Africana Hymnal Study Committee Meets, Elects Officers

(NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 1, 2009/Discipleship Ministries) — The Africana Hymnal Study Committee, adopted by General Conference 2008, met for the first time April 20-22, 2009, at the United Methodist Discipleship Ministries in Nashville.

The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt

The Africana Hymnal Study offers the opportunity for deeper investigation of the unique music, worship and liturgical needs of black Methodists in North America. "A study of the worship needs within the Africana community has never been accomplished," said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for Discipleship Ministries. "This study and the projected results will provide groundbreaking information for future resourcing for those worshiping in the Africana, African, African American, and Black church tradition."

The study is being conducted by a committee composed of United Methodists and members of the Pan Methodist Commission, which consists of the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, Union American Methodist Episcopal, and African Union Methodist Protestant churches.

The United Methodist Council of Bishops assigned the Rev. Dr. Julius C. Trimble, bishop of the Iowa Area, to spearhead the committee's work and supervise the election of officers.

The officers for 2008-2012 are the following:

• Bishop Julius C. Trimble, committee chairperson
• Dr. Lisa Allen, assistant professor of Worship and Music at ITC, vice-chair
• The Rev. Roderick Belin, pastor of Kairos Community Church, co-recorder
• The Rev. Dollie Howell Pankey, associate pastor and assistant to the dean of chapel, Miles College, co-recorder

General Conference 2008 approved a four-year study to determine if there is a need for an official United Methodist hymnal for North American Christians of African descent in the Wesleyan heritage (General Conference Petition 80217).

Of the eight million United Methodists in the United States, 5.6 percent are black Methodists.

The committee is authorized to conduct the study and report back to the 2012 General Conference with recommendations.

"We expect that this study will have far-reaching consequences for mission and ministry within the United Methodist Church, the churches that form the Pan Methodist community of faith, and the larger ecumenical church worldwide. We are thrilled that this study is underway and look forward to the learning that will emerge from it," said Greenwaldt.

The meeting got underway with a review of the Africana Hymnal Study legislation enacted by General Conference, which stipulates that the study address music, worship, liturgy and ritual needs and development.

The study will also include -- but is not limited to -- the basic worship, liturgy and ritual of the church (basic pattern, services of Word and Table, services of the baptismal covenant, services of death and resurrection, funeral ritual, services and prayers for celebration days in the cultures of the African diaspora worshiping in North America, Psalter and prayers).

In addition to Wesley texts and tunes, service music, and hymnody from the several Africana languages and cultures represented in the church in North America, the study also includes emerging technologies and alternative delivery systems.

The Africana Hymnal Study is the joint work of Discipleship Ministries and the United Methodist Publishing House, as both agencies provide worship and ministry resources for black churches.

Neil Alexander

Both agencies' general secretaries, the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt and Mr. Neil Alexander, are delighted that the work of this committee has been launched. Alexander, publisher of The United Methodist Church, who was unable to attend the meeting, said that "seeking profound understanding of peoples' aspirations and needs for worship and Christian living, and then connecting them with culturally attuned resources -- is the privilege of United Methodists who know that the world is our parish."

The Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua

The management and cost of the study will be shared by both agencies. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, director of preaching ministries at Discipleship Ministries, provides primary staff support for the work of this committee.

The committee delved into discussions of the study model, timelines, and benchmarks and defined the task and scope of its work, in addition to electing officers and forming subcommittees.

The study committee consists of 15 voting members, including two persons each named by Discipleship Ministries and the UMPH, one person named by Black Methodists for Church Renewal, five persons named by The Pan Methodist Commission and one active bishop named by the Council of Bishops to convene the first meeting of the study committee and supervise the process of election of officers.

The committee's findings and recommendations will be submitted to Discipleship Ministries and the UMPH for reporting to the 2012 General Conference.

Discipleship Ministries' mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, Discipleship Ministries (www.umcdiscipleship.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at 877-899-2780, ext. 7017.

News Media Contact: Jeanette Pinkston, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 340-7017 or [email protected]