Incorporating Diverse Music into Worship
By Dr. Eileen Guenther, associate professor of church music, director of Wesley's summer school and chapel co-director
There are many reasons why we should incorporate diverse music into our worship services -- including those services considered traditional. If we start from the understanding that 70 percent of people's theology is formed by the songs they sing, it's imperative to share in the music of all of God's children. If we are creating the Kingdom of God on earth and we know God wants what's best for God's children, then expanding our intellectual, spiritual and emotional horizons is participating in God's plan.
What we sing matters and it matters to the large urban church and it matters to the small rural congregation. Music from other countries allows us to broaden and deepen people's experience. Music puts us in another time and place. It helps us remember that Christ has many faces around the world and when we sing other people's music we become a part of their lives. When we sing their songs, we are participating with them in their poverty, their hunger, their persecution, their long walks for water. When we sing their songs, we also experience their amazing faith, share their inspiration and open ourselves to be influenced by their spiritual journeys.
We sing "Jesus, We Are Here for You" (The Faith We Sing 2273) and realize the people of Zimbabwe are singing this. These are people who currently experience the highest inflation rate in the world and the lowest life expectancy and who are experiencing critical shortages of food. When we sing "Lord, You have Come to the Lakeshore, (UMH 344),we are singing a song that was sung at countless services memorializing "the disappeared," those victims of persecution in Central America in the 1980s and 1990s. Through these pieces of music we are participating in the lives of Christians around the world. And when we sing this with love and intentionality we will see amazing things happen. I stress this point...it has to be intentional. This is a post-9/11 time -- "the time," it's been said, "when all the peoples of the world first had to take each other seriously."
Music is ministry and music can be mission as well. Incorporating diverse music can be the beginning of a major shift to a more outward focus in your congregation. After taking this first step, your church might explore taking a mission trip to a part of the world that's in great need. You might take the opportunity to partner with a different faith body - a synagogue or mosque for example -- to host a community service, or you might seek partnership with another church whose members are from other parts of the world. Worship together, pray together, sing each other's songs and watch what amazing work the Holy Spirit begins in your congregation.
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Music Resources for Your Ministry
It's easy to incorporate diverse music into your worship. Dr. Eileen Guenther recommends the following resources for helping expand congregation members' understanding of their fellow Christians around the world.
Collections of global music
- Global Praise 1, 2, 3 (different volumes) - General Board of Global Ministries, GBGMusik, 1996, 2000, 2004
- There is One Among Us - John Bell, Wild Goose Resource Group, Iona Community, GIA Publications, 1999
- Songs and Prayers from Taizé - GIA Publications, 1991
- Songs for the World - Kimbrough and Young, eds., GBGMusik, 2001 (Charles Wesley hymn texts set by composers from around the world)
Books about global music and the performance of global music
- Music & Mission: Toward a Theology and Practice of Global Song - S T Kimbrough, Jr., ed., GBGMusik, 2006
- Halle, Halle: Songs from the World Church for Children, Youth and Congregation - C. Michael Hawn, ed., Choristers Guild 1999 (teacher's guide published separately)
- Leading the Church's Song - Augsburg Fortress, 1998 (includes articles by authorities on each genre represented)
- Gather into One: Praying and Singing Globally - C. Michael Hawn, Eerdsmans Publishing Company, 2003
Global prayers and liturgies
- Prayers Encircling the World: An International Anthology - Westminster John Knox Press, 1998
- Gifts of Many Cultures: Worship Resources for the Global Community - Tirabassi and Eddy, United Church Press, 1995
- Worshipping Ecumenically: Orders of Service from Global Meetings with Suggestions for Local Use - Per Harling, ed., WCC Publications, Geneva, 1995
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Upcoming Events
A Glimpse into the Teaching of Biblical Interpretation: a Community Builder Presentation - Monday, November 12
Join Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, professor of Hebrew Bible and friends of Wesley in an intriguing look at scripture passages from the books of Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah and Revelation. Come prepared to be engaged by lively group discussion and presentations by Wesley students. Space is limited, so sign up today for this special Community Builders dinner presentation on Monday, November 12, from 6 - 8 p.m. in Elderdice Hall on the Wesley campus. A light supper will be served. To RSVP, call (202) 885-8630 or email events@wesleyseminary.edu.
