Hymnal Transition

This Sunday we will say “goodbye” to our well used and much loved church hymnal, The Worshiping Church, and say “hello” to our new church hymnal, Lift Up Your Hearts. We hope you will join us for worship as we learn more about our new hymnals and allow them assist us in our worship of God!

All copies of The Worshiping Church have been pulled from the sanctuary and placed on tables in the Fellowship Hall. Church members are welcome to take one of these hymnals for themselves. Below is a list of hymnals and dedications, in case you would like one given by, in honor of, or in memory of, a specific person:

• To FPC by Joe & Charlotte Cowan

• To FPC by Dave & Terry Dornberg (3)

• To FPC by Jim & Sylvia Smythe (2)

• To Mrs. Clyde Law by Lyn Davis

• To Jimmy Lane by Lyn Davis

• To FPC by Bob & Martha Vodak

• To Jimmy Lane by Constance Miller

• To FPC by David Noland

• To Malvery Botner by Taft Botner (75)

• To various by Bob & Mildred Thutt (27)

• To FPC by Lewis & Dorothy Farmer (7)

• To Mrs. Clyde Law by Elizabeth Cope

• To Jimmy Lane by Elizabeth Cope

• To Mildred Lane by Jimmy Lane (17)

• To FPC by Dave & Terry Dornberg (3)

• To Jimmy Lane by Norma Fulk

• To Jimmy Lane by Bill & Bobbie James

• To Jimmy Lane by Kathleen Stewart

• To Jimmy Lane by Judge & Mrs. James Stephenson

A New Hymnal: Next Steps

Hymnal Update

The Worship Committee would like to thank everyone for the feedback you have provided as we have researched newer hymnals that might enrich our worship together. Your thoughts and concerns support our guiding principles that a hymnal must be biblically based, support our reformed tradition of worship, honor the centuries of great hymns that have been foundational to our worship, and include the best of the more recent hymns that can deepen our worship.

We reviewed several hymnals and are excited to report that we have found one which we feel will support our worship for years to come. Lift Up Your Hearts is, as the editors write, a collection of hymns that is “biblical, Reformed, balanced and accessible.” It contains the hymns we have treasured for generations as well as the best of new hymns, songs from the global church and settings of all the psalms. In addition the hymnal is a rich source of prayers, litanies, scripture readings and creeds that will enhance our worship.

We would like to make a more detailed presentation about the hymnal and encourage you to attend the February 1st Family Night Supper to learn more about Lift Up Your Hearts. We think you will agree that the creators of this hymnal succeeded in creating a resource that “is deep enough to give voice to our praises and laments, contain both our sung prayers and God’s words to us, and play a significant role in the faith formation of Christians young and old alike.” The purchase of new hymnals will be totally supported by donations. Each hymnal will cost $20 and there will be the opportunity to designate hymnals in honor or memory of loved ones. Donations can be made by check or online to the Hymnal Fund.

Steve Baxley, Worship Committee chair

Click here for Hymnal Fund donation forms, or see below!

First Presbyterian Church Hymnal Fund

We are starting to collect donations for the new Hymnal Fund. The cost of each hymnal will be $20. If you would like to make a donation in honor or memory of someone, please fill in the information below and return it to the church office (forms will be available to you on Sunday mornings). Bookplates will be added to hymnals as designated.

Name: ________________________________

Amount:_______________________________

In Honor / Memory of (circle one):

Name __________________________________

Given by _________________________________

Questions? Contact Steve Baxley or Pastor Blake Daniel.
Learn more about Lift Up Your Hearts by clicking here.

A New Hymnal: First Steps

The Session and Worship Committee at First Presbyterian Church are exploring the possibility of purchasing new hymnals for worship use. We have created this website as a resource for the congregation. Please take a look at the links and information below.

Letter from Steve Baxley

I love hymnals. I have eighteen different hymnals on my bookshelves at home. I come by this naturally since, from time to time, my father led the music at the churches we attended as I grew up, and many of the hymnals on my shelves were his. During my years as a minister of music, I added to my collection and our hymnal, The Worshiping Church, is among them. It holds a special place in my collection and not just because it is the hymnal of our church. The first person listed on the Editorial Committee that created the hymnal is Kerchal Armstrong. He and his wife were my favorite babysitters when I was a small child. Another member of the committee, Robert E. Webber, was my teacher for my Certificate of Worship Studies. It is one of the best of the new hymnals and hymnal revisions of the early 1990s. The beginning of the foreword to The Worshiping Church touches on the “reasonable lifetime” of a hymnal, the ‘“hymnal explosion”’ of the previous twenty years, and the changes in styles that had occurred during that time, all leading to the need for the creation of this hymnal. Our hymnal was first published in 1990 and, since that time, the “explosion” of excellent new hymns has continued if not increased. You will be familiar with a few of these hymns that we have sung with the words printed in our bulletins. “Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God” and “Blest Are They” are examples of new hymns coming from the United Kingdom and the United States. As music being sung in the global community becomes more accessible, great hymns from other cultures around the world are now being added to new hymnals. The growing interest in singing the Psalms has led to new, beautiful settings of these biblical texts. Changes in style during this time have meant that new hymns are more lyrical, accessible, and singable and often speak to issues for the church today that were not issues for our early hymn writers.

The Worship Committee at First Presbyterian Church is looking at new hymnals to see what is available that might contribute to our worship together. Church musicians say that the life of a hymnal is usually 20 – 25 years and ours is now 32 years old. There is an amazing body of hymns that was not available to the committee that created The Worshiping Church, and there have been more recent hymnals published that include the best of the new generation of hymns. Our guiding principles are that a hymnal must be biblically based, support our reformed tradition of worship, honor the centuries of great hymns that have been foundational to our worship, and include the best of the more recent hymns that can enrich and deepen our worship.

As part of our exploration of the hymnal’s place in our worship, we seek your input to help guide us. If you would like to share your thoughts on the place of hymnals in your worship experience, please fill out the questionnaire above. You will also find more information about the importance of hymnals at this link and new information will be posted in the weeks ahead. Also feel free to reach out to me at church or call or email me.

In Christ,
Steve Baxley
Chair, Worship Committee