In the fall of 2020, MennoMedia released the latest Mennonite hymnal, Voices Together, commissioned by Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. “Hymnals are generational,” the planning team behind the new hymnal explain. “They reflect the rhythms of the Holy Spirit, moving among God’s people in a particular era. As worship rhythms develop new currents, the language of a recent generation needs to expand too.”
Voices Together succeeds Hymnal: A Worship Book (1992) and its two supplements, Sing the Journey (2005) and Sing the Story (2007).
The time between the release of an earlier songbook, The Mennonite Hymnal (1969), and the publication of Hymnal: A Worship Book was 23 years. The release of Voices Together in the fall of 2020 marked 28 years since the publication of Hymnal: A Worship Book.
Blooming Glen congregation spent one evening recently replacing all of their hymnals in their sanctuary. Photo by Betty Kulp.
Blooming Glen congregation spent one evening recently replacing all of their hymnals in their sanctuary. Photo by Betty Kulp.
Blooming Glen congregation spent one evening recently replacing all of their hymnals in their sanctuary. Photo by Betty Kulp.
Some Mosaic congregations have already purchased the new hymnal for use in worship. A few weeks ago, Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church replaced their old hymnals with Voices Together. One of their Sunday School classes, The Christiannaires, took on the task and, with organized teamwork, were able to swap out the hymnals in one evening.
If your congregation or organization could use copies of Hymnal: A Worship Book, Blooming Glen congregation would be happy to share their resources. Please contact Pastor Michael Bishop at Michael@bgmc.net for more information.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.