Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest
Encyclopedia
The Macalester Plymouth United Church Hymn Contest is a highly-regarded annual search for new hymns instituted by a leading Minnesota
congregation which is a union of the United Church of Christ
(UCC) and the Presbyterian Church (USA)
.
” who died in 1994.
The longest-running English language
hymn contest attracts entries from the United States
and the rest of the English-speaking world, including Great Britain
, Canada
, and Australia
. In church hymn circles, the hymn contest has acquired a level of importance capable of elevating a previously unknown artist to international prominence and providing deserved recognition of established hymn writers.
1996 Theme: Hymns that call the church to work for social justice
1997 Theme: Hymns that call the church to nurture and care for children everywhere
1998 Theme: Hymns that speak to the role and ministry of the church in addressing social concerns faced by our communities, our nation and our world as we enter a new century
1999 Theme: Hymns which address environmental
stewardship
at a time of conflicting national / tribal interests
2000 Theme: Hymns based on the Hebrew prophets
’ calls for justice
2001 Theme: Hymns which call the church to greater inclusivity
2002 Theme: Hymns which call the church to affirm gay
, lesbian
, bisexual and transgender
persons and to celebrate their gifts and ministries
2003 Theme: Hymns which call the church and its people to work for peace
2004 Theme: Hymns which celebrate religious diversity and encourage interfaith
cooperation
, with the understanding that many of the world’s social problems are rooted in religious intolerance
2005 Theme: Hymns which call the church and its people to greater awareness of the plight of the homeless, and to the need for affordable housing
for all people
2006 Theme: Hymns that call the church and its people to practice the forgiveness
of enemies and to commend to the nations as practical politics the search for cooperation and peace.
2007: Theme: New hymns to use on Mother's Day
, sensitive to the changing nature of family life, and affirming feminist calls for equality.
2008: Theme: Hymns which will enable the church and its people to lament, to cry out in anger and frustration to God.
2009: Theme: Hymns to be sung on Labor Day
, with words that especially address the plight of the unemployed.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
congregation which is a union of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
(UCC) and the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
.
History
Since 1996, Macalester Plymouth United Church of St. Paul, Minnesota, has sponsored a hymn-writing contest seeking new hymn texts that "can motivate the church to be more actively involved in social reform." The St. Paul contest is funded with an endowment by A.A. "Al" Heckman, a church member who was widely known as Minnesota’s “Dean of PhilanthropyPhilanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
” who died in 1994.
The longest-running English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
hymn contest attracts entries from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the rest of the English-speaking world, including Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In church hymn circles, the hymn contest has acquired a level of importance capable of elevating a previously unknown artist to international prominence and providing deserved recognition of established hymn writers.
Annual Themes and Winning Hymns
Chronological list includes co-winning hymns and honorable mention hymns.1996 Theme: Hymns that call the church to work for social justice
- 1996 Winning hymn Who Will Speak a Word of Warning - Richard LeachRichard LeachRichard Leach is an American hymn writer and poet.He received a B.A from Bowdoin College in 1974, and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1978. He was a United Church of Christ pastor in Connecticut from 1978 to 1999. He began writing hymns in 1987...
, Torrington, CT
1997 Theme: Hymns that call the church to nurture and care for children everywhere
- 1997 Winning hymn Gentle Jesus, Loving Shepherd - Lurline DuPre, Denton, TX
- 1997 Honorable mention The Children We Hold Dear - David A. Robb, Dalton, GA
- 1997 Honorable mention The People Came from Everywhere - Mary Nelson Keithahn, Belle Fourche, SD
1998 Theme: Hymns that speak to the role and ministry of the church in addressing social concerns faced by our communities, our nation and our world as we enter a new century
- 1998 Winning hymn How Long Ago the World Was Taught - Richard LeachRichard LeachRichard Leach is an American hymn writer and poet.He received a B.A from Bowdoin College in 1974, and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1978. He was a United Church of Christ pastor in Connecticut from 1978 to 1999. He began writing hymns in 1987...
