»  World Methodist Council Calls Congregations to Pray for Peace
On the first Sunday in Advent, November 29, 2009, the World Methodist Evangelism Division of the World Methodist Council calls the world Methodist Movement to pray for peace in every tongue in the name of the Prince of Peace.
»  A Video Introduction to the Basic Pattern of Worship from Canada
»  emergingumc2: restoring missional Methodism -- worship resources
Worship resources used during emergingumc2: restoring missional Methodism.
»  Where Did It Go?

This PowerPoint is an annotated and expanded version of the presentation Taylor Burton-Edwards offered at emergingumc2: restoring missional Methodism, a gathering of emerging missional United Methodists at Lockerbie Central UMC/Earth House in Indianapolis, IN, November 12-14, 2009.
»  God's Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action
A Pastoral Letter from the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church
The bishops recommend that the pastoral letter be read aloud in worship during the season of Advent.
»  Songs for Advent Wreath Candlelighting
»  "God Is Great, God Is Good"
This new hymn uses the familiar Dvorak tune from his New World Symphony.
»  The Opposite of Excellence
November 13, 2009 (#222)
May we never be found guilty of leading merely good worship. May we never limit our striving to the good. May we look, with St. Paul at the end of 1st Corinthians 12, for that more excellent way.
»  Appalachian Lord's Supper
»  Rethink Christmastide
We've all seen and lived the pattern. Christmas Eve services are a huge celebration, bringing in folks we may rarely see at any other time of the year. On Christmas Day, unless it is on Sunday, we may be lucky to fill the choir area.
»  Holy Communion at the End of an Appointment
»  November Is Native American Heritage Month
»  Hauerwas on Christian Worship: Liturgy as Living Alternative
Is your community involved in the work of worship and liturgy or is your worship just coming from a couple folks putting things together from their cubicles for a presentation. Stanley Hauerwas talks about entertainment vs. the work of the people.
»  Advent Planning Helps and Resources
»  Christmas Planning Helps and Resources
»  Christmas & Advent Music and Lyrics
»  2010 Festival of Homiletics Preaching Conference, May 17-21, 2010, Nashville, TN
»  GBOD Resources for Thanksgiving
»  Music and Worship Resources for Christ the King Sunday (November 22, 2009)
»  Job Opening: 2012 General Conference Worship & Music Director (pdf)
The Worship & Music Director, an individual with a high level of organizational and communication skills, is responsible for the overall worship & music program management at General Conference
»  "Waiting for the Light"
Michael Ekbladh has composed this response for congregation and/or choir to accompany the lighting of the Advent and Christmas Eve candles in the Advent wreath. Included are melody-only and 4-part versions of the Advent and Christmas responses.
»  H1N1 and Services of Baptism
Here are some guidelines for the use of water in services of the baptismal covenant during times when water may be more likely to become a means of spreading disease.
»  Simple Gifts: Preaching on the Tough Issues
(Sojourners magazine article -- free registration required)
»  "Equip Me for the War"
The text of this Wesley hymn last appeared in the 1878 Methodist Hymnal.
»  "Adeste Fideles"
This familiar, traditional Christmas hymn by John Wade (no. 234 in The United Methodist Hymnal) is presented here with all four stanzas in Latin.
»  "Four Hymns for Advent, Lectionary Year C"
Hymn writer F. Richard Garland has composed a set of hymns to go with the Advent lectionary readings for Year C.
»  "In the Bleak Midwinter" (SATB, organ): Choral Setting
This choral and organ setting of the Christina Rossetti classic Christmas text (UM Hymnal no. 221) by Dallas area composer Michael Ekbladh has brief 3-part divisi for women's voices. Included here are PDF score and mp3 file.
»  Native American Comprehensive Plan -- Worship Resources
»  "O God, You Send Us Out to Walk"
(A Hymn of Dedication for Those Participating in CROP Walks)
Hymn writer Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has composed this new hymn subtitled "A Hymn of Dedication for Those Participating in CROP Walks." It would be appropriate around October 16, designated as World Food Day.
