The words we sing in worship carry tremendous power to form our theological imaginations. The poetry we sing can become ingrained in our memories in ways that sermons and readings cannot. Songs learned in...
[read more]It’s been said that those who write the hymns need not care who writes the creeds. Hymns shape churchgoers’ beliefs far more than sermons or Confessions of Faith. Thus the stakes are high for the Voices...
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What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping, whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping? — Hymnal: A Worship Book, No. 215; text by William C. Dix,...
[read more]Thank you for “Our Hymns Shape Our Faith” (Blog, Sept. 10), which asks us to choose hymns wisely because they shape our faith more than sermons do. How do we choose our hymns? By the tune? The text? The...
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“Out of the fullness of the heart, the language of each mortal springs. If you would truly know a man, just listen to the songs he sings.” — Amish hymn writer John Paul Raber, Songs from Within...
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A new album of hymns has raised around $6,000 for Mennonite Central Committee in one month. The Midnight Hymn Sing is a collection of 10 classic hymns recorded in a blues-rock-folk style. Shannon Koehler of...
[read more]Are hymnals still relevant? It’s a question worth asking in light of the MennoMedia “Resonate” project, which will produce a new hymnal for Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada in 2020. It...
[read more]A fundraising website for the new song collection for Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada has been launched at HymnalProject606.com. The fundraising phase is called Project 606, so dubbed from the...
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We sometimes think that we are the church on our own — whether that’s our local congregation, our area conference or our denomination. But every time we pick up our hymnal, it connects us to brothers and...
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Almost every interaction I’ve had with the Mennonite church has made me feel right about belonging here. I’ve observed this many times with my home congregation, such as the way certain songs are...
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LEOLA, Pa. — A different kind of hymn sing took place May 6 at the Reiff farm near Leola. Twenty people from Switzerland, mostly from the Reformed Church tradition, gathered with a wide variety of U.S....
[read more]To say that “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” (“606” in The Mennonite Hymnal) was just “plucked from an 1830 edition of the Boston Handel and Hayden Society Collection” (Editorial, May 11)...
[read more]Every generation has its own music, and the previous one usually doesn’t like it. That’s the way of the world. And in the church? Yes, there’s a generation gap there, too. But young and old can still...
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GOSHEN, Ind. — For those in the audience, the May 2 live performance of A Prairie Home Companion at Goshen College was a show they’ll never forget. But for the 27 students in the college’s Chamber Choir,...
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This is the text of a speech made by Bobby Switzer at the Laurelville Worship and Song Leaders’ Retreat held Jan. 10. If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening, all over...
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GOSHEN, Ind. — With the goal of uniting in harmony to bring peace to a troubled world, Goshen College’s Hymn Club will bring together students and community members to sing continuously through every verse...
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“Are Anabaptists ready to rock and roll?” That was the question asked by Amy Gingerich of MennoMedia on the Mennobytes blog in September. Gingerich, editorial director at MennoMedia, asked the question...
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Earlier this year, while teaching a course on Brethren in Christ history and theology at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pa., I worked with Dr. Dwight Thomas to organize a hymn sing on campus. My students...
[read more]Kurt Willems’ “Singing ‘We’ Instead of ‘Me,’ ” piqued my curiosity. I started with a word count on the Psalms and Pauline letters of personal pronouns “I,” “my” and “me” and plural...
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