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 The Verse
A monthly newsletter |
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The Hymn Society
in the United States and Canada
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July 2014
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What a fine conference we had in Columbus -- we had 361 registrants. That's the largest group gathered since 2009! Energy and enthusiasm were high and smiles were abundant. We'll get the photos posted on the website as soon as possible so you can either relive or catch up with the events. Many thanks to Glen and Judy Brown Richardson for their excellent photography-- a gift to us each summer. They enlisted some others to take photos of sectionals, so we'll have an even broader recap of the week!
We made a new video! You can watch it here:
http://youtu.be/iuaxwwgAdAY
We're doing a tiny bit of editing, but we're very pleased with this and hope you'll share it with friends and colleagues.
If you couldn't be with us, we missed you. Though it may seem early, go ahead and put July 12-16, 2015 on your calendar so you can join us in New Orleans. Another stimulating and enjoyable program is already shaping up -- don't miss out!
Till then, keep singing!
Deb
Deborah Loftis
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 Lifting Hearts - Joining Hands - Raising Voices: GREAT NEWS!!
In Columbus, our efforts to increase the number of member participants in our campaign took a big jump forward. Conference registrants took brightly colored envelopes and filled them with the dollar amounts marked on the outside of the envelope. Our "O For a Thousand" effort is off to a great start -- not only do we have lots of new participants, WE SURPASSED $500,000 IN CAMPAIGN PLEDGES AND GIFTS!!!
What a great mile marker in our efforts to fund The Center for Congregational Song!!
We still a distance to go in the campaign, but the energy generated by our envelope campaign and our new video, filmed at the conference, encouraged the directors of the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation to offer us a matching challenge! For every new gift and pledge received after July 17, they will match dollar for dollar up to $300,000. WOW!! Every dollar given or pledged becomes two dollars!!
You've made a commitment to the present with your membership dues. Won't you consider investing in the future by contributing to our campaign to build our endowment and facilitate The Center for Congregational Song? Will you be One in a Thousand? Your gift, whatever the size, is essential to the success of our campaign. Members of the Baugh family are certainly impressed with what we're doing within our membership and other foundations will take notice as well.
You can give online securely at our website by clicking on the Donate tab and selecting the second option for contribution type: The Endowment Fund: "Lifting Hearts - Joining Hands - Raising Voices: The Campaign for The Center for Congregational Song"
The Hymn Society will be 100 years old in eight short years. Together we can move confidently toward our second century with enthusiasm and effectiveness to promote, encourage, and enliven congregational song.
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Save the Date! We're Headed to the Big Easy in 2015
The Program Committee is accepting
Sectional Proposals through September 30. Please submit your proposal online. Proposal form
You will also find the proposal form on our website. 
The Hymn Society Annual Conference
Loyola University, New Orleans
July 12-16, 2015
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Nominations for Executive Committee
We are gathering nominations for Executive Committee openings to be filled in July 2015 for the following positions: Secretary Member at large We also would appreciate suggestions for persons to serve on the Editorial Advisory Board for The Hymn and persons to write the Hymn Interpretation, Hymn Performance, and Book and Media Reviews columns in The Hymn. If you wish to nominate someone for office, please contact them to obtain their permission. Send nominations and your suggestions for EAB and contributors to The Hymn to Geoffrey Moore gcmoore@flash.net |
Columbus Lost and Found
At the end of our Columbus conference we found an electronic device that tracks fitness activities. Will the owner please identify the device so that we can return it? We want you to stay healthy! Please contact Deb (deb@thehymnsociety.org) or call the office (800) 843-4966. |
Hymns for Times of Crisis
On several occasions in recent years, following major international calamities or tragic regional events, The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada has been contacted about providing hymns/songs that would give a 'voice' or 'song' for people to use in worship as they struggle to face distressing situations. A Task Group has now come together to begin a search for hymns/songs that cover a range subjects not usually included in hymnals or hymnal supplements. The intent is to place the material on our web site as a quick and easily accessible resource. John Ambrose, as chair of the Task Group, welcomes your suggestions of texts that might be included. Please see the attached invitation for more information. Invitation |
News of Members
Scott Hyslop's book on Henry Lettermann's hymnody, The Precious Gift, has received an award from the Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis, MO! Scott ably presented his research in a sectional in Columbus. You can read about the award hereAndrew Pratt will deliver the keynote address at the forthcoming Nordic/Baltic Hymnological conference. The Conference will draw together academic researchers and scholars on church music, theology, religious education, history, social sciences, and cultural studies. Presentations at the conference will range widely over hymnological, musicological and societal topics. More information The 2015 AGO Regional meetings will feature several Hymn Society members. Thomas Troger will deliver the keynote address for The Northeast Region meeting in New Haven, CT. Mary Beth Bennett is one of the artists featured at the Mid-Atlantic Region, meeting in Pittsburgh. Kelly Dobbs-Mikus will be a workshop leader at the North Central Region meeting in St. Louis.