»  Music Events, 2009-2010
»  Composer Biography: Tom Council
»  Open Source Liturgy Project
»  Planning for Advent, Year C
On November 29, 2009, Advent begins; and we move into Year C of the lectionary. During this year of the three-year lectionary cycle, we will read through Luke's gospel, hear the stories and proclamations of the prophets, and spend considerable time in the epistles of Galatians, Colossians, I and II Timothy, and II Thessalonians, with a side-trip in August to complete the readings from Hebrews begun toward the end of Year B.
»  Advent, Year C: A Season of Flashbacks and Previews
The Advent readings for each lectionary year are not merely a progressive build-up to "O Holy Night" on Christmas Eve. They are a series of "flashbacks" and "previews" reminding us that Christ has already come and that Christ will come again in glory.
»  Advent Wreath Meditations 2009
This set of brief meditations with Scriptures, reflections, and liturgies may be used in lighting the candles of the Advent wreath in worship at church or home.
»  "O Wondrous Mystery": An Advent/Christmas Hymn for Children
This appealing hymn is especially appropriate for children during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. It is based on the medieval text, "O Magnum Mysterium," and contains images of the animals on Christmas morning.
»  "In This Night We Hear Rejoicing": A Hymn for Christmas Eve
Here is a new text for Christmas Eve. It is rooted in the Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Christmas Eve, Years A, B, and C, and is set to the lovely Welsh tune, AR HYD Y NOS, which is found at 688 in The United Methodist Hymnal.
»  "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence": Choral Introit by Tom Council
This SATB choral setting of the familiar hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" is suitable for Advent, Christmas, and Holy Communion as an anthem, choral introit, or hymn introduction.
»  Prepare the Way of the Lord": Choral Introit by Tom Council
This is an SATB choral setting of the familiar Isaiah 40:3 Advent text suitable as an introit or procession.
»  H1N1 Virus/Swine Flu
Fall 2009 Update: What's the Deal, What to Do and What Not to Do in Worship
News about the H1N1 Virus/Swine Flu had diminished after the early scare of the late spring flu season. With the fall flu season upon us, and schools and colleges back in session, it is expected that the virus will have new opportunities to spread.
»  Breaking Bread Behind the Wall: A Prison Communion Liturgy
The language of this form of the Communion prayer reflects the ways many prisoners understand and address God, Jesus, Spirit and Trinity in the prison setting. Congregations of men are often most comfortable addressing God as "Father." Settings including juvenile offenders or women often are not. Both kinds of readings are offered here in various places to address these different kinds of contexts. Testers of this liturgy should use the language that is most appropriate in their setting.
»  "I Will Sing of My Redeemer": Gospel Hymn
This favorite old gospel song appears in the Cokesbury Hymnal at number 47. It is provided here in both lead sheet and fully harmonized versions.
»  "When God Envisioned Love's Birth"
The author writes of this new hymn, "'When God Envisioned Love's Birth,' is the first of a planned series of hymns rooted in the selections from the Letter to the Ephesians used by the Revised Common Lectionary. Based on Ephesians 3:1-12, the hymn is written for use on Epiphany Sunday or the Epiphany of the Lord, which in 2010 are January 3and January 6, respectively.
»  "The Heavens Are Telling"
»  "Lamb of God"
This is a choral call to worship or other response suitable for Lent or Holy Week.
»  Composer Biography: Michael E. Ekbladh
»  "This Is the Day" for SATB Choir
This choral introit or call to worship is suitable for any season.
»  "Bless the Creatures, Great and Small": A Hymn for Blessing of the Animals
This delightful new hymn was commissioned for a Blessing of the Animals ceremony at the author's church.
