How Wards and Stakes are Learning About and Using the New Hymns

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This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media. 

By Mary Richards, Church News

As each batch of new hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is released, individuals, families, wards and stakes have the opportunity to learn about and use the songs.

From discovering the lyrics’ backgrounds and scriptural references, to listening and practicing the music, Church members can incorporate the growing catalog into their worship of Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ.

To date, the Church has released 37 new songs that may be sung in Church meetings, at home and in other settings. They’re found in the “Hymns — For Home and Church” section of ChurchofJesusChrist.org, in the Gospel Library and in the Sacred Music app.

Read this related article from Newsroom Fifteen New Hymns Available to Use in Church and at Home

Sam Bostwick, who works on sacred music in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department, said he hopes members of the Church will explore a resource called “About the Hymns” in the Gospel Library.

In the collection, each of the 37 early-release hymns is featured in a chapter containing the hymn’s story, as well as study prompts and linked resources, he said. People can learn more about the hymn writers, read scriptural references and use related gospel study guides for the new hymns.

The song-specific chapters are also linked near the bottom of the “lyrics” view of the digital hymn pages on the Gospel Library, Music Library, or Sacred Music apps.

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“Studying and teaching the gospel from the hymns can be so powerful because the poetry of the lyrics and the musical melody help the doctrinal truths get into our minds and hearts,” Bostwick said.

The release of three new Easter-specific hymns will help Latter-day Saints better celebrate and focus on the Easter season, Bostwick continued, which the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have invited all to do.

The Easter-specific hymns are “Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise,” “Let Easter Anthems Ring,” and “Were You There?”

Bostwick said several other new releases are also particularly suitable for Easter observances, including “Gethsemane,” “Behold the Wounds in Jesus’ Hands,” and “This Is the Christ.”

Learning and Using the New Hymns

Ryan Eggett, a music manager in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department, shared some ways that wards are learning the new hymns.

For example, many wards include one new song per week in their meetings. At that pace, they learn each new song before the next batch of hymns is released, Eggett said. Ward leaders send out notifications about the next week’s music or mention the following week’s music during Sunday meetings, and they encourage members to practice, learn and love the music throughout the week.

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Additionally, on Sundays in many wards, organists or pianists play the new music as prelude and postlude music for meetings.

Individuals, small groups and ward choirs also perform the new songs as part of the learning process. At times, ward choirs or others sing the first verse and then invite the congregation to join in.

“Wards are inviting a member of the congregation to introduce the new song prior to being sung,” Eggett said. “They are often invited to share the background of the hymn, the doctrine [behind the hymn] or a personal experience with the hymn.”

He said that outside of Sunday meetings, many wards are encouraging members to make playlists of the new music to fill their homes with the Spirit daily.

Accessibility and Practicing

Many wards or stakes have printed out the words and music to each new hymn and placed them in folders or three-ring binders for the pews. As more hymns are released, they are added to the collection, making them accessible to everyone.

Bishop Michael K. Shelton, bishop of the Jan Ree Ward in the Keizer Oregon Stake, said both the printed and digital versions have helped ward members become more familiar with the new hymns.

As soon as new hymns are released, the ward choir begins singing them to help the whole ward become familiar with the music.

“The new hymns appear to bring a renewed enthusiasm for singing. Their messages and tone help to bring the spirit to our sacrament services,” Bishop Shelton said.

Jennifer Richins, the Primary president in the Mountain Home 5th Ward, Mountain Home Idaho Stake, said her ward music coordinator’s goal is to introduce at least one song per month.

“She talks about the hymn for a few minutes. She then plays it once on the piano so everyone can hear the new music and know how the song will sound. Then we all sing,” Richins said.

The opening song in their recent stake conference was one of the new hymns, and Richins said she enjoyed singing it with such a large gathering.

“I’ve really enjoyed how our ward has incorporated the new music, and it’s given our music coordinator the chance to educate everyone about the song she’s chosen, what it’s about or what scriptures it relates to, and then we all get to learn together like one big choir,” Richins said. “I think it’s been a really fun way to bring the new music into our ward.”

Tami Creamer, who has lived all over the world and now lives in Washington, Utah, said a hymn will be played as a prelude for a week, then the choir will sing it, and then the congregation will sing it.

Creamer — who wrote “I Know That My Savior Loves Me‚” which was included in the latest release — is her stake’s music coordinator and planned a stake “new hymn” fireside.

“We have assigned each ward choir one of the new hymns, and they will sing the first few verses and then invite the congregation to join in for the last verse,” Creamer said. “In between songs, we will read [about] the backgrounds of them. We hope it turns out to be a great evening.”

The stake will plan on a similar event in a few months with more new hymns. “It is fun to see what ideas people are coming up with to introduce the hymns,” Creamer said.

A Concert for the New Hymns

More than 400 members of the Church in South Korea met in January at the Gangnam Ward building, Seoul Korea South Stake, for a musical fireside to introduce new hymns.

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The Saints — both online and in person — heard various musical collaborations, including choir, duet, solo, Korean traditional music and orchestral performances. When children sang “Gethsemane,” the congregation could feel the love of Jesus Christ, the Church’s Korean Newsroom reported.

The Korean translation team participating in the new hymnbook project also spoke about their efforts and bore their testimonies.

Tahira Carroll, the headquarters music translation supervisor, explained the entire process of hymn translation, saying, “This project is not just a linguistic task; it is an important task that helps the congregation be spiritually uplifted.”

She added, “I am deeply moved by the fact that the congregation grows closer to God through the lyrics after each translation.”

Lee Ki-hyeok, the choir director, said, “I realized once again the truth that Jesus Christ loves us, just like the lyrics of the hymns [say].”

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