Easter Sunrise Service at GSP Pavilion

Easter Sunrise Service at GSP Pavilion
Rev. Kinder will lead service, John Lee Sanders is featured musician

An Easter Sunday ecumenical sunrise service will be held at Gulf State Park Pavilion, beginning 6:30 a.m. The Rev. Dr. Jim Kinder of Orange Beach United Methodist Church will lead this year’s service, with music provided by John Lee Sanders and a gospel choir.
Rev. Jim and his wife Kari Ann arrived at Orange Beach UMC in July of 2017 and quickly adapted to the area. Both love being outdoors and enjoying this gift called life. Frequently, you will literally see the couple running around the island. Jim has served in ministry for over 30 years. From youth intern, to church planter, to lead pastor, Jim has served in a variety of ministry positions. His greatest passion is helping people see that we serve a real God who make a real difference in real world ways.
A composer, writer and arranger and multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, guitar, piano, vocals), John Lee has deep roots in jazz and blues that stem from his early years in Memphis, Birmingham and the bayous of Louisiana. “John Lee’s one of my musical heroes, a quadruple threat,” is how Bonnie Raitt put it.
His album “Beacon Of Light” reflects his gospel roots.
In the early 1960’s, the then 13 year old Sanders was billed as “Little John,” Birmingham’s answer to Little Stevie Wonder. Sanders ended up on the Texas Plains, where he received a degree in classical and jazz composition from the University of North Texas. Sanders’ San Francisco Bay Area legend included a position on Sunday mornings playing a Hammond organ at Beebe Memorial Church, one of the largest churches in the Bay Area. He has toured the major European jazz and blues festivals many times over and even arranged an entire concert for the 22 piece National Jazz Orchestra of Croatia. The list of artists he’s performed or toured with include Carly Simon, Smokey Robinson, Randy Newman, Elton John, The Meters and Chuck Berry. And that’s just for starters. The list also includes Jimmy Page, Jimmy Webb, Stevie Wonder, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Starship, Ashford & Simpson, Freddie King and John Lee Hooker. In 2014, he performed at the Grammys with Don Williams.