A Glimpse into the Teaching of Biblical Interpretation: a Community Builder Presentation - Monday, November 12
Join Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, professor of Hebrew Bible and friends of Wesley in an intriguing look at scripture passages from the books of Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah and Revelation. Come prepared to be engaged by lively group discussion and presentations by Wesley students. Space is limited, so sign up today for this special Community Builders dinner presentation on Monday, November 12, from 6 - 8 p.m. in Elderdice Hall on the Wesley campus. A light supper will be served. To RSVP, call (202) 885-8630 or email events@wesleyseminary.edu.
Worship Service and Forum Devoted to Caring for God's Creation - Tuesday, November 6
Join us at 11 a.m. on November 6 for a chapel service celebrating God's creation. During this service, we will confess the ways we have not cared for God's creation and claim how we as individuals and a community can be good stewards of the environment. Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, Dr. Kendall Soulen and Dr. Susan Willhauck preaching. After the Service, there will be a Community Forum on creation care from 12 - 1:30 p.m. in Elderdice Hall, located in the Kresge building. John Hill, Director of Economic and Environmental Justice at the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, and Adam Bray, a recent Wesley graduate now working for the National Council of Churches' Ecojustice Programs, will lead this forum. Please come, not only to hear what Hill and Bray have to share, but to share your thoughts and ideas on environmental stewardship.
"Body of Christ," a Juried Exhibition - October 28 through December 15
The Dadian Gallery of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley presents this nationally juried exhibition featuring works in painting, printmaking, sculpture and other media. This exhibition explores the literal and metaphoric meanings of the phrase "Body of Christ." Works are being displayed simultaneously from late October through mid- December at the institutions that belong to the Washington Theological Consortium. Venues include Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral and Virginia Theological Seminary. More than a dozen "Body of Christ" pieces will be on display at the Dadian Gallery from October 28 through December 15. For more information about the venues or to view an online gallery of accepted works, visit www.washtheocon.org/bodyofchrist.
Larry Stookey's Retirement Celebration - Tuesday, November 27
Join the Wesley community in marking Dr. Larry Stookey's retirement from the seminary. At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 27, we will host a special chapel service at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church. A luncheon will immediately follow on Wesley's campus. We invite you to join us in celebrating Dr. Stookey's tremendous contribution to the church and its leaders. Please RSVP before November 12 at (202) 885-8630 or events@wesleyseminary.edu.
Wesley Days - Tuesday, November 13
Do you know someone exploring a call to ministry? On Tuesday, November 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., individuals interested in the seminary can tour our campus and learn more about our master-level degree programs. For more information or to RSVP, contact the Office of Admissions at (202) 885-8659.
Weekly Chapel Services
We warmly invite you to attend and worship with us in Oxnam Memorial Chapel on every Tuesday during the academic year at 11 a.m. or every Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. Upcoming services include:
- Tuesday, October 30, 11 a.m.: All Saints service with the Rev. Dr. Lucy Hogan preaching.
- Wednesday, October 31, 6:15 p.m.: Vesper service planned and led by Dr. Denise Hopkins' Psalms class.
- Tuesday, November 6, 11 a.m.: Creation care worship service with Beth Norcross and Plumbline, Wesley's social justice student organization.
- Wednesday, November 7, 6:15 p.m.: "Body of Christ" depicted through art, dance and drama.
- Tuesday, November 13, 11 a.m.: a Thanksgiving service with Ramonia L. Lee and James M. Shopshire, Sr., preaching.
- Wednesday, November 28, 6:15 p.m.: Vesper service in recognition of World AIDS Day led by the student organizations Of Sacred Worth and Plumbline.
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