Thank you to The Mother Church and all involved in the 2008 Hymnal Supplement

I have found myself dragging my feet on this assignment for the Book Club.

Why did this supplementary hymnal meet with resistance on first being published? Some churches didn't even provide them for services, I understand. Is it resistance to anything new?

One of my first impressions about the hymns was that there were two with the same music – "O Waly, Waly" – 443 and 458: "Home is the Consciousness of Good" and "Though I speak with Moving Words".

I found that "O Waly, Waly", also called "The Water is Wide", is a folk song of Scottish origin, based on lyrics that partly date to the 1600's. It is still popular in the 21^st century and it was published in 1906 in Folk Songs from Somerset.

And I particularly like Susan Mack's songs, from one of which we hear her pure voice singing out to us on the Let's Sing recording (available in Christian Science Reading Rooms) – 462 "When my heart is lost in sorrow". (I like to think of it as Simply Praising Him.) The others are "I Awake each Morn to a Brand New Day" (445), and "O Thou Unchanging Truth" (452). The lyrics to 452 are from a much loved poem by Peter J. Henniker-Heaton and which has not been an easy one for our church to come to terms with.

We sang Hymn 460 in Sunday School on Sunday - with gusto; and a little 4 year old boy bouncing in enjoyment.

Hymn 444 is one that could be chosen often for Sunday services because of the words' close connection with Isa. 45:5-6 and other similar verses from the Bible. "I Am the Lord, There is None Else". Words and Music are by soloist on Let's Sing, Désirée Goyette. I found this about one of her recordings – “Désirée Goyette wraps her soul-centered voice lovingly around these positively powerful words steeped in the affirmation of humanity and freedom." Let it Go album (as presented on the Watchfire Music website: http://watchfiremusic.com/artist.php?arid=96)

I am learning to appreciate the the Let's Sing recordings better by having them available in the car. Thank you to The Mother Church in Boston and to all those who participated in the production of this blessing for our church services and Sunday Schools.

Joyce Voysey