|
|
|
 The Verse
A monthly newsletter
|
|
|
The Hymn Society
in the United States and Canada
|
May 2016
|
|
|
|
|
 There are just 10 weeks left before we gather in Redlands, CA for our annual conference. I hope you'll be among those gathered for the week. Recently someone described our gatherings as "family reunions" -- the place to see our friends and colleagues each year. The conferences are, of course, filled with stimulating ideas and inspiring music, but also filled with friendship, joy and fun. We have several special things happening as you'll see below -- don't miss out on all the excitement! Before we gather for the conference, however, I'll be joining folks at Calvin Institute of Christian Worship for College for the Vital Worship Grants Colloquium June 21-23. I've been invited to be a participant-observer as about 140 grant recipients gather for an ethnically and denominationally diverse discussion of worship renewal. I'm honored to be invited into this conversation and look forward to discovering the ways this gathering will impact my understanding of the place of congregational song in worship communities across North America.
Keep in touch and keep singing ---
Deb Deborah Loftis
|
|
Lifting Hearts - Joining Hands - Raising Voices: The Campaign for The Center for Congregational
S ong Have YOU registered for the conference yet or are you still pondering whether or not to attend?
It's going to be an historic time, not just because of the great line-up of speakers, festival leaders and sectional presenter. They are reason enough to attend.
But wait! There are more reasons to attend--
1. we are going to offically close our "Lifting Hearts, Joining Hands, Raising Voices" campaign to endow The Center for Congregational Song with a celebratory luncheon sponsored by our good friends at Hope Publishing Company.
2. You'll hear about the plans for our exciting 2017 launch event of The Center for Congregational Song.
This conference will be a significant benchmark in our Society's history. You'll want to be part of it so you say you were there when The Hymn Society became THE go-to source for worshiping congregations across North America and around the world.
One more question: have you participated in the campaign yet by making a donation, making a pledge or fulfilling that pledge?
Now's the time to register and participate. Redlands is the place to be this summer.
|
2016 Annual Conference in Redlands, California ONLINE REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!!REGISTER NOWSilent Auction for the Lovelace Scholarship
Have you considered what hand-made or artisanal craft you might contribute to our expanded Silent Auction? Of course there will still be hymnals and other hymnological texts, but we hope to broaden the appeal of the Auction and increase the funds raised for the Lovelace Scholarship.
See the guidelines attached here to see what to bring.
Silent Auction Guidelines Pastor's Conference
"Help! I Didn't Learn THAT in Seminary"
Pastors often are responsible for the song of the church. Whether working for a church that is too small to hire other staff, in a period of change for music leadership, or out of a sense of passion for the congregation's song, the job of choosing music and leading the congregational singing often falls to the pastor.
The Pastors Conference is a time for those who don't feel well-equipped for those tasks. It is an opportunity to learn from other pastors, song leaders, text writers, and tune writers. These two days of singing and learning will help empower pastors to better lead their congregation in song.
Running concurrently with regular conference activities on Monday and Tuesday,
Deb Loftis will convene the conference assisted by Jessica Paulsen, Adam Tice, Kelly Grooms, John Thornburg, and Sally Ann Morris.
Are there pastors in your area who would benefit from what we can offer? Past participants have said that the experience has changed the way they lead in worship and completely re-oriented their approach to worship planning.
Cost is only $195 for instruction, housing and meals. Local participants who don't need housing pay just $95.
Help us spread the word so that those who would benefit have access to these sessions!!
|
Writing the Church's Song Don't miss our fall workshop retreat for poets and composers of all styles of congregational song in September, 2016. Outstanding faculty will guide participants, providing insights from their own writing process and offering feedback. There will be time for small group interaction and ample time for individuals to work on their own projects. The workshop will be held at Richmond Hill, an ecumenical community in the heart of Richmond, Virginia. Full schedule is available and registration is open on the website .
Registrations are already coming in so reserve your spot soon!!
Schedule Overview
Monday, Sept 26: check in after 4 pm and join the community for prayer and dinner Tuesday Sept 27 through Thursday Sept 29: workshop sessions Friday Sept 30: check out after breakfast and depart for home Faculty
   Adam M. L. Tice David M. Bailey Sally Ann Morris
|
Hymnary.org Resources
Kai Ton Chau Program Manager, Hymnary.org
|
New Edition of Hinário Luterano in Brazil
Congratulations to some of the Brazilian friends who have joined us for Annual Conference over the last several years. They are celebrating a new edition of Hinário Luterano, produced at the 30th anniversary of the first edition (1986).
Rev. Raul Blum - was the official (IELB) Brazilian Evangelical Lutheran Church) Worship Committee representative for this edition, which included organization and supervision, responsible for revisions of music and chord indications.
Ábner Campos - technical in charge of the subcommittee for this re-edition:music setting, updating of information missing, updating of copyright issues, general revision of notation and chords, building of indexes and layout in cooperation with Concordia Publishers and others in the committee.
Rev. Paulo Brum - responsible for the revision of proofs and arranger.
For more description of the new edition see the attached pdf: Hinaˇrio Luterano
|
Association for Reformed and Liturgical Worship The spring convocation, Worship, God's Call, Our Response will be held Sunday July 24 through Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at the Prince Conference Center, Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, MI. The meeting is sponsored jointly with Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Church Music Institute. For more information, see the attached Flyer. We're also pleased to share that AR&LW will be meeting jointly with The Hymn Society's annual conference in July 2017 in Canada.
|
LutheranArts Sponsors Martin Luther Hymn Prizes
LutheranArts is offering three inaugural Martin Luther Hymn Prizes to honor the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017. John Nuechterlein, President of the American Composers Forum, wanted to make sure Hymn Society members and friends learn about this exciting new venture. You may learn more about the prizes on the website: www.LutheranArts.org. Deadline to register an application is May 31. LutheranArts is open to all.
|
Prayer Books Available Sr. Loretta Manzara has notified us that her religious community is looking for a new home for 46 copies of Pray Without Ceasing, Prayer for Morning and Evening, published by The Liturgical Press in Cooperation with the Institute for Liturgical Ministry in 1993. Authors: Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.P.P.S., Kathleen Harmon, S.N.D. de N., Jean-Pierre Prevost, S.M.M., Delphine Kolker., C.P.P.S.; 671 pages, hard-cover. With a simpler structure than the official Roman Rite for the Liturgy of Hours, this prayer book is more accessible to all members of the Church. Thus, it renews the original intent of morning and evening prayer as the prayer of the whole Church. This adaptation is in keeping with a long tradition of accommodating morning and evening prayer to the needs of the particular faith community. The language is inclusive, only 45 Psalms (chosen for their appropriateness to the time of day and daily rhythm to the Paschal Mystery) are used, and the work is arranged in a two-week series that begins with the weekend. Two marked styles shape the prayer offered. The weekdays are more contemplative; the structure is simple, the Psalms are recited. Weekends are noticeably festive; the structure is more elaborate and much of the prayer is sung. The simple structure means no ordo is needed, page-flipping is kept to a minimum, and music is included to encourage singing of appropriate elements. Suggestions for choosing scriptural texts are included in the introduction, although the scriptural texts themselves are not included. The only cost to those interested would be to cover the shipping. Please contact Loretta at lmanzara@csjcanada.org
|
MTSO Offers Congregational Song Courses in 2016-17
Methodist Theological School in Ohio will be offering two congregational song courses in the 2016-17 academic year. Music of Taizé will meet Sept. 10 and Oct. 1, 2016, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with some online work during those months. Praise and Worship will meet Feb. 11 and 25, 2017, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with some online work in February. Both courses carry one hour of graduate academic credit and are taught by Dr. Robin Knowles Wallace. To enroll, contact admissions@mtso.edu . To audit the class for no credit, contact academicaffairs@mtso.edu.
|
Amazon Smile Remember that you can support The Hymn Society each time to buy books and products through Amazon. Enter the site through Amazon Smile, register The Hymn Society as your charity, and then enjoy your purchases even more, knowing that a percentage will come to us as a result.
|
Reviews of Hymn-Based Compositions
Our thanks to Charlie Steele for organ reviews this month. For those interested in instrumental hymn settings, please note that there are two reviews of compositions for cello and organ.
