Tag: music

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WORSHIP HYMNS | YOUTH SUNDAY

To celebrate Youth Sunday on April 18, we will have special musical performances of hymns we love featuring the Youth Choir. Other performing musicians will include Leanne Griffiths (piano), Gillian and Reanna Bartels Quansah (vocals), Delaney McCarty (flute), and Andre Penn (piano). There will also be classical music from Bach, Faure, and Mendelssohn.

Our hymns include “When The Poor Ones” and “No Hands But Yours,” written by Tom Shelton, PUMC Director of Children’s and Youth Choirs. Shelton has written many hymns and served as guest conductor at many music festivals for children and youth. We will start the service with one of my favorite hymns, “In Christ, There is No East or West.”

William A. Dunkerley wrote the hymn “In Christ, There Is No East Or West” in 1908 under the pseudonym John Oxenham, and is sung to the tune  ST. PETER (Reinagle). While it is appropriate for the Easter Season, some people criticized it for emphasizing masculine qualities.

 VIDEO   “In Christ, There Is No East Or West”

PUMC youth will lead our worship service, including prayers, music, and liturgy, with Ana Francisco-Cabus and Delaney McCarty sharing their youth testimonies. The Scripture is from “Matthew 25:34-40.”

Click here to join us in this worship service as we come before the Lord with joyful songs.

[Videos credit: YouTube] [Photo credit: PUMC Library]

Written by Isabella Dougan

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EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP MUSIC

🎵🎸🎼“Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; endless is the victory thou  o’er death hast won.” 🎼🎻🎵

On Easter Sunday, we experience the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and celebrate his victory over death. Christ has risen! Christ has risen indeed! Let us come before God’s presence with song and music and praise him for fulfilling the resurrection promise. Our talented musicians sharing in this service are Julia Hanna, the Chancel Choir, the Handbell Choir, William Gardner, Jenni Collins, Lori Pantaleo, Stephen Offer, and Tom Shelton. We are treated to a unique performance featuring a choral response with the “Hallelujah Chorus.” My favorite Easter hymn “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today” opens this Resurrection Sunday service.

Video:   “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”

Charles Wesley wrote most of the stanzas of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” in 1739. This hymn is considered an anthem for Easter, and it remains a traditional processional hymn on Easter Sunday. It focused on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and became well known for the “Alleluia” sung after each line, added by an unknown author to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

On this Easter Day, God turned a shockingly painful situation into one full of celebration. If you’re suffering or struggling with a problem, talk to God and ask him with confidence to bring good out of your situation. We journeyed to the tomb with Mary Magdalene and discovered the stone rolled away. The empty grave remained to prove our Savior lives. Jesus died for our sins so we might be saved. God loves us, and because he lives, we will live too. 

 

[Video Source: YouTube] [Image Source: Google Images]

Written by Isabella Dougan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WORSHIP MUSIC | FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

🎼🎸🎻🎺🎵”O God of every nation, of every race and land, redeem the whole creation with your almighty hand. Where hate and fear divide us, and bitter threats are hurled, in love and mercy guide us, and heal our strife-torn world.”🎼🎸🎻🎷🎵

On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, we will have a music performance featuring the PUMC Children’s Choir singing “Lenten Love Song” by Helen Kemp.  “God Made from One Blood,” a hymn set to a Welsh folk melody, refers to Acts 17:26, which tells us that from one man [Adam], God made all the families of the whole earth. It also deals with the reality of the modern family. The hymn  “O God Of Every Nation” is an appeal to God who created all races and the whole world, to deliver every nation and heal this strife-torn world. It also pleads for truth, love, and justice for all humanity and a bright future with an end to hate and division.  Joaquín Turina’s classical music including “Berceuse From Niñerias” is a favorite of PUMC.  Thank you Julia Hanna for playing such beautiful music! Our music and hymns always give us hope with renewed faith, especially this Sunday, as we mark one year of virtual worship. We look forward to going back to worship in our beautiful sanctuary.

