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 The Verse
A monthly newsletter |
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The Hymn Society
in the United States and Canada
| May 2011 |
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Greetings!
Days are flying by! The deadline for conference registrations at the most economical price is June 1. Don't let the date slip by you!
Conference preparations are rolling here in Richmond for our gathering in Colorado Springs, but we're also working on the conference for 2012! Mark your calendars to save the date: July 15-19, 2012 in Canada at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. We'll have more to share at our annual meeting this summer!
Sincerely, Deb Deborah Loftis 
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 | | July 17-21, 2011 |
Summer Conference Update
On June 1 the cost to attend the summer conference goes up. Be sure to get your registration in before then to save on your expense! Conference program information and registration are available online. Click on the link to check out the details! conference information and registration
Remember also to pass along the conference brochure to friends if you've already registered.
When you register for the conference, we'll send you a confirmation packet with more detailed information about available tours, shuttles from the Colorado Springs and Denver airport, driving directions and a campus map. Be sure to send back your tour choices and flight information if you need the shuttle service. This year, Hope Publishing Company is sponsoring a conference-wide banquet so you'll need to let us know your meal choice for that dinner also.
As you're planning your trip, keep in mind that the altitude will have some effect on your body. Drink LOTS of water. Staying hydrated is one of the best ways to lessen the effects of the altitude on us "lowlanders." When you arrive, take it easy! Plan to rest a bit if possible in the afternoon. Bring a jacket--especially if you plan to take the Pike's Peak tour. It can be 40 degrees colder at the top of the mountain! Even "down" in the city, the temperatures cool off in the evenings.
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In Remembrance
We remember the family of Rev. Dr. George R. Muenich, of Battle Ground, WA, who died suddenly on May 13, 2011 at age 71. Dr. Muenich was pastor emeritus of Zion German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York.
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Godspeed
Andrew Donaldson, past president of The Hymn Society, and his wife, Wendy are moving to Geneva, Switzerland! Andrew has been appointed a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church and assigned as a worship consultant to the program on unity, mission, evangelism, and spirituality of the World Council of Churches. The GBGM website describes the position in this way: "The program encourages churches to develop a sense of spirituality that is open to receive from other churches, cultures, and contexts, expanding the ecumenical sense of inclusiveness in the Christian family. It incorporates emphases on peace with justice and elimination of poverty as counterbalance to internalized and privatized spirituality." If we know Andrew, he'll accomplish all this by getting them to sing! We only intend to miss the Donaldsons for a short time as they get settled. After that, we'll expect to continue seeing them at the annual conferences!
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| Hymn Contests
There is still time to enter the competition sponsored by St. Peter's Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC in celebration of 25 years of Jesuit leadership. The content should include the qualitative aspects of Ignatian spirituality and ministry. Financial prizes for first, second, and third places will be $1000, $500 and $250, and will be awarded for both text-only and music-text submissions (priority being given to commonly used metrical settings). Deadline is June 6, 2011. Details available from Bill Rainey, music director at St. Peter's j_s_bachorgan@hotmail.com
Pascack Reformed Church in Park Ridge, New Jersey announces a contest for English language hymn writers. The church celebrates the 200th anniversary of its inception from September 2012- 2013. The theme of the anniversary celebration comes from the first two and last two verses of Psalm 90:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us, and establish the work of our hands upon us;
Yes; establish the work of our hands.
The contest carries a prize of $250 for the winning entry. This is a search for both new text and music. Entrants should provide four copies of each hymn which should not include the entrant's name. The hymn should, however, be titled at the top of each page. Please provide a cover letter with your name, address, telephone number, and the title(s) of your entry or entries. All entries will be acknowledged within two weeks of receipt.
All entries must be postmarked by March 1, 2012. The judges will arrive at their decision by March 31, 2012, and their decision is final. The winning hymn will be announced by April 30, 2013. Copyright for the winning hymn will be retained by its composer(s), but the author(s) agree to permit the use of this hymn by Pascack Reformed Church in Park Ridge in perpetuity.
