Interdenominational “as a place of worship for the summer community,” Union Chapel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places Organ Prelude Begins at 9:50 A.M. Sunday Worship Begins at 10:00 A.M.
August 23, 2026
Rev. Maureen Gerald
First Baptist Church of Princeton - Princeton, NJ 55 Narragansett Avenue Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
www.unionchapelmv.org
Rev. Maureen Gerald
Rev. Maureen Gerald is a pastor, clinician, and community builder whose work brings faith, justice, and mental health together in service of healing, dignity, and human flourishing. She is the twelfth Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Princeton and only the second woman to lead the historic congregation in its 146-year history. A New Jersey–licensed mental health counselor with more than 20 years of clinical and leadership experience, Rev. Gerald is the Founder and CEO of Momentum Counseling, Coaching, and Consulting. She lives out her commitment to holistic healing, equity, and community transformation through service as a Spiritual Director at Princeton Theological Seminary; inaugural Second Vice President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention of New Jersey; a member of the Board of Directors of YWCA Princeton; and President of the Timbuctoo Historical Society. In this work, she helps preserve the history and sacred burial grounds of Timbuctoo, a free Black community established in 1826 in Westampton Township. Her commitment to solidarity and community-led transformation was deepened in 2010, when she traveled to Haiti with a mission delegation of clergy and medical professionals and survived the earthquake shortly after arrival. She later returned through Harmony Ministries, contributing to long- term rebuilding efforts that supported churches, schools, and community life in Port-auPrince and Léogâne. Most recently, Rev. Gerald was invited by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to share her life story and public witness in the forthcoming docuseries Where She Leads, which highlights Black faith and Black women in religious and spiritual leadership. Her witness will be documented and preserved within the museum’s permanent archives. Beyond the pulpit and public platform, Maureen is grounded by the life she shares with her husband, Kevin, and by the enduring love and joy she finds in being the mother of her two adult daughters, Makenzi and Madison Sumners, and her niece, Jaznikah Reed.
2026 Season 2026 Season Guests Guests
June 28 Rev. Joanne Hus
August 2 Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III
United Methodist Church of Martha’s Vineyard (Note, this is a combined service with United Methodist, held at 40 Trinity Park, OB)
Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL
July 5 Claire Seguin, DNP, RN
Alfred Street Baptist Church, Alexandria, VA
August 9 Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley
Martha’s Vineyard Hospital President & COO
August 16 Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson
The Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York, NY
July 12 Rev. Shannon Kershner
August 23 Rev. Maureen Gerald
Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA
First Baptist Church of Princeton, Princeton, NJ
July 19 Rev. Dr. Gina M. Stewart
August 30 Rev. Jennie Salas
Christ Missionary Baptist Church, Memphis, TN
July 26
Iglesia Presbiteriana en San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
Bishop William J. Barber, II, DMin. Repairers of the Breach President & Senior Lecturer
September 6 Pastor Kevin Wayne Johnson
Celebration Church at Columbia, Columbia, MD
Union Chapel Union Chapel Board Board of of Trustees Trustees
Rev. Dr. Aliya F. Browne, President Heidi Bryan, Vice President Stephanie Parker, Secretary Kamla Branche, Treasurer Rachelle Browne, Brenda Bryan, Cindy Carter, MD, Lynette Glover, Alvin R. Johnson, Rev. Kevin Wayne Johnson, Louise Johnson, Robert Jennings, Sexton, Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, Roger Morris, Kevin Myatt, Haywood L. Perry III, Andrew Skeen, Ann Stewart, Ed Trayes, Diane Welburn, Lois Jean White, Sabrina Williams Trustees Emeriti:
William Adams, Joann Kidd, Anne H. Parsons, Trustee President Emeritus Richard Taylor
William D. Peek Jr., Music Director and Organist
ORDER OF ORDER OF SERVICE SERVICE
PRELUDE How Great Thou Art arr. Kersten Stevens INTROIT Rejoice in the Lord Alway William Peek TRUSTEE GREETING Ann Stewart *INVOCATION “God of hope, we have sensed your spirit walking with us as we open a new door in our lives, felt your urging when we were reluctant to say yes to a new adventure. Come among us today. Open our eyes to truth wherever it may be found. Allow us to hear the siren song of knowledge and understanding.” LORD’S PRAYER Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. *HYMN #51 How Great Thou Art O STORE GUD