Video “Sanctuary”

“Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary (Haz de mí, Dios, hoy, un santuario Vivo).” The authors of the text of “Sanctuary” are Randy Scruggs and John Thompson. Born in 1953 in Nashville, Tennessee, Randy Lynn Scruggs is a music producer, songwriter, and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13. He has won a Grammy Award and was twice named “Musician of the Year” at the Country Music Association Awards. He was one of the authors of “Lord of lords, King of kings.” The  hymn “Sanctuary” is asking God to make us “pure in our devotion to his love and holy in our commitment to obey his call.”

                                       [Image: – singing in our PUMC sanctuary]

If you’re looking for inspiration: Come worship with us at PUMC.  If you suffer or grieve, you will find healing here. If you are burdened with sin, you will find forgiveness here. If you are exhausted, you will find rest here. There is a place for you here in our beloved PUMC community, where you will have the love and support of others.

Click here to join us as we share in songs, prayer, music, scripture, and listen to Pastor Skitch’s Sermon.

 [Video Source: YouTube]

Written by Isabella Dougan

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WORSHIP MUSIC | FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

🎼🎵♬“Bind us together, Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together, Lord, bind us together, Lord, bind us together in love. .🎼🎵♬

On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we will have a special music performance featuring our Youth Choir singing “Your Servant I Will Be” by Mark Patterson. Our hymns today bring the message that we need to be united in love as the body of Christ.

The scripture this week comes from Mark 8:31-38 and Colossians 3:1-4.  As we journey with Jesus during Lent and witness his suffering, Jesus predicts his death and explains to us the way of the cross, saying, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” To appear with Christ in Glory, we must set our minds on things above and not on earthly things.   Rev. Jenny Smith Waltz will preach a sermon on the topic:  “Broken From Self.”

Video “Bind Us Together” 

Bob Gillman wrote the text and composed the tune to “Bind Us Together” in 1974. This hymn’s theme is that love binds us all together in unity, as reflected in Colossians 3:14 and Ephesians 4:1-6. Gillman started writing songs at the age of 13 when he became a Christian. His interest in music included guitar and banjo playing. He also wrote children’s books, “Tales of Upchurch Station,” being one of them.

Video: “When We Are CalledTo Sing Your Praise”

Mary Nelson Keithahn, a retired UMC ordained pastor, wrote the hymn “When We Are Called To Sing Your Praise” in 2000. Ralph Vaughan set it to the tune KINGSFOLD. In 2016 Keithahn published a chapter book for children entitled “Elfie: Adventures on the Midwest Frontier.”

If you’re looking for inspiration: Come worship with us at PUMC and enjoy our hymns and music. They will give you hope with renewed faith. If you suffer or grieve, you will find healing here. If you are burdened with sin, you will find forgiveness here. If you are exhausted, you will find rest here. Remember, Jesus died for you. There is a place for you here.

Click here to join us as we share in songs, prayer, music, scripture, and listen to Pastor Jenny’s Sermon.

[Images courtesy of Google Images, and PUMC] [Videos Source: YouTube]

Written by Isabella Dougan

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Hymns & Music for Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

🎼🎶”Welcome to this place. You’re invited to come and know God’s grace. All are welcome the love of God to share because all of us are welcome here; all are welcome in this place.🎼🎶 

Worship With Us and Experience the Peace of God Here!

This Communion Sunday, our Virtual Handbell Choir will perform “Bind Us Together and Open Our Eyes, Lord,” arranged by Sharon Rogers. We will also sing the hymns “Welcome” and “We Are One in Christ Jesus” in English and Spanish. These songs relate to our scripture passage Colossians 3:8-17 and correspond to Pastor Jenny Smith Walz’s sermon, “Weave Us Together With Trust.” 

Are you sick, struggling with sin, exhausted, anxious about anything? You will find healing, forgiveness, rest, peace here. If you feel broken, remember, God loves you regardless of how you feel. Let us therefore lift up our voices in praise and glory to God.

 Laurie Zelman and Mark A. Miller wrote the Hymn “Welcome.” The music is by Miller.

“Welcome!

Let’s walk together for a while and ask where we begin;

To build a world where love can grow.

And hope can enter in, to be the hands of healing;

And to plant the seed of peace, singing.”

