What is your congregational music repertoire like? I am sure you will agree with me that most of the songs we sing in worship are from the West. Whether they are hymns or contemporary songs, 80 per cent, if not 90 per cent, are from the West. If, at most, 20 per cent are from the East, how many of these songs are locally written?
Worship is contextual. Singing songs we âborrowâ brings us to God and connects us to the larger Body of Christ. On the other hand, when we sing our own songs, our own stories, experiences and thoughts, we open up and draw closer to God. The level of ownership of the songs as an expression of worship may exhibit a deeper sense of authenticity.
While we are blessed with the vast resource of worship music, songs by our local song writers should also be on our list. It is on this premise that the Methodist School of MusicâWorship & Music department collaborated with local song writers to make their songs available to the wider church.
To kick-start this project, we are pleased to present The Faith We Sing, a digital songbook featuring two Wesleyan hymns, re-tuned to a more contemporary melody, and eight original compositions. To learn more about these songs, please scan the QR code and download the digital songbook. The copyright for the songs belongs to the composers. Should you have questions, please write us so that we can direct you to them.
This will be an ongoing project. We envision the next project to be a collection of songs based on the Psalms. Selected songs will be featured at The Faith We Sing 2021 in September 2021. Should you wish to join this project for song writers, please drop us an email so that we can add you to our mailing list and keep you posted.
MSM-W&M: worship@msmusic.edu.sg
Scan the QR code for a copy of the digital songbook
Judith Laoyan-Mosomos is the Director for Worship and Church Music at the Methodist School of Music, and a member of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church.