Develop a Discipleship System
Life in the Trinity: Prologue to Post-Pentecost
Peace with Justice Sunday | Memorial Weekend (USA)
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty (¡Santo! ¡Santo! ¡Santo!)
Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 64/65
Recommended Key: D
Tempo: 96-108 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ
Notes: If you have the option in your setting, add brass to the singing of the hymn to brighten the tone and enliven the atmosphere. There are plenty of arrangements of this hymn available for congregations, choirs, handbells, and instrumental ensembles.
Resources:
Trinity Song
Source: CCLI #7068847
Recommended Key: D♭ (if transitioning to next song) or D
Tempo: 72-80 bpm
Instrumentation: Piano, organ, plucked guitar (arpeggiated), solo ostinato (wind, string, etc.)
Notes: Divide the congregation into two parts—left and right, women and men, A and B, or other formats—and give them the instruction to sing through the melody together in its entirety a couple of times. Then invite one part of the congregation to sing the first part of the song and continue repeating as the other part of the congregation sings the second part of the song, both simultaneously. If your church has a choir or praise team, be sure to divide them and prepare them to sing these two parts together as well.
Holy Holy Holy (Heber/Maher)
Source: CCLI #6527091
Recommended Key: D♭ (with congregation) or D (band/praise team only)
Tempo: 108-112 bpm
Instrumentation: Band/Praise Team
Notes: If vocal range is a concern, feel free to use the verses only (in traditional strophic form found in many hymns) with the rhythm Maher suggests. Bands will find it quite manageable, and the verses are so well known that the chorus isn’t vital to maintaining the integrity of the hymn.
Resources: History of Hymns »
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 79
Recommended Key: F
Tempo: 104-116 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ or piano
Notes: Stanzas 1-4 of this classic hymn, rooted in a translation (and later paraphrase) of the Latin Te Deum, offer praise to God in a manner reminiscent of the singing in the book of Revelation. The ecstatic praise culminates in a doxological statement of praise to the Trinity in stanza 4.
Resources: History of Hymns »
Father, Spirit, Jesus
Source: CCLI #4578901
Recommended Key: A (Congregational), B or C (band/praise team only)
Tempo: 120 bpm
Instrumentation: Band/Praise Team
Notes: The verses are rhythmically complex, so I suggest having only a soloist or praise team sing them. The congregation would best sing the chorus only.
Maker, in Whom We Live
Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 88
Recommended Key: E♭
Tempo: 108-116 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ or piano
Notes: This prominent hymn of Charles Wesley addresses the three persons of the Trinity in the first three stanzas, with a statement of doxological praise.
Resources: History of Hymns »
Children of the Heavenly Father
Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 141
Recommended Key: D
Tempo: 78-84 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ, piano, guitar, flute, or violin melody or ostinato
Notes: Encourage choirs to sing in four-bar phrases, with a breath only at the end of a line. If your choir is interested in singing a cappella, this hymn is easier than many.
Resources:
There Is a Redeemer
Source: CCLI #11483
Recommended Key: D
Tempo: 92 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ, piano, guitar, or a cappella
Notes: As an act of thanksgiving, this song can be sung in its entirety or using the chorus only, either by the whole congregation or choir only.
Child of God
Source: Choristers Guild; Roll Down, Justice
Recommended Key: A♭
Tempo: 100 bpm (eighth note)
Instrumentation: Piano, organ, rhythm section
Notes: The words draw the congregation into a relationship with a rhythm and pattern of “you” and “I” language, and the later reference to Romans 8:35,37 (“There is nothing, or no one who can separate”) declares that the people of God will not be driven apart from God or one another, regardless of how people interpret “truth.” The accompaniment is in a gospel style, and it requires a slight swing and a fairly slow tempo.
Resources:
All Creatures of Our God and King
Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 62
Recommended Key: E♭ or D
Tempo: 68-74 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ or piano
Notes: This is an adaptation of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which personifies elements of creation as members of God’s family. If you wish to sing fewer than seven stanzas, choose stanzas 1, 5, and 7. The seventh stanza concludes the hymn by offering praise to the Trinity.
Resources:
Glory (Let There Be Peace)
Source: CCLI #7071972
Recommended Key: F
Tempo: 74-78 bpm
Instrumentation: Band/Praise Team
Notes: This song echoes the words of the “Prayer of St. Francis,” but also the more modern song “Let There Be Peace on Earth” by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson (UMH 431). The song is very accessible for many congregations. Interestingly, the bridge melody uses every note of the major scale.
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