A new hymnal called Voices Together will be sent to Mennonite churches across Canada and the USA in the early fall and congregants are curious about what the No.1 song is.
While the order of songs shouldn't matter, the first hymn does set the tone of the book, according to Rebecca Slough. She was the managing editor to Hymnal: A Worship Book published in 1992, which was the denominations last complete hymnal.
This previous songbook contained 682 hymns. Voices Together has 750 hymns inside, put together by the Mennonite Worship and Song Committee editorial team.
The first song in the new hymnal is "Summoned by the God Who Made Us", written by Sister Delores Dufner of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
Slough says that the first hymn "calls God’s people to sing, announces why we are gathered here, and sets the tone, rhythm and harmonies for the adventures in singing that shape the body of Christ we will become."
According to Mennonite World Review, the first verse celebrates the church’s foundational unity in Christ and calls God’s people to live in relationship.
The general editor of Voices Together, Bradley Kauffman says, "In selecting Sister Delores’ text, we are drawn to how her prayer for the church may find immediate resonance with a versatile tune."
A complete list of songs included in this brand-new hymnal are set to be released by MennoMedia by the end of August.
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