Church of the Servant is proud to announce its 2011 New Psalm Contest.

Last year we had 64 submissions from all around the world, ultimately choosing Zac Hicks' "All People" as the winner. We hope this year's contest will stimulate another round of excellent Psalm settings.

In an effort to encourage Psalm-singing, Church of the Servant invites congregational songwriters to submit a Psalm-based song to its 2011 COS New Psalm Contest. The winner will receive a $500 award. There is no entry fee and the contest is open to all. Submissions must be emailed or postmarked by October 1, 2011. The song will be premiered in worship on January 29, 2012. Church of the Servant is a Christian Reformed Church with a rich history of encouraging the arts in worship. Its worship is Reformed, liturgical, participatory, eclectic, and open to creative new worship expressions. The contest is made possible by a generous donation in memory of  Ben Fackler, who loved all things musical.

For complete contest rules see: http://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/2011-cos-new-psalm-contest

To download the PDF brochure: http://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/files/2011_COS_new_psalm_contest.pdf

We trust you will share this announcement broadly. It is a wonderful opportunity for composers and we hope it will ultimately be of great benefit to the Church as well. If you have any questions or would like to suggest others who may be interested in receiving this announcement, please contact Greg Scheer, music@churchoftheservantcrc.org.

Macalester Plymouth United Church of St. Paul, Minnesota, announces a sixteenth international contest for English language hymn writers. It is the congregation's understanding that hymns can motivate the church to be more actively involved in social reform, a vital part of its ministry.  It carries a prize of $500 for the winning entry.  The 2011 contest will be a search for hymns that express dismay over the growing gap between rich and poor and call the church to action to work for greater economic equality. Please visit their website for contest details or call (651) 698-8871. Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2011. You will find more details on the Hymn Society website as well.

 

Pascack Reformed Church in Park Ridge, New Jersey announces a contest for English language hymn writers. The church celebrates the 200^th 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

 

The Southern Ontario Chapter of the Hymn Society will be very busy this summer.  Please contact George Bell for more details about these upcoming events.

  

1. Hymn Play-a-Thon - August 5

 

SOCHS member Frances Mae Balodis will be having a Play-a-Thon at St. Thomas Anglican Church in Ullswater. Frances will be playing through all the hymns in Common Praise, the Anglican hymnal beginning at 9 a.m. The purpose of the play-a-thon is to raise money to make the church handicap-accessible. If you happen to be in Muskoka at that time, be sure to drop in on Frances' event. 

 

 

2. 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. 

Forthcoming Hymn Festival: Hymns of Praise

Place: Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, Singapore

Date: August 28, 2011

 

During the ministry of The Rev. Dr. Kang Ho Soon a hymn festival has been held annually on the last Sunday of August at Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, a unique congregation in Singapore with worship services in Mandarin, Tamil, Bahasa Malay, and English. The theme for the 2011 festival is "Hymns of Praise." It will feature hymns from China, Indonesia, New Zealand, Taiwan, North America, Taizé (France), Sweden, England and Wales. Dr. S T Kimbrough, Jr., Research Fellow of the Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition of Duke Divinity School, planned and will lead the festival.  

 

Thanks to S T Kimbrough, Jr. for this news

 

On October 13-16, 2011, a special tribute for Alice Parker, Fellow of The Hymn Society, will be held at Tinity Church, Wall Street, New York, NY.  Her magnum opus, Songs for Eve, for vocal quartet and string quartet is going to be performed. The text is by poet Archibald MacLeish.  Alice will lead a Hymn Sing that same weekend.  A Facebook site will be up and running soon.  For more details, contact Marilyn Haskel:  mhaskel13@nyc.rr.com