The website Decently and In Order tipped me off to the fact that the PCUSA is taking applications for people willing to serve on a new committee to produce a new hymnal.
Here's the link to the story on the PCUSA website:http://www.ppcbooks.com/hymnal.asp
I don't know about you, fellow PresbyReaders and Bloggers, but in my presbytery many of the smaller churches are still using the older "red" hymnal and never purchased the current "blue" one. In many churches, the congregation uses hymnal supplements that have more "praise songs" or other types of songs not included in the traditional hymnal.
In an increasing number of churches hymnals are not used AT ALL. Lyrics for praise songs, hymns, and responsive songs like the Doxology, are projected on screens. The hymnbooks languish, forgotten, in the pew racks. As a confirmed advocate of traditional, classic church music I may deplore that--but it is reality and this reality doesn't seem to fit with a new hymnbook to me. I wonder if the new committee will produce a digital hymnal, in place of, or in addition to a traditional format? An IPOD hymnal, like the one in this photo?
And lastly, do we really need to revisit the Worship Wars right now? Just wonderin'.
Here's the link to the story on the PCUSA website:http://www.ppcbooks.com/hymnal.asp
I don't know about you, fellow PresbyReaders and Bloggers, but in my presbytery many of the smaller churches are still using the older "red" hymnal and never purchased the current "blue" one. In many churches, the congregation uses hymnal supplements that have more "praise songs" or other types of songs not included in the traditional hymnal.
In an increasing number of churches hymnals are not used AT ALL. Lyrics for praise songs, hymns, and responsive songs like the Doxology, are projected on screens. The hymnbooks languish, forgotten, in the pew racks. As a confirmed advocate of traditional, classic church music I may deplore that--but it is reality and this reality doesn't seem to fit with a new hymnbook to me. I wonder if the new committee will produce a digital hymnal, in place of, or in addition to a traditional format? An IPOD hymnal, like the one in this photo?
And lastly, do we really need to revisit the Worship Wars right now? Just wonderin'.
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteI think congregations that want music other than what is in the "current" hymnal have already found it. I think many other congregations aren't even singing the "new" hymns that are in the "current" hymnal.
With everything else that's going on in this denomination, some committee has decided that we have an urgent need for a new hymnal?!?
ReplyDeleteSometimes your use of the verb "deplore" functions with utter perfection.
ReplyDeleteWe use the blue hymnal and as far as I can tell we make use of all of it. Plus we use inserts for Iona and other international and all kinds of other music. I think entire pews of people would keel over if a Powerpoint screen appeared in our santuary.
But an ipod version? Now that I can see -- although since I always need the help of my young adult children to learn how to do anything at all with mine, I can see that folks who are even older than I might find themselves ipod-challenged.
(I suppose that was a pretty age-ist statement. Not doubt there are many people older than I who are not nearly as technologically challenged.)
Yawn, another hymnal, just what we needed. With each now publication hymns get more and more shallow. Is it any surprise we are loosing members?
ReplyDeleteTHe IPOD is a great idea, we can stay home, listen to our favorite shallow song and watch a me centered sermon on TV.
My principal objection to projecting lyrics on a screen (aside from the appalling sanctuary aesthetics of it) is that only lyrics are presented, as if all of were musically illiterate. I for one can't sing a tune unless I read the music as well as the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Christine on the lyrics only business. I want to see the notes!
ReplyDeleteAnd our church got rid of the blue in favor of a green hymnal that has changed the words of the old classic hymns.
Don't like it. I'm a traditionalist myself. Some of the new things are fine. But I find a lot of them tuneless, simplistically repetetive and uninspiring.
We are way behind on even the old red hymnbook.
ReplyDeleteI didn't understand why we needed the blue one years ago.
Isn't there another way to enlarge our congregational singing than designing another hymnal?
I wonder about this, too, QG.
We have the blue hymnal, and it's time for a new one. We've got a supplement with words only (and no projection - probably because there's really no place to put it).
ReplyDeleteIt would be very helpful for the small congregations if there was a way to have all the accompaniment in mp3, etc. This is one way to provide quality music to sing to, without paying for someone to play.
There are lots of old standards (not in the blue hymnal) that the people know, and there are lots of the more contemporary songs the people know. The Old Rugged Cross, In the Garden, Onward Christian Soldiers, Majesty, Glorify Thy Name, His Name is Wonderful, etc.
It probably isn't very far off that we will be able to sit down with a list of songs and create a hymnal for a specific congregation - and have different layers of music available to go with it (organ, piano, flute, guitar, etc).
I'm with Christine and Presbyterian Gal on wanting/needing the music and not just the words! I've left a few instructions for my funeral and one is "DON'T USE THAT SCREEN!!!!"