, Torrington, CT - 1998 Honorable mention Companion of the Poor - Dan Damon, Point Richmond, CA
- 1998 Honorable mention God Has Asked “Whom Shall I Send Forth?” - Michael Morgan, Atlanta, GA
- 1998 Honorable mention O Hear My Voice, My People - Robert Gardiner, Southampton, MA
1999 Theme: Hymns which address environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
stewardship
Stewardship
Stewardship is an ethic that embodies responsible planning and management of resources. The concept of stewardship has been applied in diverse realms, including with respect to environment, economics, health, property, information, and religion, and is linked to the concept of sustainability...
at a time of conflicting national / tribal interests
- 1999 Winning hymn The Garden Needs Our Tending Now - Mary Louise Bringle, Laurinberg, NC
2000 Theme: Hymns based on the Hebrew prophets
Prophets
Prophets may refer to:* High Prophets , The Covenant leaders in Halo 2* Prophets , one of the five Ascension Gift Ministries* LDS Prophets, modern day Prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
’ calls for justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
- 2000 Winning hymn As the Bear That Roams the Timber - John Core, Morgantown, WV
2001 Theme: Hymns which call the church to greater inclusivity
- 2001 Winning hymn O God, By Whose Guidance - Robert Gardiner, Southampton, MA
2002 Theme: Hymns which call the church to affirm gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
persons and to celebrate their gifts and ministries
- 2002 Co-winning hymn Faces and Facets - Alan J. Hommerding, Chicago, IL
- 2002 Co-winning hymn In the Desert Where They’d Wandered - Richard Spalding, Williamstown, MA
- 2002 Co-winning hymn The Love That Goes Unspoken - Mary Louise Bringle, Etowah, NC
2003 Theme: Hymns which call the church and its people to work for peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
- 2003 Winning hymn O God of Peace, Who Gave Us Breath and Birth - Timothy Dudley-SmithTimothy Dudley-SmithTimothy Dudley-Smith OBE is an English hymnwriter and a retired bishop of the Church of England.Born in Manchester, England, he was educated at Tonbridge School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1951. He served as Archdeacon of Norwich 1973-81 and ...
, Salisbury, UK - 2003 Honorable mention God Is Still Speaking - Barbara Hamm, Martinez, CA
2004 Theme: Hymns which celebrate religious diversity and encourage interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
cooperation
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
, with the understanding that many of the world’s social problems are rooted in religious intolerance
Religious intolerance
Religious intolerance is intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices.-Definition:The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs incorrect does not in itself constitute intolerance...
- 2004 Winning hymn Creator of the Intertwined - Jacque B. Jones, Brooklyn, NY
2005 Theme: Hymns which call the church and its people to greater awareness of the plight of the homeless, and to the need for affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
for all people
- 2005 Winning hymn The Church of Christ Cannot be Bound - Adam M. L. Tice, Goshen, IN
- 2005 Honorable mention If God Is Anywhere At All - Pamela Payne, Huntsville, AL
- 2005 Honorable mention A Home for All Is God’s Desire - William Allen Pasch, Griffin, GA
2006 Theme: Hymns that call the church and its people to practice the forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
of enemies and to commend to the nations as practical politics the search for cooperation and peace.
- 2006 Co-winning hymn Disarming Presence, Win Us - Dorothy Fulton, Abington, Pennsylvania
- 2006 Co-winning hymn To Dream of It Is Wondrous - John Core, Morgantown, West Virginia
2007: Theme: New hymns to use on Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
, sensitive to the changing nature of family life, and affirming feminist calls for equality.
- 2007 Winning hymn: Thank You, God, For Mother - Nathan Crabtree, Hickory, NC
- 2007 Honorable mention O Loving Creator, We Labor with You - Jann Aldredge-Clanton, Dallas, TX
2008: Theme: Hymns which will enable the church and its people to lament, to cry out in anger and frustration to God.
- 2008 Co-winning hymn When Brutal Forces Crush Out Love - R. Frederick Crider, Jr., Timonium, MD
- 2008 Co-winning hymn Earth Is Aching - David Gambrell, Louisville, KY
- 2008 Co-winning hymn Can We Curse Without Blaspheming? - William Allen Pasch, Griffin, GA
2009: Theme: Hymns to be sung on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, with words that especially address the plight of the unemployed.
- 2009 Winning hymn God Bless the Work Your People Do - John A. DallesJohn A. DallesJohn A. Dalles is a clergyman and hymnwriter who was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Penn State, Lancaster Theological Seminary and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary , he is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church...
, Longwood, FL - 2009 Honorable mention When Work of Heart and Hand Align - Pamela Payne, Huntsville, AL