Nashville, October 9—The Hymnal Revision Committee, authorized by the 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, is announced today.
The committee is charged with preparing and presenting to the 2012 General Conference a hymn and worship resource for adoption as an official hymnal of The United Methodist Church for congregational use in the United States.
As the first comprehensive resource since publication of the initial United Methodist Hymnal in 1989, the new resource will aspire to
· reflect the changes that are occurring in music and liturgy throughout the connection and the larger Christian world
· enable United Methodists to sing and worship in ways that honor God and transform persons and congregations toward personal piety and social holiness
· provide a common language of prayer and song
· remember and celebrate the rich Wesleyan (Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren), sacramental, evangelical, and diverse theological traditions
· incorporate expressions of worship in new and revitalized congregations to engage all persons, including new, younger, and diverse people
· hold broad appeal across cultural, geographical, age, and congregational settings
· incorporate the newest technologies and ways of communicating the music and liturgy of the Church
· offer a clear expression of hope that The United Methodist Church is growing in its love of God and neighbor to transform the world
· enable all who use it to express their own heart-language for God and to hear the heart-language of others
As provided for in action by the General Conference, a total of 27 voting members were named by the Council of Bishops, The Order of St. Luke, The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, the General Board of Discipleship, and The United Methodist Publishing House.
The first meeting of the Hymnal Revision Committee will be held from January 20-22, 2009, in Nashville. The voting members are as follows:
Bishops
William W. Hutchinson
Deborah L. Kiesey
Ernest S. Lyght
Lay Persons
Neil M. Alexander
Beverly Clement
Mary Jo Dahlberg
Stacy Hood
Heather Josselyn-Cranson
Jorge Lockward
Raquel Martinez
Marcia McFee
Shannon Meister
Mark Miller
Clergy
Laura Jaquith Bartlett
Grace Cajiuat
Patricia Farris
R. Carl Frazier
Karen Greenwaldt
Trey Hall
Hyoik Kim
Walter Kimbrough
Andy Langford
Robert H. McMichael III
Donna Strickland Smith
Eric Smith
John Thornburg
Mark J. Webb
The committee includes 13 women and 14 men. Three of the members are bishops, 7 female and 9 male clergy, 2 male clergy candidates, 6 female laity, 3 male laity. A further breakdown shows 17 Caucasians, 5 African Americans, 2 Hispanic/Latino/Spanish/ Portuguese, 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1 Korean, 1 Native American. Members bring a vast array of experience to this new task, including work on the first United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, Zion Still Sings!, and Mil Voces para Celebrar.
Direct inquiries to Judy Smith, The United Methodist Publishing House, 201 8th Avenue S., Nashville, TN 37203, or e-mail umchymnal@umpublishing.org.
