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RZehr wrote:What is the songbook you would recommend for church use?

Our Anabaptist church removed all songbooks from the pew holders. Words to songs appear on the overheads. Personally, I miss singing the hymns of the past when so many have such rich wordings. But the youth like 7/11 music (7 words you repeat 11 times ). I see how they enter in and so enjoy worshipping God in this way, so I try to fit in where I can and wait for the message. For me, the new singing style leaves little room for 4 part harmony, which I really enjoyed along with the depth of the words in many old hymns.

A few churches, even ours, have made an attempt at having a separate sing time using the old hymn books but this is falling off too.

Quite a different Anabaptist environment than what most of you are familiar with, I suspect.

buckeyematt2 wrote: - as did John Overholt in the Hymnary.

There! Fixed it.

Peregrino wrote:

buckeyematt2 wrote: - as did John Overholt in the Hymnary.

There! Fixed it.

Oh, thank you.

In our home church pew racks we have these:
The Church Hymnal, SF Coffman
Life Songs #2, SF Coffman
The Church & Sunday School Hymnal, JD Brunk
and a folder with about 50 of our other favorite songs

We also use Zion's Praises, Aaron Z Weaver sometimes.

I just wish people made it easier for seekers who don't know these songs... I don't know how many times I ran into the awkward situation of not knowing the song or even having a song book to go for. Or its known and they don't bother to say where its found.

Soloist wrote:I just wish people made it easier for seekers who don't know these songs... I don't know how many times I ran into the awkward situation of not knowing the song or even having a song book to go for. Or its known and they don't bother to say where its found.

I think it helps to call out the song number and possibly the colour or name of the hymnal.

Soloist wrote:I just wish people made it easier for seekers who don't know these songs... I don't know how many times I ran into the awkward situation of not knowing the song or even having a song book to go for. Or its known and they don't bother to say where its found.

I agree very much.
But it was more disappointing one time over at a families and they wanted to sing before the meal. They asked about half a dozen songs and finally gave up as we didn't know any... So they didn't sing at all...

Wade wrote:

Soloist wrote:I just wish people made it easier for seekers who don't know these songs... I don't know how many times I ran into the awkward situation of not knowing the song or even having a song book to go for. Or its known and they don't bother to say where its found.

I agree very much.
But it was more disappointing one time over at a families and they wanted to sing before the meal. They asked about half a dozen songs and finally gave up as we didn't know any... So they didn't sing at all...

Yes!! After a while, I took it on myself to practice a meal blessing song or two. I still often don't know the songs that are spontaneously sung.

RZehr wrote:In our home church pew racks we have these:
The Church Hymnal, SF Coffman
Life Songs #2, SF Coffman
The Church & Sunday School Hymnal, JD Brunk

Between these three books there are 1162 unique songs (counting the duplicates only once). Hymns of the Church contains 483 of those.

If the goal is to preserve as many of the songs from those three books as possible while only buying two books, Hymns of the Church plus The Church & Sunday School Hymnal would give you 803 of the 1162, while increasing the total selection to 1337. Or the Church Hymnal plus The Church & Sunday School Hymnal would give you 939 of the 1162, but only 939 total.

Of course it might make a difference whether the songs you'd be giving up are old favorites, or ones that you don't know and have never sung. Some of them could be included in the folder if you do one of those.

Josh wrote:

Wade wrote:

Soloist wrote:I just wish people made it easier for seekers who don't know these songs... I don't know how many times I ran into the awkward situation of not knowing the song or even having a song book to go for. Or its known and they don't bother to say where its found.

I agree very much.
But it was more disappointing one time over at a families and they wanted to sing before the meal. They asked about half a dozen songs and finally gave up as we didn't know any... So they didn't sing at all...

Yes!! After a while, I took it on myself to practice a meal blessing song or two. I still often don't know the songs that are spontaneously sung.

Do Mennonites sing before they eat in addition to asking the Lord's blessing in prayer? Or is it a combination of both? Any examples?