08157
February 28, 2008
Nominees sought for new hymnbook committee
New Presbyterian hymnal due for 2014 launch
David Eicher LOUISVILLE — Twelve Presbyterians — including two under the age of 25 — are being sought for the committee that will create the first new Presbyterian hymnal since 1990.
The new hymnal will be put together by a committee of 12 Presbyterians plus David Eicher — the hymnal’s editor — as voting members, plus three ex-officio members representing the Theology, Worship and Education Ministry Area, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians and the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC), the publisher of the new book. Two committee members will be under the age of 25.
Those interested in applying for the committee have until July 11 to submit an application form and three references. Application information is at www.ppcbooks.com.
The new book of Presbyterian hymnody will be published by PPC in late-2013 or early in 2014 with a formal “launch” at the 2014 General Assembly, Eicher told the Presbyterian News Service in Feb. 25 interview.
“A new hymnal gives the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) the opportunity to decide what it wants to sing, to put its faith to music,” Eicher said. “It gives us the opportunity to review our great musical heritage and look around for what’s new, for what we want to express now,” he added, “and to cast a vision for the future.”
Eicher said the committee will be named by Aug. 15, 2008, and will hold its first meeting Sept. 22-23.
“We’re anticipating a five-year process,” Eicher said. “Selection of hymns for the book will take about four years, and then a year for production.”
The first stage of the selection process, he said, “will be what current hymnal material to carry forward.” Next, he added, “will be the solicitation and selection of new material.”
Eicher acknowledged that the composition of a new Presbyterian hymnal is a daunting task. “Our church is wonderfully diverse, so the value of the committee’s initial discernment process lies in determining what is the ‘core song’ of our denomination.
He said there will be a “frequently asked questions” list posted on the Web site soon. “The first question is ‘Why do we need a new hymnal?’” Eicher said. “We would love to see the time when the number one question is ‘When do we get the new hymnal?’”
Eicher comes to the editor’s job with a wealth of experience as a church musician. Raised a “PK” (“preacher’s kid”) in the Church of the Brethren, he has been singing and playing church music his entire life.
“When my parents and my sister and me would travel in the car when I was a kid, we’d play a game to see how many stanzas of how many hymns we could remember,” he recalled. “Later, when we got older, we’d sing them in four-part harmony.”
After earning degrees in organ and church music from Manchester College and Valparaiso in Indiana, Eicher took his first church musician job at First Presbyterian Church in LaPorte, IN and became Presbyterian.
Before coming to PPC, he served two years as director of music at First Presbyterian Church of Mishiwaka, IN, while also serving as interim director of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. He has also been active for many years in the leadership of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.
“The creation of a new hymnal is so important for everyone in the church,” Eicher said. “I want to get many, many applications so we’ll have a good representation of the whole church on this committee.”
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