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Hymn-based Compositions
Many thanks to Iteke Prins for her organ reviews this month. Organ reviews
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Invitation to Visit Brazil
The First Independent Presbyterian Church of São Paulo, Brazil is extending an invitation to American Choirs willing to come to Brazil in a fraternal visit to join in the services to be held in commemoration of 150 years of its founding by American missionaries. The church will host choir members offering room and board. The commemoration services are to be held Thursday March 5th, Saturday March 7th and Sunday March 8th 2015. Choirs may sing in English or Portuguese and translation may be provided when needed. For further information please contact João W. Faustini at jowifa@aol.com
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Help for Hymn Writers
Hymn writers, we at Hymnary.org are trying to make your life a little easier. We built a web page where you can type in a new hymn and automatically set it to a tune. Try it out with different tunes! Save it in your collection of custom hymns! Come back to it later and make some changes!
These custom texts with existing tunes are called custom FlexScores, and you can find a link entitled "Create a custom FlexScore" on the My FlexScores page. In order to use a tune, you have to purchase a FlexScore for that tune, but then you can print out instrumental versions, transpose, and use it for as many custom FlexScores as you like. Because of copyright restrictions, only public domain tunes may be used.
Give it a try, and let us know how we can improve it to better meet your needs!
Harry Plantinga
Director,
Hymnary.org
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Older Presbyterian Hymnals Soon to be Out of Print
Recently the Presbyterian Publishing Company announced that all Presbyterians Hymnals prior to Glory to God would cease to be available after December 2014. More information. |
Charles Wesley Society Annual Meeting
Lester Ruth, President of the Charles Wesley Society sent this information for distribution. We're proud that two of our members are mentioned!
Registration is now open for the upcoming annual meeting of the Charles Wesley Society to to be held in Wilmore, Kentucky, Sept. 25-27, 2014 on the campuses of Asbury University and Asbury Seminary. We have an exciting meeting planned on the theme of Wesley and holiness with presentations by Paul Chilcote, Robin Knowles Wallace, Mary Cheng, Jennifer Woodruff Tait, and Laurence Wood. Our meeting will begin on Thursday afternoon with an unveiling of a new statute of Charles Wesley on the seminary campus. Also planned is a field trip to see the ruins of Bethel Academy, the first Methodist school west of the Appalachians, and Masterson Station, the site of the first Methodist annual conference in the state. A link for registering online can be found at http://charleswesleysociety.org/ as well as a form for mail in registration, if you prefer. Special rates for housing have been arranged with the Asbury Inn on the seminary campus. Call 859-858-2156 to reserve directly. (Housing is not included in the registration fee.)
