Music selection for new hymnal shaped by new table of contents

March 1, 2018

Music selection for new hymnal shaped by new table of contents

UNION, Mich. — The work of the Mennonite Worship and Song Committee is slow and joyful and involves a lot of singing.

The 14-person committee, working as the “Resonate Team,” gathered at Camp Friedenswald in February to continue its work toward the 2020 release of a new hymnal for Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.

“We’re in an exciting season right now,” said Bradley Kauffman, project director. “In 2017, we received more than 2,100 submissions of new and original content ranging from visual art to written worship resources to songs and hymns. It’s energizing to work with that content.”

The committee sang and processed more than two hundred songs at its February gathering, a year after it started the selection process at another meeting. The group continues to discern what strikes a chord among committee members and what will resound with the larger church.

“We’ve been listening to Anabaptists across the United States and Canada to see what resonates with congregations in both countries,” Kauffman said.

At this recent meeting the committee affirmed a table of contents that has been underway for many months. The committee views the table of contents as a lens to evaluate both the canon of existing content and new submissions, and will use it to populate the sections of what will become the new hymnal to be published by MennoMedia.

Committee member Sarah Kathleen Johnson said the table of contents will help churches go one step deeper into the tradition of Hymnal: A Worship Book and how it shaped worship. “The table of contents of Hymnal: A Worship Book is quite unique in that it follows the flow of worship,” she said. “Thinking about that flow of worship helps shape decisions about what to include in the new book and how songs support the actions within worship.”

The committee has had holy moments as it’s gathered in a circle and sung and discussed music. The group is immensely grateful for the submissions and interest, as well as prayers. “As we carry out this work, we invite your prayers to accompany us as we select worship materials for MC Canada and MC USA,” Kauffman said.

Fundraising for the project continues, and MennoMedia hopes to raise another $200,000 to $300,000 this year. “As a small, nonprofit organization, we do not have the resources to create this massive project without the contributions of generous donors—individuals and congregations who are willing to be patrons and keep the final costs to congregations lower,” said Amy Gingerich, executive director and publisher for MennoMedia. “We continue to welcome donations for this project.”

“Resonate” has been a working name for the committee and its work, but an official name and logo for the suite of hymnal products will be announced soon, said Gingerich.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact LeAnn Hamby at 540-908-3941 or email [email protected].

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