The Hymn Society Annual Conference
Sing of Justice  ~  Sing of Peace
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY • BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
11-15 July 2010

This year we have expanded the opportunity for writers and composers to hone their skills. The tune writers practicum and the text writers practicum will be extended to two sectional slots. Added new this year will also be a two-session practicum for congregational songwriters. There will also be time on Tuesday afternoon for writers and composers to share their texts/tunes in an information “Bring and Sing” session. The Emerging Scholars Forum will return and we've added a new research forum, a Research-in-Progress Poster Session. Check the website for more information on these exciting new options.

As always our session take place in an environment of sung faith and ecumenical hospitality. Every day includes a hymn festival and some occasion for corporate prayer, and there are ample opportunities to develop new friendships and to renew existing ones.

Join us for a time of inspiration and growth, refreshment and friendship as we enjoy a hearty helping of Southern Hospitality in the rolling hills of Birmingham, Alabama.

PLENARY SPEAKERS: Mary Louise Bringle Dan Damon Andrew Donaldson DAILY WORSHIP: Sarah Jackson Shelton Jessica Roskin Stefan Waligur

HYMN FESTIVAL LEADERS: Mary Louise Bringle Andrew Donaldson Deborah Carlton Loftis David Ivey James Abbington Kate Campbell Jacque Jones Adam M. L. Tice

Dome of Hodges Chapel, Beeson Divinity School

SECTIONAL LEADERS:

James Abbington Glen Adkins Annisa Bacon Mary Kay Beall Emily Brink James Hart Brumm Joseph Burgio John Core Timothy Cummings John Dalles Andrew Donaldson George Emblom John Faustini

Bruce Harding Marilyn Haskel C. Michael Hawn Scott Hyslop Ann Jefferson S T Kimbrough, Jr. Charlotte Kroeker Yvette Lau Richard Leach William McElrath Sue Mitchell-Wallace Geoffrey Moore Curt Oliver

Alice Parker Val Parker Bert Polman Scott Ressman Paul A. Richardson Randall Sensmeier Greg Scheer K. Lee Scott William S. Smith Paul Stott Jim and Jean Strathdee Phyllis Warner Carlton R. Young

The Conference Schedule

Conference Bookstore Hours:

Sectionals I (Monday 11:00 am)

1. Text Writers Practicum, Section A – Richard Leach
2. Hymn-based Music that Every Organist Should Know – Joseph Burgio
3. Hymns for Worship: a Classic Collection – Bert Polman [CRC Faith Alive]
4. Sing a New Song: Master Class for Congregational Songwriters, Section A – Bruce Harding and Andrew Donaldson
5. Discusssion Group I: The Revision of Sing With Understanding – C. Michael Hawn and Paul A. Richardson
6. Anthology of Hymns – Randall Sensmeier [GIA]
7. Themes of Justice, Peace and Unity in Lutheran Hymnody: Currents and Context from Luther to Vajda and Cherwien – Scott M. Hyslop
8. Songs for the Poor and Helpless by Charles Wesley – S T Kimbrough, Jr. and Carlton R. Young

Sectionals II

9. Text Writers Practicum, Section B – Richard Leach
10. New Hymns in China – Emily Brink and Yvette Lau
11. The Psalms: In Times of Justice and Peace – Val Parker [OCP]
12. Sing a New Song: Master Class for Congregational Songwriters, Section B – Bruce Harding and Andrew Donaldson
13. Repairing the World Through Shared Song: “How good and pleasant it is when people dwell together in unity” Ps. 133 – George Emblom
14. The Richard Proulx Hymnary [tune collection] – [GIA]
15. Something Within: Lucie E. Campbell and Pioneering African-American Women Hym Writers – Ann Jefferson
16. Within the Maddening Maze [text collection] – John Core [Wayne Leupold]

Sectionals III

17. Discussion Group III: Is there a place for “lament” in the Church’s worship? – William S. Smith
18. Explore Sing! Prayer and Praise – Anissa Bacon and Scot Ressman [UCC and Pilgrim Press]
19. A Mighty Wind (Instrument): Exploring the music of the bagpipes in church – Timothy Cummings
20. T-N-T to Ignite Interest and Enthusiasm in Hymn Singing – Phyllis Warner
21. The Heavens are Telling [tune collection] – John Faustini [Wayne Leupold]
22. Roma (Gypsy) and Magyar (Hungarian) Hymnsinging in Hungary – Glen Adkins
23. Our National Anthems (What, More Than One??) – William McElrath
24. Research-in-Progress Poster Session