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Continuing Contests
Call for Hymns on Labor and Faith
Faculty from Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and leaders in a growing faith and labor movement are preparing a collection of songs suitable for use in churches, union halls, and at actions that highlight the focus on the struggles, hope, and agency of working people and their communities. Included will be recent hymns on this theme that speak to the labor situation today. Entries should be submitted electronically to Michael Hawn mhawn@smu.edu by October 31, 2014. The first place entry will receive $500. The second place entry will receive $300. The judges will choose other texts, along with the winning texts, for inclusion in the song collection. The original texts should be paired with well-known public domain tunes from the United States that may easily sung in a variety of venues including public gatherings and marches as well as in worship gatherings.
More information
Church of the Servant invites congregational songwriters to submit a Psalm-based song to its 2014 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, 2014. More information
Macalester-Plymouth United Church in St. Paul, MN announces the nineteenth annual international contest for English language hymn writers. The 2014 contest will be a search for a hymn text that celebrates God's presence in current social changes and changes in the church. It carries a prize of $500. All entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2014. For more information, view the attached flyer.
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, is pleased to announce its first Church Music Search, a contest for composers and authors. This annual and international search calls for the creation of congregational hymns, choral anthems and orchestral music that engage and exclaim liberal Christian theology and associated themes. Each year a different musical category and theological theme will be selected to resource Pullen and other theologically-liberal congregations with artistic and meaningful church music.
The 2015 search is for an SATB choral anthem suitable for adult choirs with keyboard accompaniment (organ or piano). Other optional instrumental parts may be included. The text of the anthem should express the meaning and celebration of Easter from a theologically-liberal viewpoint.
An award of $1500 will be given to the creator of the winning selection (or divided equally between author and composer). Though the Pullen Music Ministry will retain the right to print and use the winning selection in perpetuity, copyright will remain with the creator(s) and a publisher will be sought for the winning composition.
Entries are submitted electronically and will be accepted through February 1, 2015. Find submission guidelines and enter at: www.pullen.org/musicsearch .
For additional information contact Larry E. Schultz at lschultz@pullen.org.
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Upcoming Events
September 23-25, 2014 -- Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, VA will host: Faith in Our Music: Many Voices, Diverse Chords, Common Hopes. This three-day conference will combine diverse worship experiences with interesting, relevant workshops to help pastors, musicians, worship committees, and anyone who loves music to experience the wide varieties of music for worship.
The conference features John Bell, from the Iona Community in Scotland; Amanda Powell, expert in global music; and Warren Cooper, who in well-known for spiritual jazz music.
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Recent Events
Hymn festivals held at our annual conference in Columbus, Ohio:
July 14, 2014 -- "Singing Without a Safety Net" led by John Bell, FHS at the Gloria Dei Worship Center, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 7:30 pm
July 15, 2014 -- "Jiivan Dho (Give Us Life); A Festival on Land and Community" led by Chi Yi Chen Wolbrink and Swee Hong Lim at the Gloria Dei Worship Center, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 7:30 pm
July 16, 2014 -- "Corners of Unmeasured Space" led by Eric Wall at First Congregational Church, Columbus, OH at 7:30 pm
July 17, 2014 -- "Daring Beyond the Page: Journeys into the Holy" led by Amanda Powell and Jorge Lockward at the Gloria Dei Worship Center, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 10:30 am.
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2015 British Conferences
There are two conferences in England in 2015 that you may want to attend. It's not too early to plan international travel, so here are the details.
The joint meeting of our Hymn Society with HSGBI and IAH will be held at
Robinson College, Cambridge. The conference will begin with registration on Sunday, 26th July 2015 with the Conference programme beginning on Monday and concluding on Friday 31st July. It is anticipated that there will be at least one optional outing day on Saturday, 1st August. The Conference theme will be: Hymns in Liturgy and Life. Revd Michael Garland is convening the group which will be organising the Conference. Details
The third biennial conference of Christian Congregational Music: Global and Local Perspectives will be held at Rippon College Cuddesdon, Oxford on August 4-7, 2015. Details
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