                       Video “We Are One In Christ“

The author of “We Are One in Christ/ Somos Uno En Cristo” is anonymous. The translators are Alice Parker and Frank Colon.

“We are one in Christ Jesus, all one body, all one spirit, All together.

 We share one God, One mighty Lord,

 one abiding faith, one binding love, 

one single baptism, one Holy Comforter, the Holy Spirit, uniting all.” 

Click here to join us as we share in songs, prayer, music,  scripture, children’s story time, and listen to Pastor Jenny’s sermon. 

(2 Images Source: Google Images)

Written by Isabella Dougan

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Hymns & Music for Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

🎼🎶“Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us; teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace. Be present, Lord, among us and Bring us to believe: we are ourselves accepted and meant to love and live.”🎼🎶

ENJOYING FELLOWSHIP THROUGH WORSHIP

Experience the Peace of God!

During worship, we at PUMC play or sing:

  • Classical music 
  • Sacred music. 
  • New and well-known hymns 
  • Gospel and Folk songs

Our music ministry includes: 

  • Handbell choir
  • Children’s choir
  • Youth choir  
  • Adult choir 

We use our music to spread the Gospel, praise God, give Him thanks, proclaim the truth, encourage and impact one another. When we praise God,  we get rid of worry, concern, and fear. We receive His peace. Thanking God opens the doors of blessings.  We pray that singing and performing will inspire us and help us find faith and hope.

Our hymns today relate to our scripture passages “Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16, 25-32, 5:1.” They also correspond to Pastor Jenny Smith Walz’s sermon, “Weave Us Together In Promise.” Pastor Jenny’s message is about the promise or covenant – the agreed-upon guidelines for our behavior in our community. Let us therefore listen to Pastor Jenny explain how God is inviting us to become a more beloved community. And let us sing together these two hymns among others:

                            Video “Help Us Accept Each Other”

The writer of the hymn “Help Us Accept Each Other” (1994) is Fred Kaan, born in Haarlem, Netherlands, who sought to address peace and justice issues. This hymn addresses reconciliation, forgiveness, and the healing power of laughter. It also asks God to give us grace to accept all people unconditionally. This song, which is also a prayer, reflects on Romans 15:7 and Ephesians 4:15. We, therefore, implore everyone to care for all God’s people as they are. Philippians 2:12-13 admonishes us to use Christ’s love to work out our salvation. We can do this by replacing the hate in the world with unconditional love.

                       Video “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”

British-born Baptist theologian, pastor, and hymn writer, John Fawcett, wrote the hymn “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” in 1782 to the tune DENNIS (Nägeli). It became a favorite hymn for Christians facing separation, affirming that friendship and community are real wealth assets. This song states that love binds the body of Christ together and that we love and suffer together. It refers to the unity and diversity of the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 and love in 1 Corinthians 13. Pastor Fawcett was always full of praise for the beauty of the beloved community in the church.

If you want to share in a more beloved community, invite someone to church this Sunday. Click here to watch the PUMC worship service, listen to the beautiful music, the children’s story time, the scripture readings, the sermon, the prayers, and the story sharing.

Images Source: Google Images

Written by Isabella Dougan

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Hymns & Music for Third Sunday After Epiphany

🎼🎶Bind us together, Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together, Lord, bind us together, Lord, bind us together in love. “There is only one God, there is only one King; There is only one body, that is why we sing.”.🎼🎶 | Hymns & Music for Third Sunday After Epiphany

COME SING WITH US THIS THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY  

 Come to a church that’s refreshing, inspiring, and fun!

At Princeton United Methodist Church, we play beautiful classical and sacred music during worship, which refreshes the spirit. We also sing new or well-known hymns and “gospel and folk songs.” PUMC music ministry includes a handbell choir, children, youth, and adult choirs. We pray that our music will inspire everyone, old and young, and help them find faith and hope. 

Our hymns go well with our scripture passage “Romans 12:1-16,” and are in line with Pastor Jenny Smith Walz’s sermon, “Weave Us Together In Sharing.” Pastor Jenny’s message is that “we are Christ’s body of chosen people, and each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. Therefore we must go ahead and be what God has created us to be, not trying to be something we are not.” Listen to Pastor Jenny explain how members of PUMC should share as individuals, and together as a community, in supporting our church with our prayers, our presence, our financial and spiritual gifts, our service, and our witness.  

