Retired Methodist minister and master storyteller Donald Davis will be the guest speaker for a two-day series on Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines.

Davis is the latest presenter in the noteworthy Bill Jones Series. Established by the estate of a late member of the church, as a generous endowment to support special events, the series enables Brownson to draw outstanding lecturers and preachers each year.

Donald Davis will occupy the pulpit at both Sunday services at 8:45 and 11:10 a.m. Nov. 15. His sermon topic is "A Double Miracle."

He will also speak at the Sunday School hour at 10 a.m. on the subject "Our Stories Tell Us Who We Are."

Later that afternoon, at 4 p.m., Davis will return to the sanctuary to present "Exploring the Attic of Memory," to be followed by a reception in the Atrium.

On Monday morning, after a coffee reception at 9:30 a.m., he will discuss "It's All About Trouble" as the final presentation in the series.

Donald Davis grew up in a family of storytellers in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, and he recalls that his Uncle Frank was a front-porch storyteller of the first order.

A capable student, he got his degree from Davidson College, before attending Duke University Divinity School. Subsequently, he served as an ordained minister in the Western Conference of the United Methodist Church for 20 years.

After his retirement, Davis became a storyteller in earnest. Formerly chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Storytelling Association, he has been a featured storyteller at the Smithsonian, and at festivals and concerts at home and abroad.

A prolific author and producer of tapes of his books and other works, he has been seen on ABC News Nightline and CNN, as well as on National Public Radio. Davis now tours the United States 10 months a year.

Karen Allen, associate pastor of education at Brownson, mentions that Davis' services are in such demand that arrangements had to be made three years in advance to secure him as a speaker this fall.

Consequently, she says that Brownson is positively thrilled to welcome Donald Davis to the community for this series.

"More than a master storyteller, he is also a master teacher," says Allen. "He will catch us with stories that delight, and somewhere along the way, we will recognize ourselves in the story. We will leave refreshed with the knowledge that to pass our heritage on to future generations can be as simple and powerful as telling our story."

For Donald Davis, storytelling is a way of giving and living life. For him, storytelling "is not what I do for a living, it is how I do all that I do while I am living."

All of these services are open to the public.

Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church is located at 330 South May St. in Southern Pines.

For more information, contact the church office at (910) 692-6562 or refer to the Web site at www.brownsonchurch.org.

Contact Pinehurst freelance writer Mary Elle Hunter at mhunter104@yahoo.com.