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Musical devotions: Hearing familiar hymns with new ears

The published and unpublished verse of Charles Wesley teach us a great deal about our relationship with God. Image by Kathryn Price, United Methodist Communications.
The published and unpublished verse of Charles Wesley teach us a great deal about our relationship with God. Image by Kathryn Price, United Methodist Communications.

Charles Wesley wrote more than 6,000 hymns that were sung by the early Methodists. Through these lyrics they learned about God, Jesus, discipleship, love, and so much more.

This is still true for United Methodists today. Spending time with the hymns of Charles Wesley, both those in the United Methodist Hymnal and others, can help us grow in our faith.

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Worship
Éliane Muland and Esther Mwinkeu, members of the New Covenant United Methodist Choir, record music at a new church studio in Manika, Congo. The choir’s members raised money to build the new studio and a rehearsal room that can be rented out to community groups. The income will support the ministries of the choir’s home church, Jerusalem United Methodist. Photo by Jenovic Mandandj, UM News.

New studio helps choir spread God’s message
The New Covenant United Methodist Choir in Congo raised nearly $50,000 for a modern recording studio that will benefit members, the community and church ministries.
Church History
The Rev. Ted Campbell edited and published “A Core Methodist Hymnal,” a collection of 126 hymn texts by Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosby and others. Campbell intends the book as a devotional and teaching resource “to form people today in a Wesleyan and Methodist way of being Christian.” Photo courtesy of the Rev. Ted Campbell.

New attention for old hymn texts
Scholar Ted Campbell has edited a book for devotional reading of early Methodist hymns. Each of the 126 hymn texts is followed by a short commentary from Campbell.
Worship
Graphic by Taylor W Burton Edwards.

Ask The UMC: How do the Sunday readings for Advent differ from year to year?
The Advent readings pursue three different themes in the three different years.

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