How many hymns are in the new hymnal?
There are 853 hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs in the new hymnal.
What kinds of hymnsare in the hymnal?
There is music covering all major historical and contemporary sacred genres, including approximately 35 African American/Gospel hymns (Soon and Very Soon; Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, etc.) There are many older hymns ("Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty"), older hymns that have never been published in a Presbyterian hymnal ("Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling"), contemporary praise songs ("Awesome God"), and global music (music from 6 continents, in many different languages). In addition, there are more than 20 songs from the Taize (pronounced "tuh-ZAY") community.
What are some examples of music from the new hymnal?
- "Gather Us In," text by Marty Haugen
- "Rock of Ages," text by Augustus Toplady
- "Come and Fill Our Hearts / Confitemini Domino" from the Taizé community. In English and Latin.
- "Shout to the North," text by Martin Smith
- "Freedom is Coming" from the South African freedom movement
- "Halle, Halle, Hallelujah," a traditional Caribbean tune
- "His Eye is on the Sparrow," text by Civilla D. Martin
- "O Lord, Our Lord, How Majestic is Your Name" by Michael W. Smith
You can find the complete list of hymns here.
Is there an electronic edition?
Yes! A web-based electronic edition of Glory to God is now available. Users can search all indexes, view hymns, listen to audio clips, and, where rights allow, insert hymns into bulletins. See order form for pricing.
Display edition
Two projection editions are available:
- Words-only edition
- Words and music, plus words-only edition
See order form for pricing.
EBook Edition
An ebook editionis available from all major eBook retailers, such as Amazon.com.
Besides English, what languages are represented in the hymnal?
Glory to God includes a number of hymns and songs from the global church. Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, Latin, French, Sotho, Swahili, and other languages will be printed where appropriate. Although this songbook is not primarily a multilingual hymnal, itwill represent some of the diversity in the Church. Languages that use characters instead of letters will be printed with the actual characters.
Will the psalms be together in the middle of the book?
The psalms are not in a separate section. They are dispersed throughout the book into topical sections. There is a sung setting of each Sunday's lectionary psalm. An index of all psalms is included.
What is the first hymn in Glory to God?
The new hymnal organized according to the history of salvation, beginning with creation and finishing with the Church's hope for the Lord's return. "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty" is the first hymn
Will I be able to imprint my church's name on the front cover?
Yes! Churches can add a line of custom imprinting to the covers of their hymnals. One line of imprinting, 33 characters maximum. Purple covers will be imprinted with silver foil; red covers will be imprinted with gold foil. Allow 4-6 weeks for processing.
Pricing is as follows:
1-5 copies of a single imprint: $5 per copy
6-25 copies of a single imprint: $4 per copy
26-50 copies of a single imprint: $3 per copy
51-500 copies of a single imprint: $2.50 per copy
501 copies and above of a single imprint: $1.50 per copy
How can I help my church raise funds for the new hymnal?
The decision to purchase new hymnals is a significant one in the life of a congregation. Here are a few ideas for paying for this important resource:
- Invite individuals and families to purchase single copies in honor or memory of loved ones. This has historically been an easy and fast way of raising the necessary money. We will supply offering envelopes for use in a fundraising campaign.
- Build this expense into the annual stewardship campaign.
- Host an evening "Sing for Your Supper." Sell tickets for dinner and a congregational talent show, a hymn sing, or a special performance by the choir. Publicize within the local community.
- Sell the current hymnals to congregation members at a minimal cost.