Kevin Law, Australia, participates as a reader at the 2005 event. Participants have included church members from all over the world, including India, Tahiti, Kenya, Russia, and Fiji.

Emma Hymn Festivals

The Reorganization “is the story of the faith, courage, and tenacity of Emma Smith,” Prophet-President Stephen M. Veazey said in his April 5 address to the church. “Without her we would not be here.”

In celebration of Emma’s life, leadership, and the hymnals she compiled, the John Whitmer Historical Association will hold a hymn festival on the morning of September 27 in Independence, Missouri. Visit www.jwha.info for more information. A similar event takes place every year at the Kirtland Temple in Ohio, and we invite congregations to host their own hymn festivals (visit www.kirtlandtemple.org/hymns for details and resources).

A revelation in July 1830 instructed Emma “to make a selection of sacred hymns...which is pleasing unto me...for my soul delighteth in the song of the heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 24:3b). Emma took this instruction seriously and in 1835 compiled the first hymnal for the church in Kirtland, Ohio. In 1841 she worked on a second hymnal in Nauvoo, Illinois, and in 1861 she compiled the first hymnal of the Reorganization.

Sarah Crowley and I organized the first annual Emma Hymn Festival in Kirtland for July 10, 2004, on the 200th anniversary of Emma’s birthday. Sarah describes the hymn festival as “a great opportunity to celebrate the church and the contributions of the early years to our song history.” Recalling the effort necessary to research the hymns, write them up, and produce the booklet for the festival, Sarah said: “It was a first-hand experience of what Emma would have done to compile the hymnal, except her hymnal had ninety hymns, and she had additional responsibilities as wife of the prophet and as a 19th-century woman.”

The Emma Hymn Festival usually lasts a little over an hour. It includes readings about significant events in Emma’s life, as well as hymns from her lifetime and from her hymnals. The original intention of the festival was to allow various Latter Day Saint denominations to participate and celebrate a prominent figure in our shared history. Some of the hymns still are found in the Community of Christ hymnal and some in the LDS or Restorationist hymnals. Others no longer are familiar to any group.

The hymn festival has been a popular event in Kirtland, reaching the Temple capacity of 300 people each time. We invite you to join us in Independence, Kirtland, or your own congregation.

—David Bolton reporting

Emma Hymn Festival Locations
Kirtland, Ohio:
Monday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Kirtland Temple; doors open at 7:00 p.m. Because of limited seating, tickets must be reserved. Call (440) 256-1830 for information.
Independence, Missouri:
Sunday, September 27. Hosted by the John Whitmer Historical Association’s annual conference. For more information, visit www.jwha.info.
Your congregation: Download materials at: www.kirtlandtemple.org/hymns and let us know where you plan to host a similar event, info@kirtlandtemple.org.