Community Worship: Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell

Lakeside is thrilled to welcome Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell, author, speaker and Public Theologian in Redondo Beach, California, as Preacher of the Week June 2-6. This week’s preacher is supported by Steve & Jane Anderson.

Gorrell will lead the 10:30 a.m. Chautauqua Community Worship Service on Sunday, June 2 in Hoover Auditorium.

Michael Shirtz and guest artists will provide musical leadership during the service, while the liturgy will be led by Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost, Senior Director of Religious Life & Pastoral Care. Worship music for the 2024 summer season is supported by James E. Beardsley and Doris F. Beardsley.

Following the opening prayer, children (ages 5-11) will proceed to Bradley Temple for Children’s Church with Chip Richter. There will be a message by Richter, songs, crafts, lemonade and cookies to share. Preschoolers are welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Her theme for the week is “Joy,” which she will speak on during Faith for Living Hour at 9 a.m. Monday-Thursday in Orchestra Hall. For Vespers by the Lake at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Steele Memorial Bandstand, her homily is titled, “Rejoice? How?”

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.

During her time at Lakeside, Gorrell will explore how joy finds us, why joy and sorrow can exist together, what joy actually is, and how to live open to joy.

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.

Guests are welcome to attend Community Worship free of charge by requesting a complimentary Church Pass between 7:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday; valid until 1 p.m. The pass includes admittance for guests and auto. This pass must be presented to the gate attendant upon departure. If the time allotted is exceeded, the guest(s) will be charged a fee. This pass does not include access to the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus pool. Complimentary passes are available for all worship services and Faith for Living Hour.