We don’t have much time to dilly dally on this one, but there is another hymn competition for those of you interested in poetry and hymnody. 🙂 This one is by the Hymn Society. An announcement for it is online here.
Here is a blurb about the Hymn Society from their website:
The mission of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada is to encourage, promote, and enliven congregational singing.
Encourage – by building supportive relationships and enabling networking and ecumenical cooperation.
Promote – by providing news of events, activities, and recent developments through our regular news publications and web presence.
Enliven – by providing experience in performance practices to help in the introduction and leading of the congregation’s song.Founded in 1922, The Hymn Society was formerly known as The Hymn Society of America, but the name of the organization was changed in 1991 to The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. The Hymn Society is for those who:
- believe that congregational song is an integral component of worship,
- believe that the writing and singing of new texts and tunes needs to be promoted,
- value learning about the origins of the words and music they sing.
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada is a 501(c)3 organization.
It does offer a pretty interesting website. I couldn’t find whether it is specifically Christian. There is a section for “Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community,” so I won’t pretend it’s a conservative’s best friend in the ministry.
Still, I think its poignant to think about the world’s need for songs about death and dying. It may not be rare for us as Lutherans, but it’s increasingly rare for other church bodies. Perhaps this is a way we can share the Gospel. And another way we can pray for them and that their needs be answered in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Here’s a description about the contest:
[A] competition for a hymn or song text for congregational singing that engages the themes of death and dying. The search is for a text whether written for an existing or new musical setting. The writer of the winning entry will receive a $500 prize. Deadline for submissions is May 15, 2020.
The search is inspired by the call for new texts by Mary Louise Bringle at the society’s 2019 annual conference during her plenary address, “Final Breath: Death, Dying, and Song,” wherein she noted the need for new texts that engage themes that have emerged through dialogue with natural and social sciences. Writers are encouraged to read the text of this address, which was published in The Hymn, Vol. 70, No. 4 (Autumn 2019). While writers of texts are encouraged to engage with the themes identified by Bringle in her presentation, texts on death and dying based on other perspectives will also be accepted.
I tried to find more information about it on the Hymn Society’s website, but didn’t find any.
