hymnsandbooks

Friday 12 February 2016

Hymn & Worship Resources

 

The Methodist Church – Singing the Faith plus
Hymns, songs and comment for free download. A web-site to accompany Singing the Faith (hymnbook) but much more too.

HymnQuest
HymnQuest is a unique software program developed by The Pratt Green Trust, a charity devoted to the advancement of hymnody and music in worship. It is the most comprehensive ever published in its field, containing over 44,900 first lines and choruses, the full text of 31,000 hymns and songs from some 497 hymn books and publications. The opening bars of over 23,700 melodies can be both viewed and heard, and the indexes list tune names and metres; biblical, lectionary, thematic, liturgical and seasonal references, as well as information and pictures of authors, composers and translators. It is even possible to search for tunes by playing the opening notes on a Virtual Keyboard.  The software allows for direct insertion into PowerPoint (providing this is installed), copy and paste or direct printing.
The data is now updated regularly on line.
Subscribers also have access to a ‘Mobile’ version which will work on Android or Apple phones and tablets.
Lite Version - £25 per year
Copyright Licence Users’ Edition - £50 per year (does not include Church Copyright Licence which must be purchased for use with this Edition

Useful Websites and Resources

ArtServe has superceding the Methodist Church Music Society
ArtServe started as an initiative of the Methodist Church Music Society which was formed in 1935 to support Methodist musicians and all types of music in worship.
ArtServe was born in 2008 and initially ran alongside MCMS. Eventually, MCMS activities were transferred to ArtServe and MCMS formally ceased to exist on 31st August 2010.
ArtServe promotes and supports the use of creative arts in Christian worship, including music, dance and drama, visual arts, and creative writing.
Music in its many styles has been prominent in our worship for many years and we uphold and develop all aspects of our musical life including worship bands, music groups, choirs, instrumentalists, organists, songwriters, and composers and arrangers.
ArtServe's minimum annual subscription is £25.00.

Worshipcloud
The Worship Cloud brings you over 22,000 resources for you to use in leading worship or for personal devotion.Every resource is available to buy as an individual download, however you can also take out one of The Worship Cloud’s subscription packages.
Originally Twelvebaskets, then Seedresources, now worshipcloud.


The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
This site carries short papers offering guidance on use of hymns available freely.

The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
A good source of information and a constantly updated catalogue of hymn texts no more than one year old.

Global Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church (USA)  
An excellent source of hymns and other liturgical resources updated daily.

Hymnsite    
A source of midi files of public domain hymns. Good search engine which links to midi, text and piano score sources and much more.  American Methodist based.

Hymns.uk.com                
A good source of hymn texts run by Stainer & Bell Ltd using new material and their back catalogue.

Worship Live         
Originally a magazine with new hymns, prayers and other worship material published three times a year by Stainer & Bell Ltd. This is now run independently as a web-site edited by Rev Dr Janet Wootton.
Worship Live also run occasional residential hymn writing weekends – next March 17th - 19th 2017 at The Windermere Centre, Cumbria.



Black holes and Hawking radiation…hymn



Stephen Hawking – Reith Lectures – Black Holes
Black holes and Hawking radiation…
I try to explore faith in relation to events and discoveries. After listening to Stephen Hawking I wrote the following text which was sung in Wavertree, Liverpool o 6th February 2016

A spinning vat of data
a hidden vault in time,
no solace in this quantum,
an end to singing rhyme?
The information gathered
in each black hole in space
we cannot grasp or fathom:
like mystic freedom’s grace.


Its particles are virtual,
are neither seen nor heard,
yet somehow radiation
escapes - that seems absurd:
a parallel dimension
that leaks across the void
upsetting mathematics,
those we had once employed.

And is this radiation
like spirit that we sense
the edge of comprehension
felt in our present tense
discerned by those who fathom
the depth of loving grace,
immersing us in freedom,
yet outside time and space?
© Andrew Pratt 2/2/2016
Tune: CRUGER
Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd.