When you live on an island surrounded by water, it becomes part of your daily life. This inspired storyteller and songwriter Bill Gordh to choose the theme “The Water of Life” for Union Chapel’s annual Family Service.
It takes place at Union Chapel in Grove on Sunday, June 25, at 10:30 AM; all are welcome to attend.
Gordh and his banjo lend an air of whimsy and playfulness to this outdoor, inclusive service. Children will read parables from Ecuador and South Africa, proverbs from different cultures, a poem, songs, and Bible passages. They’ll hold candles and sing “This Little Light of Mine.”
Grandparents will smile in recognition at the Scottish ballad, “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.”
Every year, Gordh writes a new song for the Union Chapel service, and this year’s offering is “Drink From the Spring.” It became, he said, “a blessing and seemed perfect as the closing song.”
With all of summer’s busyness and commitments, we sometimes need to breathe deeply and drink from that spring.
“What if we could just pause and drink from the loving cup of life every so often,” he asks. “What if this service could function as a pause to take a sip?”
About Bill Gordh
Bill Gordh has a BA in Philosophy from Duke University and an MFA in Theatre Directing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He is the Director of Expressive Arts and Director Of Chapel at the Episcopal School in New York City, where he leads weekly gatherings attended by the children and their parents.
He is the author of “Building a Children’s Chapel: One Story at a Time” and “Making Room for Everyone: More Stories for Building a Children’s Chapel,” which includes past Union Chapel programs and the songs he composed for the services.
His YouTube channel houses over 250 stories, and audible.com is home to 10 hours of storytelling with Gordh and his banjo. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, at Tribeca Film Festival Family Day, and Clearwater Festival, and for three years, was a featured storyteller at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
Gordh hosts a podcast with the World Music Institute, telling a folktale with a guest musician who provides accompaniment on musical instruments from the story’s homeland. Gordh is collaborating with composer Jon Deak on a new work tentatively titled “The Christmas Peace,” based on a Swedish folktale
Bring a blanket or chair. STARS CAFÉ caters a reception after the service, which will move indoors in case of inclement weather. Visit unionchapelinthegrove.org for photos and more information.
Next week: Shelter Island Historical Society Executive Director Nanette Lawrenson will speak about “The Lords of Menantic,” a locally-created community musical with performances at the History Center in July.
Our commemorative book, “All Are Welcome:150 years of Shelter Island’s Union Chapel in the Grove,” by Carrie Cooperider, is available at Finley’s Fiction.
JoAnn Kirkland assists the trustees of Union Chapel in the Grove.
