Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS) holds meeting February 8-10, 2010

For more information contact David Eicher, 502-569-5915

Can peacocks fly in the snow?  Turns out, it depends.  In blizzard conditions, no: one member of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS) was unable to get out of the DC area to come to the winter 2010 meeting.  However, all others managed to wing their way to snowy Louisville from various parts of the country for three further days of deliberations—from February 8-10—toward creating the next worship resource for the PC(USA). 

For the first day of the three, small groups continued to focus on specific assignments.  The contemporary music subgroup arrived at a core of eighty-six songs to be recommended to the full committee for a final vote on inclusion.  The global music subgroup worked its way through an assortment of Asian resources, and carried forward its discussion on how most authentically to incorporate music and language from other cultures.  The “other hymnals” group continued singing, playing, and praying through selections from recently published hymnals of other denominations.  The “single authors” specialists sorted further through the exciting array of new texts and tunes (as well as a few old favorites) offered for review through the PCOCS open submissions process.  (NOTE:  The window for such submissions is still open, through June 1, 2010, for those who wish to avail themselves of this opportunity to make suggestions for what our next resource should include.)

Breaks in the sifting and singing occurred in several meaningful ways.  Taking advantage of the wealth of colleagues available in the Presbyterian Center, the PCOCS engaged in lunch-time conversations with representatives from offices for Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries and Leadership Development; Multicultural Congregational Support; Native American Congregational Support; Hispanic/Latino-a Congregational Support; Middle Eastern Congregational Support; African American Congregational Support; Mission Partners; and New Immigrant Congregational Support.  Breaking bread and sharing ideas with one another enabled us to identify individuals and worshiping communities to assist in discovering “heart songs” representative of the great diversity of our denominational family.

Some such worshiping communities will be added to a list of churches that have volunteered to assist the hymnal-creation process as test sites for new material.  Beginning in April, test-site churches will receive four hymns or songs every three months, with the hope that these pieces will be used in worship more than once and that feedback will be provided to the PCOCS via an online survey instrument.  Other congregations interested in participating in this fashion may contact David Eicher, editor for the project, at deicher@presbypub.com.  In particular, assistance is needed from smaller congregations, congregations that have not purchased or used the 1990 Presbyterian Hymnal, and congregations with racially and ethnically diverse membership. 
 

Finally, since the next worship resource for the PC(USA) is intended to include not only hymns and songs but also spoken liturgical materials, the PCOCS heard a report from David Gambrell from the Office of Theology Worship and Education who is working with Kimberly Bracken Long to coordinate the collection of texts and rites that will appear in the volume.  Approximately thirty pages of liturgy will be included, primarily intended for use by worshipers in the pews (and not as a replacement for the presider’s Book of Common Worship).  Focusing on the Service for the Lord’s Day, these pages will reflect the fact that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is becoming an increasingly integral part of weekly worship among Presbyterian congregations.  Modeling Reformed theological content, liturgical elements will also include the sacrament of baptism and will help to clarify the processes for confirmation and welcoming people into membership.  At least one set of strong service music will be embedded in the rite, with page references provided to additional musical resources in the book.  Liturgical materials will be made available in full versions in other languages, including Korean and Spanish through supplemental publications.  A draft of the worship resources will be available by the General Assembly meeting in July 2010, with a plan for congregational testing of the materials in the immediately following fall.

[image: Kittiie616]