»  Goat Herders
'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'
»  Cada Celebración: Un anuario litúrgico y algo más para la iglesia de habla hispana
Cada Celebración: es un recurso para la adoración en la iglesia de habla hispana. Podría describirse como un anuario litúrgico o un manual de sugerencias e ideas para ser incorporadas al culto de adoración.
»  "Thousands Came to Hear the Rabbi"
This new hymn is based on John 6:1-15 and was featured at the 2009 conference of The Hymn Society.
»  United Methodist Worship Group on Facebook
»  Faith-Based & Community Organizations Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Checklist
»  Government Guidance for How Congregations Can Help during Pandemics
»  Swine Flu, Hygiene, and Holy Communion
The high profile of the Swine Flu outbreak has provoked new concerns about contact with people in public settings. In stadiums, airports, and other settings where we don't know who has been there or where they have traveled, there looms a question of what exposure to epidemic diseases we might have. It is natural that church leaders and members are wondering about the risk of participating in worship, including hand-shaking, hugging, and sharing the bread and cup of Holy Communion.
»  "The Lord's Prayer" for choir or congregation and choir
Dallas, Texas area composer and church musician Tom Council has composed this setting as part of a larger work.
»  Par L'eau et Par L'esprit: Une Compréhension Méthodiste du Baptęme
(By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism -- French)
»  A Reference Companion to The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing by Dean McIntyre
»  Book Review of Preaching in the Small Membership Church by Lewis Parks
»  Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor
The book, Songs of Grace, includes over 70 new hymns written to be sung to the tunes of many beloved and well known hymns. The new words offer expressions of hope, celebration and spiritual enrichment. Accompanying each new hymn is a devotion or meditation to be used in reflection of the melodic prayers.
»  "Join in Festive Song": 5-Octave Handbell Composition
»  From the Table into the World
"Be careful what you pray" is a common admonition. Usually it is offered as a warning that receiving what we're seeking may bring unexpected and perhaps unfortunate consequences. Here, I turn the admonition into an imperative . . . be careful what you pray!
»  What Does The United Methodist Church's Book Of Discipline (2008) Say About the Employment of Non-Appointed Church Staff?
We frequently receive from pastors, church members, committee members, and employed church staff questions about the employment of non-appointed lay staff in the local church. This article gathers together the most frequently asked questions with related sections of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 2008. No attempt is made here to interpret these paragraphs or to offer advice related to any specific situation.
»  A Great Thanksgiving at the Seaside
»  "When Brutal Forces Crush Out Love"
We experience adversity from many sources: economic distress, war, disease, terrorism, tsunamis, earthquakes, personal failure. This new hymn by United Methodist pastor and hymn writer, R. Fred Crider, offers hope in the midst of adversity. It uses Scriptures found in Psalm 22:1,2a and 1 Peter 4:19. It was a prize-winning hymn in the Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest in 2008.
»  "Come and Share Our Bread": Contemporary Communion Song
This new communion chorus in praise style was written for the composer's choir and congregation. It includes an optional ending that can be used to segue into the communion hymn, "One Bread, One Body."
»  Twittering the Psalms This Summer
»  Two Rounds for Congregation, Choir, or Children
Both these rounds are especially suited for Trinity Sunday.
»  "God of Love, Come Claim this Moment": Wedding Hymn
This latest hymn by British Methodist pastor and hymn writer, Gareth Hill, is especially suitable for weddings.
»  "O God, from Our Working You Call Us Away": A Hymn for Conferences and Camps
It is the season for summer church conferences, and this hymn is especially appropriate in that setting.
»  Planning Helps and Resources for the Sundays After Pentecost (Ordinary Time II)
»  "Come with Me and Praise God's Glory"
This new hymn works well as a general praise and invitation to worship. Dr. Phil Burkett is the Worship Arts Pastor at College Park United Brethren Church, located near the Huntington University campus in that denomination's headquarters at Huntington, Indiana.
 

 
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