8 Things We Heard at Sing! (Besides Singing)

8 Things We Heard at Sing! (Besides Singing)

Last week, John and I had the privilege of taking Hymns Illustrated to the Sing! Conference in Nashville. After several days of conversations at the booth, there were a few comments and questions we heard more than once.

These are paraphrases, of course, but you’ll get the idea. 😊

1. “That’s my favorite hymn!”

I heard this about September’s Hymn of the Month, On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand, which pleasantly surprised me! We also heard it several times about This Is My Father’s World, the free hymn study we shared.

It was a good reminder that these old hymns are still very much loved.

2. “How can I help my congregation love hymns as much as they love newer songs?”

This was one of the more serious questions I was asked, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

I have some thoughts, but I think this question deserves more than a paragraph in a conference recap. More to come!

3. “Where were you when I was homeschooling?”

Or teaching. Or raising kids. We heard variations of this the most! But here’s the good news: you don’t have to be a homeschool parent or teacher to pass hymns on to the next generation. We met one young woman at Sing! who is already intentionally teaching hymns to her younger siblings!

Grandkids, nieces and nephews, Sunday school kids, or simply other children in your life all count.

4. “Do you have any newer hymns?”

Great question! I've used public domain hymns so far but newer hymns are a little more complicated because they require permission and licensing. But at Sing! I got to meet and talk with the exact person I need to work with to make that happen so stay tuned! You may see a newer hymn in the future to help represent God's generation-spanning plan for hymnody.

5. “Wow, there's so much in one study!”

We heard this more than once as people flipped through the Hymn of the Month studies. And it's true!

I love offering plenty of options for finding those teachable moments because I view our hymn studies as discipleship resources, not simply a way to learn a hymn.

But I also realize that sometimes when there’s a lot to choose from, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and end up doing nothing at all!

I don't want that. So beginning with our next hymn, I’m making the essentials easier to spot, with plenty of opportunities to go deeper if you want.

6. "You're from Iowa, too?"

We met someone my mom taught in first grade, a pastor from a neighboring town, and even someone born in my hometown of Centerville!

It was a fun reminder that the Church is both global and wonderfully local. We came from all over to sing to the same Lord, yet we kept finding connections to my own little corner of Iowa.

7. “I love what you’re doing. How can we work together?”

I came home with some new connections and possibilities to explore. I don’t know where any of them will lead yet, but it was encouraging to meet so many other people and ministries who care about hymns and passing them on.

And perhaps our favorite part of the week was getting to meet several Hymns Illustrated members in person. Which leads me to the last thing I heard...

8. “Will you sign my book?”

Okay, I only heard this one once. 😊

I brought copies of Song of Saints™ to give to Hymns Illustrated members who stopped by the booth, and one gentleman (a charter member here!) asked me to sign his. It took me a little off guard because I'm hardly a celebrity, but of course I happily obliged.

Any guesses what I wrote?

The very same thing I tell you every week...

Keep your hymnal open! 🎶

Kristen