A small group sang a cappella to the rhythmic drumming of La’Ron Williams’ fingertips on a metal doorframe. “I’m gonna sit at the welcome table, I’m gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days,” they sang.

The song that was being rehearsed is a fitting one for Sunday’s Martin Luther King Jr.-focused service at Church of the Good Shepherd, United Church of Christ in Ann Arbor. Williams, who has chosen the songs and scripture readings for the service, will receive the church’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award in recognition of his efforts in social work through storytelling.

Williams, 58, is an Ann Arbor resident who travels to hundreds of schools each year, engaging children in stories that often focus on values like social justice. Like many of the children he entertains, Williams fell in love with stories in his youth, but he never expected to become a storyteller.

“I’ve always loved hearing people tell stories. I grew up in Flint, and as a little boy, hardly anyone in our neighborhood had a TV set, so people would visit each other and tell stories about what they had done or seen,” Williams said. “I loved the sound of it - the different ways that people talked, and I loved to hear people laugh. We also had one of the biggest porches on the block, so people would hang on the rails and sit on the steps and just talk.”

Williams rarely took part in the storytelling as a child, because of his extreme shyness. But when a teacher asked him to participate in a play, he discovered that his onstage character didn’t have to be shy. Onstage, he could stand up to class bullies, be in control and feel empowered by knowing exactly what to expect from his scripted lines. Today, Williams has been acting through storytelling for 20 years.

Along with a passion for stories, Williams has carried a desire to work in social justice throughout his life. No matter what else was going, there was always time for social justice work, he says. As an African American during the time of segregation, he saw just how much people were affected by what he calls the racial hierarchy of America.

Williams joined the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice in Ann Arbor because, he said, he has often found that people who work in social justice are religious activists.

From its beginnings, Church of the Good Shepherd has been active in promoting social justice.

“Fifty-seven years ago, the church was founded by a pastor who was very interested in civil rights and the fair housing issue in Ann Arbor,” said Mary Browning, a longtime member of Church of the Good Shepherd and also a member of the MLK award’s nominating committee. “People of color were welcome here, and we are still active in social justice. We gave away our first Martin Luther King award in 1987, although we had been active for several years with a number of other churches to combine services for Martin Luther King Day. Every year we ask our congregation to suggest anyone in the community for this award.”

Although Ann Arbor has long recognized and celebrated Martin Luther King Day, Williams said the city - and those across America - need to understand the meaning of King’s message everyday. More importantly, he said King’s work needs to be continued and adjusted for our times.

“I go into hundreds of ‘diversity days’ at schools every year, and they all want to celebrate diversity,” he said. “But it’s like having a guest at your house: You can stay at my house, but it’s still my house. We need to be more inclusive.”

Although Williams is honored by the award, he said he can’t touch the accomplishments of Martin Luther King.

“I’m happy to be receiving the award, but I am embarrassed - I don’t feel I’ve done something to receive something like a Martin Luther King award,” said Williams. “He was a brilliant human being.”

Stephanie Fenton writes about faith for AnnArbor.com. Stephanie can be contacted at Fenton.Stephanie@gmail.com.