ReplyDeleteAs for new hymnals v old hymnals - believe me, when the "venerated" red version was published there was an outcry about everything that had been left out and all the ultra-modern stuff that had been added. Every hymnal we've ever had other than the very first one has been met in this way. While the blue hymnal eliminates some old hymns or some verses, it also adds verses that had been "discarded" by previous editors. And while it did add some really bad hymns, it also removed some really bad ones.
That being said, someone would have to work really hard to convince me that development of a new hymnal is a good use of our resources right now.
Okay, I think I'm going to have to disagree on the hymnal front (though I agree with Christine and others about the projector issue-- I like to use the hymnal for the music, even when the words are beign projected literally right over my head.). The red hymnal came out in . . . 1950-something? 1960? The blue hymnal I'm more sure of-- early '90's when I was in seminary. So let's say it was 40 turbulent years between the two. It's been 15 years since blue came out. It'll be another 5 at the very least before we get another one, even if we start now. So we've cut the gap from 40 years to 20 years. Guys, the next edition of Windows will be out in like a year and a half (I don't actually know this, and I know that MS does this primarily based on profit margins, but still . . .) The point is, time is speeding up. People expect movement faster, IMHO. With all the supplementing we're doing in our local churches, isn't this a sign that we're ready for something new? Or will be in 5 more years? How different the world, and our worship patterns, are now than they were 20 years ago . . . And seriously, I'd rather sing "Great is thy faithfulness" than "insert praise song here" any day. I'm just saying . . .
ReplyDeleteBecky, you're right about time speeding up. Hymnals may be so last century. So maybe the committee needs to come up with a website with a catalogue of downloadable hymn/praise song sheets so churches can purchase only the ones they want to use and the website could have a lot more choices and be constantly updated.
ReplyDeleteyeah, like CCLI, but including all the old standards so I can use some old Methodist and Baptist Hymns as well as the classic Reformed Hymns and the occasional (non-vapid) praise song. Just let me have the versions BEFORE they reworded the theology -- Chariots of WRATH the deep thunderclouds form, not chariots of light. Just LOOK at the thunder clouds, fool!
ReplyDeleteAfter I wrote what I did I went to the PCUSA website and read what they were saying about the new hymnal, and I realized I was actually WRONG! I had forgotten, as many of us apparently had, about the venerable WorshipBook, from 1972. The website pointed out that we/they publish a new hymnal about every twenty years.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I still say time is speeding up. And I like the idea of a denominational hymn website a lot-- I would use it constantly. We have to keep in mind, though, that not all pastors, and, maybe especially, not all congregations, are so web-savvy. Yes, friends, it's true. There are still churches without websites. There are even still churches that don't have reliable web access or up-to-date computers. This was definitely true in East Tennessee, and I suspect it is probably true in many smaller and/or rural churches throughout the country. Not that we should limit ourselves because of this, I'm just saying . . .
Screens!? Egads!
ReplyDeleteI went to an Emergent church thing last weekend. Guess what they used?
And there was no MUSIC. Just WORDS. How can you sing with that? Lamentations!
I don't understand why we can't have music on the overhead screen. It would make for better Congregational singing. I frequently try to use a hymn book but in our church you may or may not find one since the pews get moved so often. Some times it's all bibles at others it's all hymnals. I'm often tempted to take one home to bring each week but that might be considered theft.
ReplyDeleteRecovering Baptist said...
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why we can't have music on the overhead screen. It would make for better Congregational singing.
All those notes would cover up the great graphics and/or video of the praise band !!
FWIW ... I for one have no problem with projection of lyrics, as many of the praise songs are not very hard to sing; and are often just 7/11 music a 7 word phrase, repeated 11 times.
That said, having a supplement in the pews with the full music, as well as the projection would assist those who cannot sing by ear !!
QG,
ReplyDeleteHave yoyu talked with the music staff at your church about the new hymnal project.
I have an extremely uneducated hunch the project is being driven by tall steeple music folks.
I don't think PPC would embark on such a big project if they thought it would lose money.
I see that Presbyterian Assoc. of Musicians is a partner in the project. I don't know about the make up of PAM's membership but my assumption is that it is those tall steeple folks.
Perhaps those folks have assured PPC that their congregations will buy boatloads of new hymnals.
Happy to be corrected if my assumptions and hunches are wrong.
I'd be in favor of this project if I knew that the results of the process would be made available in a variety of formats: traditional "book style" hymnals, discs in a variety of projection formats, a subscription whereby one could download text and audio files as you need them, etc.--and if there was an infrastructure to ensure that the discs and downloadable resources would be updated as technology advances. That would be a worthwhile investment. I think there is value to a diverse group of Presbyterian pastors, musicians and theologians sitting down every couple of decades to think carefully together about the music and words that give us at least something of a common worship language.
ReplyDelete