Lifting our voices in song is a long-running Mennonite tradition. And hymnals have been a big part of that tradition, teaching and encouraging us to sing in four (sometimes five) part harmony, with organ and piano. Are you feeling nostalgic yet? 

In spring 2008, Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church USA, and MennoMedia’s predecessor Mennonite Publishing Network started exploring the need for a new hymnal by surveying worship and music leaders in Mennonite congregations. After raising over $796,000 through generous donations, the project was ready to begin. 

Darryl Neustaedter Barg - Director of Communications with Mennonite Church Manitoba, and committee member of the Voices Together hymnal, joined CFAM 950 Morning Show Host Jayme Giesbrecht, to share the story of how it all came together...

Hymnals are generational. On the website, voicestogetherhymnal.org/  describes hymns as a reflection of "the rhythms of the Holy Spirit, moving among God’s people in a particular era. As worship rhythms develop new currents, the language of a recent generation needs to expand too." So what is included in this latest edition?

Voices Together succeeds Hymnal: A Worship Book (1992) and its two supplements, Sing the Journey (2005) and Sing the Story (2007). The time between the publication of The Mennonite Hymnal (1969) and Hymnal: A Worship Book was 23 years. The publication of Voices Together in fall 2020 marked 28 years since the publication of Hymnal: A Worship Book. (history of the project). And this one, comes in a royal purple colour...

A dedication Launch event is scheduled for Sunday, December 13th virtually, at voicestogetherhymnal.org/  or on their Facebook page. 

Our hearts flow on in endless song!