Hymn Choosing

Good session with Margaret and Veronica this morning choosing hymns for St Mary's - we got as far as All Saints Day...

A Song for Mothering Sunday

It's really tricky to find an appropriate song for Mothering Sunday. There are a few "Mary songs" in the catholic tradition and a number of issue based songs from the liberal wing, but not many praise songs that pick up some of the biblical images of a "mothering God". I've had a go at a second verse for "Father God" which I hope to try out on Sunday:

As a mother hen lifts
up her wings and draws
her chicks around her,
You are always there to hold us
safe within Your arms.
Your love for us is like the love
that mothers have for those they nurture.
You will not forget your people.
Loving God, You're always with us.

We will sing Your praises,
We will sing Your praises,
We will sing Your praises for evermore.
We will sing Your praises,
We will sing Your praises,
We will sing Your praises for evermore.

Not sure if I can get anyone to sing it but I'll give it a go.

Hymn Choosing

I had another valuable session with Margaret and Veronica to choose hymns for St Mary's today. We picked hymns for all St Mary's services right up to Advent Sunday. I note (having done this) that I'm not going to be at any of these services! - oh well...

These sessions are hard work, but they are also a great example of productive collaborative ministry. There are various advantages. By working together:

• we can think of the "season" as a whole, rather than as a series of one off events.
• we become more courageous and pick more challenging hymns
• there is more variety and less repetition, but...
• we can choose to reinforce a new hymn
• everyone has the information in good time
• we can use a broader range of knowledge and experience

In other words, its a good example of the kind of thing I've been talking about on this blog...
Looking to the future, its effectiveness could probably be improved by widening the circle of participants. Who else would be a valuable contributor? Could the wider team become more involved? Is there a more appropriate process? - would anything in "Wisdom of Crowds" be helpful?