Lakeside welcomes Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell, Author & Public Theologian from Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the Preacher of Finding a Life Worth Living Week July 19-23. This week’s preacher is generously supported by the Rev. Ruth C. Shannon Endowment.
On Sunday, July 19, Gorrell will lead the 10:30 a.m. Chautauqua Community Worship Service in Hoover Auditorium. Musical leadership will be offered by Michael Shirtz and the Chautauqua Choir, with liturgy led by Rev. Kimberly Orr, Lakeside’s Director of Religion. The scripture is Acts 9: 1-18 and her sermon, "Life Worth Living: Pursuing a Worthier Vision," explores how God sometimes disrupts our old visions so that we can pursue lives of deeper love, courage and purpose. She will also lead Vespers by the Lake at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Steele Memorial Bandstand and Faith for Living Hour at 9 a.m. Monday-Thursday in Orchestra Hall.
Following the opening prayer, children ages 5–11 will proceed together to Bradley Temple for Children’s Church with Chip Richter, where they’ll enjoy a kid-friendly message, songs, crafts, lemonade and cookies. Preschoolers are welcome when accompanied by an adult.
In March 2016, Gorrell was hired to study joy at Yale University. Just eight months into the Theology of Joy Project, three of her family members died in four weeks. For a year and a half, she struggled to do her job. Suddenly, joy was unthinkable, laughable even.
In an unexpected turn of events, she became a volunteer at a women’s maximum-security prison. It was here that she began to understand the joy of God. If you’re on the fence about joy, Gorrell gets it. If you’re wondering how joy is possible in a grieving world, this week is for you. If you want to allow joy to find you more often, help is at hand.
Gorrell is the author of Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape, The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found, and a forthcoming book, What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do. Shop for her books at The Fine Print Lakeside. Her research has been highlighted in media sources such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR and Christianity Today.
She has 14 years of ministry experience and has taught at several schools, including Yale University, Baylor University and McCormick and Fuller Seminary. Gorrell speaks and writes about joy, difficult decision-making, finding a life worth living and the intersection of spiritual and mental health. She has provided thought leadership and consulting for numerous organizations, including the U.S. Army and the NBA. She also co-hosts the “Grief Sisters” podcast.