Reviews
If you'd like to write some reviews of hymn-based compositions, please contact Robin Knowles Wallace rwallace@mtso.edu
|
Church Music Institute Summer Workshop
"Music in Christian Worship: Forming Hearts and Habits of Faithfulness" will be the theme of the conference, June 10-11, 2016, presented by Church Music Institute and Brite Divinity School. It will convene at Zion Lutheran Church in Dallas, TX. For more information, see the attached Flyer.
|
Hymn Society Hymn Search
There's still time to get your entry in!
As part of The Hymn Society's ongoing commitment to the enrichment of congregational song and in anticipation of the 2016 conference "Formed in Faith, Shaped by Song" the Executive Committee has announced a search for a theologically rich hymn or song that engages the theme of the role of congregational singing in faith formation. The winning entry will be premiered at our 2016 conference in Redlands, California. An effective entry in this hymn search will address how singing as a part of a faith community shapes faith through various stages of life. The prize for the winning entry will be $500. Submissions must be received in The Hymn Society office by May 15, 2016. See the attachments for the full announcement, guidelines and entry form. Announcement Guidelines Entry Form |
News of Members
Carlton R. (Sam) Young, FHS turned 90 in April. Check out this tribute to him that includes "hymns" by Michael Hawn and Richard Watson. A tribute from Shirley Erena Murray was forwarded to us from Sam. I think he had a good birthday!
Michael Silhavy has been named by GIA Publications to the post of Senior Editor for Church Music. David Anderson, GIA's Senior Editor for the past five years will become Editor-at-Large. See the attached press release for more information. Press Release
|
Recent Events
April 17, 2016 -- "Water, River, Spirit, Grace: A Hymn Festival" was presented at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn Heights, NY. It was co-sponsored by The Hymn Society, the Brooklyn Chapter of the AGO, Plymouth Church and Grace Church. The planning committee consisted of Hymn Society and AGO members Jacque Jones, Pam McAllister, Robin Osborne Mooney, Bruce Oelchlager, Paul Richard Olson, Patricia Woodard, and Ellen Wright.
May 1, 2016 -- Steve Starke and Andreas Teich led a hymn festival of ten Welsh tunes sponsored by the Saginaw Valley chapter of the AGO. It was held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Bay City, MI.
|
Upcoming Events
May 15, 2016 -- A Hymn Festival, "Songs of the Spirit: Hymns and Anthems for Pentecost," will take place at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Susan Cherwien, author and hymn writer and the choir of Madison Avenue Church, led by Andrew Henderson, will lead the service that concludes the 51st season of the Saint Andrew Music Society. This is the Music Society's first hymn festival -- and we hope not their last!
June 26-July 1, July 3-8 -- Church Music Institute and Shenandoah Conservatory will host a conference, "Sing to the Lord ... with Understanding," A study of the history and repertoire of Congregational Song and its role in choral and organ settings. The session June 26- July will feature Donald McCullough; The July 3-8 session will feature Eileen Guenther and John Walker. For more information, visit the CMI website at www.su.edu/cmi
or contact the director, Dr. J. Thomas Mitts at cmi@su.edu
September 18, 2016 - John Kleinheksel will lead a Hymn Festival in Christ Memorial Church, Holland, MI, on the theme, "How Canons Model God and Human Interaction." Leaders from the S, A, T, and B sections will model and lead congregants in singing canons composed by John and others.
The Grand Rapids Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, coordinated by chapter director, Bob Batastini, FHS, is presenting a hymn festival celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy in Song, in six different locations around the diocese between this spring and next fall. Divided into five parts, focusing on a different aspects of God's merciful relationship with his people, each part will be preceded by a brief reading of the words of Pope Francis on this subject. Two additional presentations in Spanish, with appropriate music, are being prepared for next fall. For more information go to www.npm-gr.org Upcoming dates and locations are: May 20th: St. Francis de Sales, Holland September 16th: Cathedral of St. Andrew September 23rd: Holy Family, Caledonia September 30th: St. Francis de Sales, Muskegon
November 6, 2016 -- Alice Parker, FHS will visit College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL to lead a community hymn sing on Sunday night. Tickets will be required for the event. Contact Lee Kesselman, lrkmus@sbcglobal.net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