ANTHEM The Prayer Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster (Italian lyrics by Alberto Testa and Tony Renis) PRAYER RESPONSE O Thou That Hearest Prayer J. Burton, Wm. Peek OFFERTORY Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child African American Spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan *DOXOLOGY ANTHEM Total Praise Richard Smallwood SERMON Rev. Maureen Gerald First Baptist Church of Princeton - Princeton, NJ Psalm 63 *HYMN #457 Lord, I Want to Be a Christian LORD, I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN BENEDICTION POSTLUDE Toccata on “Good News” Carl MaultsBy
Our Musicians Our Musicians Today Today
Kersten Stevens—Queen of the Violin—is a genre-defying artist and composer whose electrifying, luminous performances turn every stage into a sanctuary. A Yale alumna and sixtime winner of Amateur Night and Showtime at The Apollo, she has shared the stage with Christian McBride, Faith Evans, Regina Carter, Kim Burrell, and Keyon Harrold. Her performances have moved icons like President Barack Obama, Angela Bassett, Babyface, Usher, and Denzel Washington. Kersten’s journey began at age three, when she first picked up the violin. By twelve, she had discovered jazz—unlocking a lifelong passion for improvisation and genre-bending expression. Her early talent earned top honors from the NAACP ACT-SO Awards and the Hal Jackson’s Talented Teen competition. A graduate of Yale with dual degrees in Music and African American Studies, she went on to study under legendary jazz violinist John Blake Jr., honing a sound that is technically masterful, spiritually rooted, and creatively boundless. Her most recent album, QUEEN RISING—produced by and featuring performances with 11 time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride—debuted in the JazzWeek Top 40. Her forthcoming album, QUEEN OF THE VIOLIN: Live!, will be released in 2027. For information on upcoming performances, follow Kersten on Instagram at @kerstenstevens or visit www.kerstenstevens.com. Ava Brown, soprano, is a 26-year-old opera singer who has performed all over the country. In 2022, Ava graduated with her BA in vocal performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and she earned her Master’s degree from USC’s Annenberg School in the spring of 2025. Ava has won multiple awards, including first place in the Schmidt Vocal Arts national competition. She has participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Boston Conservatory’s summer program amongst other young artist programs. Ava recently made her main stage debut with Indianapolis Opera, singing in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. She has been coming to Martha’s Vineyard her whole life, but this summer holds special meaning: it marks ten years since she first sang at Union Chapel at just sixteen years old, now returning as a twenty-six-year-old to celebrate a decade of music in this historic space. David Behnke, baritone, is a graduate of the Master’s Degree Opera Program at Yale. He has performed in opera and chamber music across the Northeast. After a career on Wall Street, he moved full time to Martha’s Vineyard in 2013. Since then he has been an active recitalist performing opera, art song and Broadway, and has appeared as a frequent soloist with various Island organizations. Most recently he was a featured soloist in Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla and Ralph Vaughn Williams' Five Mystical Songs with the Island Community Chorus. He has just completed a survey of the great nineteenth century song cycles of Schumann and Schubert with the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society.
Today’s floral Today’s floral arrangements arrangements on on the the altar altar are are placed placed ... ...
In celebration of the Cottagers' 70th Anniversary, we are honored to donate to Union Chapel with heartfelt gratitude and service to our community. By Bison on the Vineyard, 20th Anniversary on the Vineyard. In memory of the Greene family (Annie Handy, Sylvia, Lester, Dorothy, and Richmond). Wishing serenity to all. By Drs. Charles & Paryn Wallace in memory of their mothers. Joyce and Odessa. In memory of Milton I. Byer, who would have loved Union Chapel. Union Chapel Ministers’ Fund The Union Chapel Board of Trustees gratefully acknowledges the Walter Edison Lowe Estate, under the direction of Executor Stephen Ross Johnson, for generously sponsoring the 2026 Summer Ministers Program through the Minister's Sponsor Fund. To learn about supporting the 2027 Minister's Sponsor Fund, please contact Al Johnson at retiredjohnson47@yahoo.com.
Support Union Support Union Chapel! Chapel! Your generosity helps preserve Union Chapel for generations to come. Consider making a donation today or remembering the Chapel in your legacy plans.
Stay Connected with Union Chapel Visit Our Website: www.unionchapelmv.org Follow Us on Facebook & Instagram: @unionchapelmv Watch Us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@unionchapelMV
Watch Union Watch Union Chapel Chapel Services Services online. online.
Subscribe to the Union Chapel YouTube Channel to view past services and watch our live stream on Sundays between June and September.
www.youtube.com/@unionchapelMV