Please send entries and correspondence to:
Hymn Contest
Pascack Reformed Church
65 Pascack Road
Park Ridge, NJ 07656
E-mail: pascackreformedchurch@verizon.net
Web site: www.pascackreformedchurch.org
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Upcoming Events
The Southern Ontario Chapter of the Hymn Society will host a day-long workshop, Jazz in Worship - A Beginner's Guide. It will be held on Saturday, May 28 from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Andrew's United Church in downtown Toronto. The presenters are Rec. Canon Tim Elliott and Brian Barlow, two extraordinary musicians who collaborate on the Jazz Vespers series at Christ Church Deer Park, among their many activities in the field.
A special city-wide celebration of Pentecost will take place at St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church on June 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm. All are welcome. The celebration will feature the three winning hymns of St. Andrew's-Wesley's "New Ways to Sing Praise" hymn competition.The international competition invited hymn writers to create Easter hymn texts that express contemporary attitudes and modern theological outlooks. Sponsored by St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church and the Cunningham Theological Foundation, the competition drew entries from three continents and from professional hymn writers and talented amateurs alike. The first place winner was Brian Wren, FHS, for "If Christ is risen from the dead." The two second place winners were Ellen Clark-King of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver for "Christ Sophia" and Shirley Erena Murray, FHS, for "Thank God for Bursting Life." For more information, contact Darryl Nixon, Minister of Music at St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church: nixon_darryl@hotmail.com; 1-604-683-4574 x231
The Worship and Music Symposium "Enlivening Worship" will be held on August 29, 2011 at Concordia University College of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. Andrew Donaldson will be the clinician and be joined by local clergy and musicians to present a variety of workshops. The day-long event will end with a Hymn Festival open to the community. For further information, contact Joy Berg at joy.berg@concordia.ab.ca.
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Recent Hymn Festivals
Look for updates each month on recent festivals that have come to our attention. The Stanza will continue to provide a cumulative list semi-annually. If your congregation or community holds a hymn festival, please the office know about it and send copies of the program if possible.
March 20, 2011 - "The Kingdom of God: a Hymn Festival Celebrating Parables of Jesus" was led by Charlie Steele at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church in Brevard, NC.
April 30, 2011 - Matile Hugo led a festival "Hosanna! Halelujah! He is Risen!" for the Presbyterian Women of Northern New England at their retreat in Alton Bay, NH. The retreat theme was Practicing the Resurrection.
May 21, 2011 - Northminster Presbyterian Church in Hickory, NC sponsored a workshop entitled: "Exploring the African American Heritage Hymnal." Dr. Tony McNeill of Appalachian State University led in singing from the hymnal and shared his expertise on the content and the various styles found within this rich resource.
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Gift to the DNAH
The DNAH hymnal collection recently received a most generous donation from Mrs. Dorothea Hunter, whose husband Converse passed away recently. Among his possessions were a handful of hymnals that belonged to his father, Stanley Armstrong Hunter, a Presbyterian minister from Berkeley, California. Stanley Hunter had for decades made quite a hobby of asking people he met to sign their names by their favorite hymns. Among the thousands of autographs, some stand out, including those of Harry Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry Hoover, Charles Lindbergh, Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Jeanette Rankin. By far the most autographed hymns overall were "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" and "O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee;" these pages are so covered with signatures you can hardly make out the words or music. While there are a few hymnals with autographs, by far the majority are in the 1911 revision of the Presbyterian hymnal published in 1895, and the Presbyterian hymnal of 1933. Tina Schneider welcomes any questions you have about these marvelous items. Rest assured she is storing them in a fireproof cabinet!
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Need for Extra Hymnals
A hospital chaplain in southern West Virginia seeks available copies of Worship His Majesty (Gaither Music Company, 1987) The chapel copies are wearing out and the supply has been diminishing. Any single or any batches of this hymnal would be welcomed. Please contact Chaplain Ann at 304-525-7801 ext 322. Thank you!
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Preserving the Old Spirituals
Minister George Taylor is seeking persons who have an interest in preserving the old spirituals as sung in the devotional services preceding worship in the African American experience. In a message to the office he wrote, "Today, I would like to see the coming together of those who still have the memory of the Old Spirituals. To give testimonies, to bear witness, study books about the Old Spirituals, and if so moved, sing them. Contact: 615-600-6062 or gt7783@gmail.com."
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