The Apostle Paul instructed the Colossian church that they should “with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” And we have been doing that ever since! For centuries the church has chosen to pull together collections of just such songs to assist congregations in carrying out Paul’s encouraging words. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of our church house on Fifth Street we have undertaken the compilation of a new hymnal – a collection of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that reflect the unique character and personality of our Beloved Community on Fifth Street.
Unlike choral anthems or solos, congregational song is designed to be accessible to everyone. The vocal range of our hymns should not be extreme and the tunes should be simple enough for most anyone to master. Congregational singing provides one of those unique moments in worship when EVERY voice is welcomed and indeed expected to participate!
Your Hymnal Task Force is hard at work editing this “100th Anniversary” collection of hymns. We are committed to theological integrity, variety, inclusive language, and Baptist tradition. Christians (and especially Baptist Christians!) have been known as a people who sing their faith. In that spirit we want to hear from you! You are encouraged to fill out the Hymnal Survey that appears here. (Printed copies of the survey are available in the church office.) We want to know those hymns that speak to your heart and allow you to speak from your heart to the God we love and worship. With gratitude in our hearts let us continue to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs!
– Pastor David