Together in Worship launches in collaboration with CommonWord
While Mennonites across Canada and the United States eagerly await the arrival of the new hymnal, Voices Together, hundreds of online worship resources are already accessible to them through a brand new website that launched in November. Together in Worship (TiW) is an online, curated collection of free and downloadable Anabaptist worship resources. It’s also…
Mennonite milestones through an artist’s lens
The year 2020 featured some big moments in the Mennonite world. MennoMedia launched Voices Together, the new worship and song collection; and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) celebrated its centennial. Although COVID-19 prevented people from gathering in person to mark these milestones, one artist still found a way to commemorate them. Lynda Toews, the artist-in-residence…
Release dates for Voices Together announced
MennoMedia will begin shipping Voices Together print products in November but most digital products will be available in mid-October 2020. On Oct. 19, the app versions of the pew edition, the accompaniment edition, and the worship leader edition will be available as in-app purchases. This app is available in the Hymnals app for both iOS…
Sarah Johnson honoured as distinguished alumna
Sarah Johnson Theology scholar Sarah Kathleen Johnson has always been interested in religion and Christian worship. In her pursuit of education, her many different involvements at Conrad Grebel University College deepened, clarified and expanded those interests through courses, innovative chapel experiences and late-night conversations. Because of her inspiring creativity, thoughtful dedication and unique contributions to…
Together, in song
The last time my church sang together was March 8, the second Sunday in Lent. Since then, my singing has consisted of one backyard, physically distant, “Happy Birthday” and my lone voice following the congregation’s pre-recorded music on the screen. For those of us who count congregational music as a vital part of our…
Voices Together announces No. 1 hymn
As Voices Together nears publication, the Mennonite Worship and Song Committee editorial team has assigned the roughly 750 songs across the table of contents and selected the song that will appear first in the collection. “The first hymn among the hundreds found in a hymnal shouldn’t matter, but it does,” says Rebecca Slough, managing editor…
Ways to sing together during online worship
One of the most potent ways we cope with hardship is by singing and praying together. Amid the loss of in-person gathering, congregations have shown a tremendous amount of creativity, whether worshiping via video conference platforms such as Zoom, livestreaming a service, or pre-recording the service. While we deeply feel the loss of the ability…
Music leaders sing hymnal preview
In the 1980s, Ken Nafziger drew inspiration from publisher and camp association president Levi Miller, and began leading a music retreat at Laurelville. It was initially designed to develop church song leaders. Several years later, Marlene Kropf and Marilyn Houser Hamm joined Nafziger in giving leadership to what is now called Laurelville’s Music and Worship…
Behind the scenes of Voices Together
When some of the individuals working on the forthcoming Voices Together hymnal needed help with a big task, they called their moms. The task was daunting. The text committee, the group responsible for researching and preparing all aspects of the more than 750 song texts to be included in the collection, needed draft files…
Watch: ‘Peace be with you’ in nine languages
Peace Sunday is coming up on Nov. 10 and Ontario Mennonite Music Camp has created a resource to help churches mark the occasion. In the short video below, OMMC campers and staff demonstrate how to say “Peace be with you” in Amharic, French, German, Lao, Mandarin, Spanish and three other languages. “We would love if…
