April 7, 2024
Then Let us Sing!
Happy Easter Everyone – what a glorious worship we had on Easter. Thank you so much Judy Pringle for the wonderful pageantry of Easter music we heard and sang to last Sunday. We celebrated the resurrection in word and communion and music.
Music is such a central part of worship and this week (April 7) we are blessed to have the music director from Southampton, Christina Edwards and the Southampton choir lead the music from the Central Westside sanctuary. It is also an opportunity for you to learn some of the music from More Voices United. Christina and the choir are going to lead a short hymn sing after worship to help you get familiar with these wonderful hymns.
Our hymnody is always changing as our language and theology changes. In the United Church we have had five hymn books that I remember. When I was a little girl, we sang from the black or dark blue hymn book (The Hymnary). It was the first hymn book that the United Church compiled after union, and we sang from it for years and years. The red hymn book appeared in the early 70’s, a collaboration with the Anglicans. In the 80’s as things change Songs for a Gospel People (green book) was added to supplement more modern hymns. In 1996 Voices United was released and in 2007 More Voices. For the 100th anniversary the United Church is release a new hymn book/digital platform.
This fall we will have access to “Then Let Us Sing”, an online digital platform that will include all previous hymn books as well as new resources. (a print copy will be available by 2025 ~ for the 100th). In answer to the question ‘why now?’ this is what the website says:
God has given us a song to sing. Singing and worshipping together are foundational ways we have lived out our faith for almost 100 years. It has been 25 years since the publication of Voices United, and it is time for a new resource to help all of us sing our faith into the next century. We have been called to develop new resources to support the changing landscape, addressing and anticipating the needs of our evolving church for the years to come. Then Let Us Sing! will increase the availability and accessibility of dynamic, multimedia resources, equipping United Churches for the next 100 years of worship and musical possibilities.
Here's to another 100 years of singing together to give praise to God. Please join us this Sunday and learn and listen to some wonderful hymns.
~Heather