Congregational Budgeting
The excitement is building as the 2013 hymnal takes shape. Begin your planning now!
“We are all the inheritors, caretakers, and innovators of a rich and global treasure of music in the life of the church.” —Jan Kraybill, principal organist, Community of Christ
“As denominational ‘families,’ we each have our own particular memories to cherish and legacies to preserve.” —Mary Louise Bringle, past president, The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
“We are not just singing ‘for the person seated next to us,’ but also ‘for the person not yet in the pews.’—“Singing the Stranger’s Song in Our Own Lands,” unpublished paper delivered at the joint conference of the International Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Hymnologie, The Hymn Society in the United and Canada, the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
“It is not about aesthetics—about what we like or dislike. It is about singing our faith in our local community while opening ourselves to new possibilities…and to experience the expansiveness of God’s realm.” —Excerpt from “Singing an Eclectic Repertoire,” Bruce G. Epperly, Daryl Hollinger
“Our songs may well be the single most important resource for expressing the evolving theology of Community of Christ and reinforcing our identity, message, mission, and beliefs. In addition, the worship life of the church is central to its existence, and new song resources will be an important contribution to enhancing congregational worship life.” —Jane Gardner, director of integrated formation ministries, Community of Christ
“In tones of rich harmony, new anthems to sing…” —Mark H. Forscutt, 1889, renowned RLDS missionary, writer and composer of hymns
What to budget
- The cost will be less than $25 per hardbound book edition
- Budget between $100 and $200 for auxiliary products. Among these are recorded accompaniment tracks, a three-ring bound musicians’ edition with approximately 95% of the selections to be lifted “as is” from the hymnal, vocal recordings for “shared” hymns and songs that Community of Christ will sing in international gatherings, and more.
Description
- One hardbound book containing approximately 600 to 650 hymns and songs primarily for the English-speaking church with:
- strong themes of mission, peace and justice, sacredness of creation, lament, pilgrimage, transformation, worth of all persons, and many more
- compelling scripture references and imagery
- a core “shared” collection of songs for Community of Christ that we will learn around the world and sing when we come together
- global and contemporary musical influences and styles
- relevant images, real-life issues, inclusive language for humanity and God
- At least 50% of the collection will be songs and tunes familiar to us from previous published hymnals and supplements.
- In addition, the collection will include:
- new hymns in a traditional style, some with familiar tunes
- contemporary songs
- world music, including songs from Taizé and Iona Community
- other culturally significant songs
Pre-sales, packaging, and shipping
- Pre-orders will be discounted 15%.
- We are anticipating pre-orders can be placed in the fall of 2012.
- For those who cannot pick up the 2013 hymnal from headquarters, cartons containing 10 books each will be shipped by truck and specific arrangements will need to be made for receipt to individual congregations.
- Hymnals ordered by individuals in the United States will be shipped to homes via the United States Postal Service.
Disposition of older hymnals
- The 2013 hymnal will replace the current books (Hymns of the Saints, Sing for Peace, Sing a New Song, By Request).
- The 2013 hymnal will be the Community of Christ’s primary music worship resource.
- International headquarters will not be able to offer a corporate disposition program for the older books; however, we encourage the recycling of these books or contribution to used bookstores.
Electronic media products/projection
- We are working with our publisher, Hope Publishing Company, to secure copyright approvals, including permission for electronic projection.
- All songs that are public domain and owned by Community of Christ will be made available for electronic projection.
- With an annual license fee through OneLicense.net (http://www.onelicense.net/) or CCLI (http://www.ccli.com/), congregations would have permission to project or make copies of most of the songs in the collection.
- We do not currently know what copyright restrictions will pose challenges for the 2013 hymnal content, but will keep you informed as more information is available.
Non-English speaking fields of the church
- The collection includes songs with other languages along with English.
- We are in the process of negotiating print-on-demand permission for the core “shared” songs.
- Recordings of the core “shared” songs will be available to assist with pronunciation and style interpretation.
February 2011