Sectionals IV

25. Tune Writers Practicum, Section A – K. Lee Scott
26. God Gives Us a Song [text collection] – Mary Kay Beall [Hope]
27. Creating a Hymnal Concordance – Paul Stott
28. Transplanting Global Worship Songs – Greg Scheer
29. Sing of Transformation – Jim and Jean Strathdee
30. Seeking Full, Conscious, Active Congregational Singing – Charlotte Kroeker
31. Themes of Justice, Peace, and Liberation in Eucharistic Hymns: A comparative examination across six streams of hymnody – Geoffrey Moore
32. Emerging Scholars Forum

Sectionals V

33. Tune Writers Practicum, Section B – K. Lee Scott
34. Song and Struggle: Singing in the Midst of Oppression – C. Michael Hawn
35. Discussion Group IV: When We Want to Sing of Justice: How writers and editors approach the topic – James Hart Brum
36. We Turn to God [text collection] – John Dalles [Wayne Leupold]
37. MusicRiteAway: Online resource for hymns – Marilyn Haskel [Church Publishing]
38. The History and Future of the Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest – Curt Oliver
39. The Hymns of Charles A. Tindley – James Abbington
40. Planned Spontaneity – Sue Mitchell-Wallace

Sectionals VI

The cost of the conference is $75. Stay-over housing on campus will be available for an additional charge. To learn more and to register, go to Refresh on the Samford University School of the Arts web site.

History and Setting

In the 1950s and 60s Birmingham received national and international attention as a center of the Civil Rights Movement. Fred Shuttlesworth, a fiery preacher known for his fearlessness in the face of violence, was the leader of the local activists. The city’s airport is named for him. In 1963 Shuttleworth requested that Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) come to Birmingham to help end segregation. Together they launched large scale protests. During April and May daily sit-ins and mass marches were met with tear gas, attack dogs, fire hoses and arrests. More the 3,000 persons were arrested during these protests, almost all of them high school students. While imprisoned for his part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail. It was later in the same year that the tragic bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church took the lives of four young girls on a Sunday morning. Though horrific, this event and the protests led by Shuttlesworth and King had a significant impact on both the desegregation of public accommodations in Birmingham and on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Birmingham is home to a number of fine educational institutions. In 2005 the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School in Irondale, an eastern suburb of Birmingham, was rated as the #1 high school in America by Newsweek and remains among the nation’s Top 5 high schools. A major part of the economic and cultural life of the city is played by the University of Alabama at Birmingham which enrolls 18,000 and employs more than 16,000. First established as the state’s medical school, UAB has become a comprehensive university and major center for research. Among several additional institutions of higher education in Birmingham is Samford University, our conference host.

Samford University was founded by Baptists in 1841 as Howard College in Marion, Alabama. The school moved to Birmingham in 1887 and to the present campus in 1957. It became a university and adopted its present name in 1965. With 4600 undergraduate and graduate students in eight schools, Samford is the largest private university in the state. Samford’s music program has a long and highly respected tradition. The School for the Performing Arts offers a range of undergraduate degrees in music, including church music. At the graduate level, students may combine their study of church music with theological study in The Beeson Divinity School to earn the Master of Divinity with Emphasis in Church Music.

Over the course of the 20th century, Birmingham’s economy greatly diversified. Though manufacturing maintains a presence, other industries such as banking, insurance, medicine, publishing and biotechnology have risen in stature. Metropolitan Birmingham has consistently been rated as one of America’s best places to work and earn a living based on the area’s competitive salary rates and relatively low living expenses. Since 1990 Birmingham has recognized as one of the top cities for income growth in the US.

The region has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers, mild winters, and abundant rainfall. The average high temperature for July is 91 and the average low is 71. Thankfully, all the venues at Samford are air-conditioned! Precipitation in July averages nearly 5 inches so you might want to pack an umbrella.

Venues and Accommodations

Beeson Woods Residence Hall

Meals

Transportation

By Train: Amtrak offers daily service to Birmingham on the Crescent route. For schedules and fares visit www.amtrak.com or phone 800 USA-RAIL (800 872-7245)

By Bus: Greyhound bus lines operate a station in Birmingham (18 N. 19th St., 35203; tel. 205-252-7190). Schedule and fare information is available through their website at www.greyhound.com or through their toll-free numbers 800-661-TRIP [Canada] or 800 231-2222 [USA]

Conference Bookstore

Silent Auction

Scholarships