This mini-documentary about the ’Sconset Chapel was produced for the 2008 exhibition ’Sconset 02564 at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. It includes excerpts from a series of oral histories of ’Sconset residents conducted by the NHA in 1976 and 2007-8 along with archival video and photos on the topic.
Dear ones in Christ,
Every year we gather at the Chapel and mark the turning of a year and our arrival back to a place that gives us joy and connects us with our past and our present. We walk in the garden, sit in a pew, converse with friends or those who may soon to be friends. We ponder our life in silence before God. We break into joyful melody. We open our selves to prayer. We offer the energy of hope to one another or to ourselves as we linger over the sacred stories of scripture, draw our lives into them and out again.
Sometimes we are like a chickling waiting for eternal food to be dropped in our mouths, to nourish our being. Sometimes we might be like the child who fears the taste of something as he locks his jaw. And, yet the sacred word finds its way in, and we are restored where we did not know we had a need. We share of our bounty that other lives may be enriched.
We draw ourselves here, together, building a community of compassion, passing it on to our young. Perhaps we sit with another’s grief or enter their joy before God, God in us and God beyond us. Here we are reconnected to the needs of the world and reconnect to the wisdom that we are Christ’s hands outstretched to care, to nourish, to feed.
In his poem, “Sunflowers in Babylon,” Joshua Luke Smith pens these words,
"Are we not standing in the garden of our forefathers?
Are we not reaping a harvest we didn't sow?
Are we not leaning on the limbs of an oak, and standing within the shade of a forest that someone else chose to grow?"
Thus are we welcomed to the Chapel, whose purpose is to connect us season by season, not primarily to a past legacy, a garden of someone else’s planting, but rather to plant an oak of compassion within us. His compassion moves us outward and toward one another. We learn Christ in what we then do. The Chapel’s vocation is to place the word of God alongside our life and bid us grow together, heal and serve.
Whether you are new to the Chapel or have long come here, may you find both nourishment for your soul, the opportunity to connect to others and pathways by which you may serve.
In Christ’s love,
There are many things we are thankful for at our beloved Chapel. The board of trustees works diligently to oversee the Chapel's operations, finances, and mission. Our committees are thoughtful in managing our finances, the maintenance of our beautiful grounds and columbarium areas, buildings and preservation, communications, events, hospitality, and pastoral support.
The work of the Chapel is carried out through dedicated committees focused on specific aspects of our mission and operations. These committees provide opportunities for service and ensure that all aspects of Chapel life receive thoughtful attention.
Our Chapel is blessed with dedicated clergy and staff who serve our community throughout the season.
"The Sconset Chapel is an historic sacred place offering a spiritual home to all and as such provides an opportunity for all to worship, celebrate, learn, mourn, and serve together in the christian tradition."
The Siasconset Union Chapel is governed by its Board of Trustees, who serve as stewards of the chapel's mission, facilities, and resources. Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all gifts to the Chapel qualify as charitable contributions.
The board works collaboratively with Chapel clergy, staff, and congregants to ensure the Chapel remains a vibrant spiritual center and gathering place for the Sconset community, honoring our rich heritage while meeting the needs of present and future generations.
