The typical life cycle of a church hymnals is 25 years. We are working to purchase new hymnals for the sanctuary in the next few months. The congregation is invited to be part of this experience by purchasing a hymnal in honor of someone special.
Sam Carlton, Classic Worship Arts Director, says of the hymnal cycle, “It is important to include fresh ideas and music in new hymnals and that takes time.”
This new hymnal will include 200 more hymns than the current edition.
“These new hymnals have more educational information included,” Carlton says. “There is a blurb on the bottom of the page of every hymn, providing additional facts about the hymn. These are things that connect us more to what we are singing.”
He says the new hymnals are more accessible and easier to follow for the average congregant.
In a white paper describing the new hymnals, Mary Louise Bringle, chair of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS) notes that a number of the most respected songwriters of the contemporary worship movement are represented, including Twila Paris, Michael Smith, and Chris Tomlin.
She says the hymnal also includes more gospel songs and black spirituals such as “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and “Take Me to the Water.” Included for the first time (or rarely) in the Presbyterian hymnal are songs such as “Shall We Gather at the River,” which has only appeared in the 1874 hymnal, and “It is Well with my Soul.”
Carlton describes this fund-raiser as “Filling the Measure,” a musical term for the notes which fill one measure on a musical staff.
The phrase can also be used to describe the process of becoming more like Christ in our spiritual journey or to be filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19).
To complete this endeavor, we need 625 hymnals with an additional 258 large print editions. The standard hymnal is $25, while the large print are $35.
Anyone who purchases a new hymnal will have the option of receiving one of our current hymnals for their home libraries. All of the current hymnals which were given in honor of someone will be given to either the named honoree or a member of their family or to the original donor or a member of their family.
If you are interested in making a donation to Fill the Measure, click here or contact Sam Carlton directly.