertains Elk Grove congregation with birth tale

Congregation members laughed and sang as storyteller Donna Marie Todd performed her tale "A Baby in the Middle of Nowhere" during services Sunday at Prince of Peace United Methodist Church in Elk Grove Village.

The story wove around the birth of a baby to a woman in the mountains of West Virginia with the help of a midwife and missionaries from the Congo. The tale eventually was connected to the story of the birth of Jesus.

"Whether a baby is born in the middle of the Congo or in the mountains of West Virginia, it doesn't matter their circumstances, God welcomes them all," said Todd as she finished.

More than 75 congregation members listened to the story, laughing and singing during portions of the tale.

"She was amazing. It was done in a very interesting way that everybody can understand," said Carla Stahl of Elk Grove Village. "How people came together of all types no matter what their background is, or what their beliefs are, you can get along."

Todd is a storyteller, singer and writer from North Carolina who received her training from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University and been working professionally for 17 years. Her sister, Betsy Ingstrup, is a member of Prince of Peace.

In 2003, Todd was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church USA to the Ministry of Storytelling for Worship and Biblical Storytelling.