Video “Bind Us Together, Lord”

“Bind Us Together, Lord,” was written by English songwriter Bob Gillman and published in 1974. The hymn refers to 1 Corinthians 13: 13 and Colossians 3:14. 

Video. “When We are Living”

“When We Are Living” {Pues Si Vivimos} is a traditional hymn from Mexico. It is a song of hope, trust, belonging, and discipleship. Verse One refers to Romans 14:8. 

 

Click here to watch the PUMC worship service, listen to the beautiful music, the children’s story time, the scripture readings, the sermon, the prayers, and the story sharing.

Images Source: Google Images

Written by Isabella Dougan

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Hymns & Music for Second Sunday After Epiphany

“Give Me Jesus,” “I Have a Dream,” “In Unity, We Lift Our Song.” | Hymns & Music for Second Sunday After Epiphany

COME SING WITH US THIS SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY  

Come to a church that’s refreshing, inspiring, and fun!

At Princeton United Methodist Church, we play beautiful classical and sacred music during worship, which refreshes the spirit. We also sing new or well-known hymns and “gospel and folk songs.” PUMC music ministry includes a handbell choir, children, youth, and adult choirs. We pray that our music will inspire everyone, old and young, and help them find faith and hope. 

This Sunday, we commission the elected leaders of our beloved PUMC (virtually) in worship.  God has blessed us enormously with the incredible and many leaders we have among us! You can find a list of the elected leaders here. The hymns that we sing at this worship service go perfectly with our scripture passages Acts 2:41-47 and 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 and are in line with Pastor Jenny Smith Walz’s sermon, “Weave Us Together with Compassion.” Pastor Jenny is inviting us to look at OUR PUMC community. “How can WE be more of a beloved community for one another and those beyond our church family?” she asks. To survive these challenging times we live in, Ephesians 2:14 reminds us, “Christ himself is our peace. He has made Jews and Gentiles into one group of people. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us.” 

  Video: “Give Me Jesus.” 

 During worship, watch our two music interns Christina Griffin, soprano, and Emily McDonald, piano, perform Mark Hayes’ arrangement of the traditional spiritual, “Give Me Jesus,” for the Music Ministry.

  Video: “I Have a Dream”

Pamela J. Pettitt, a Methodist minister in Britain, wrote the hymn “I Have a Dream” and published it in 2005 to the tune  REPTON. “The hymn’s title, “I have a dream,” stems from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech delivered to over 200,000 civil rights supporters on 28 August 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In his speech, King called for racial equality and an end to racial discrimination.” Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday, will be observed tomorrow Monday, January 18, 2021.

                            Video: “In Unity, We Lift Our Song” 

Ken Medema, blind from birth, is a songwriter, composer, recording artist, and storyteller through music and is the author of the hymn “In Unity, We Lift Our Song.” It is set to the tune EIN’ FESTE BURG. This hymn teaches us that we are all welcome in God’s kingdom. It refers to Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“

Click here to watch the PUMC worship service, listen to the beautiful music, the children’s story time, the scripture readings, the sermon, the prayers, and the story sharing.

Image Source: Google Images

Written by Isabella Dougan

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Hymns and Music for First Sunday after the Epiphany

“Down by the Jordan,” “Down to the River to Pray,” “Baptized in Water.” | Hymns and Music for First Sunday after the Epiphany

COME SING WITH US THIS FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY  

Come to a church that’s refreshing, inspiring, and fun!

At Princeton United Methodist Church, we play beautiful classical and sacred music during worship, which refreshes the spirit. We also sing new or well-known hymns and “gospel and folk songs.” PUMC music ministry includes a handbell choir, children, youth and adult choirs. We pray that our music will inspire everyone, old and young, and help them find faith and hope. 

This Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s baptism, and we reaffirm our baptismal vows as we come to the waters to renew our commitments to Christ. This recommitment will remind us of how Christ heals us, especially in light of what is going on around us today. The hymns that we sing at this worship service go perfectly with our scripture, Mark 1:4-11, and are also in line with Pastor Jenny Smith Walz’s sermon, “Baptism of Christ.”  Here are three of the hymns:

  Video:  “Down by the Jordan”

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette wrote the hymn “Down by the Jordan; a Prophet named John was Baptizing” and published it in 2000. It draws from Bible scripture in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and tells about the chosen one, birth and baptism, love and joy. The tune generally used for this hymn is LOBE DEN HERREN. 

  Video:  “Down to the River to Pray” 

“Down to the River to Pray” is a traditional American song differently described as a Christian folk hymn, an African-American spiritual, Appalachian music, and a gospel song. The text contains some scriptural references. Ephesian 4:5 tells us, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” This profoundly spiritual hymn is about “keeping the faith in a time of darkness.” It gained popularity in 2000 after Alison Krauss performed it for the film’s soundtrack, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” 

     Video:  “Baptized in Water”

Michael Saward wrote “Baptized in Water” in London on May 29, 1981, a few days after the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination to the ministry. The tune generally used for this hymn is BUNESSAN. The text is rich in baptismal images and scriptural references. It is a great hymn for infant or adult baptism. It also tells of being cleansed by Jesus’ blood for salvation, godly living, dying and being buried with Jesus and rising again, free and forgiven, becoming God’s children and praising God.                                                 

Click here to watch the PUMC worship service, listen to the beautiful music, the children’s story time, the scripture readings, the sermon, the prayers, and the story sharing.

Image Source: Google images

Written by Isabella Dougan

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“My Hope is Built,’ “Rock of Ages,” “This Little Light”: Hymns for Laity Sunday

                           

WHAT WILL WE SING THIS LAITY SUNDAY?

         Come to a church that’s refreshing, inspiring, and fun!

At PUMC we play beautiful classical and sacred music during worship, and that refreshes the spirit.  We also sing well-known and new hymns as well as “gospel songs” that lift us to Heaven. We pray that our music will inspire everyone, old and young and help them find faith and hope.                          

The hymns that will be sung this Sunday describe personal feelings of pain and suffering, and the hope, which we get from God’s presence especially in church.  

 “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” was written by Edward Mote, a pastor at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Sussex as a Christian hymn. The refrain of the hymn refers to the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders and the metaphor of Christ as a rock according to 1 Corinthians 10:4 [Wikipedia]. This hymn tells us to trust in God when we face the unknown, for Christ will give us support and hope. It also tells about Christ’s triumphant second coming, as recorded in (Matthew 24:43, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Corinthians 11:26, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4, 2 Peter 3:10, and Revelation 16:15).To watch a YouTube video of this hymn, click here.

“Rock of Ages” is a Christian hymn sung to the tune “Toplady” by Thomas Hastings in the US. It is believed that the Reverend Augustus Toplady  was inspired to write it after seeking shelter from a thunderstorm in a cleft in a rock at Burrington Combe in Somerset, England in 1776. “In “Rock of Ages,” the singer confesses, and is comforted, that in life, death, and eternity his standing before God depends entirely on the merits of Christ—the only safe place, or rock, where lawbreakers can hide from the curse they have brought upon themselves.”To watch a YouTube video of this hymn, click here.

“This Little Light of Mine” is a popular gospel song, its origin unknown, but sung all around the world. It is often thought of as an African-American spiritual, but can be found in The United Methodist Hymnal and other hymn books. It was sung as a Civil Rights anthem in the 1950s and 1960s, especially the version by Bettie Mae Fikes. It became a popular children’s song and is also included in Christian children’s song books. In 2018, counter-protesters sang “This Little Light of Mine” defiantly before a crowd of white supremacists and alt-right supporters in Charlottesville.“This Little Light” is also sung in several scenes of the 1994 film Corrina, Corrina starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta. A version of this popular song was played at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Merkle in May 2018. To watch a YouTube video of this hymn, click here. 

 Click here to listen to the PUMC worship service, hear the beautiful music, the children’s time, the scripture readings, the sermon, the prayers and the story sharing.

Images Source: google images

Written by Isabella Dougan