Thanks for Sharing; Please Share More!

Earlier this year, the WELS Hymnal Project asked you to help us celebrate our rich heritage of hymns by sharing with us those that are especially near and dear to your heart.

We are very thankful that more than 3,200 people participated in the survey: 1,720 responded to the synod-wide survey and 1,508 students filled out the survey in their classrooms. The results of those surveys have been shared with the members of the hymnal project. A document listing fifty favorites from each of the surveys is available here.

Between now and the end of the year, we’d like to continue to celebrate the great blessing hymns are to our lives of faith. And we’d like to ask for your help in doing so. On eight Mondays between now and Christmas, we will highlight one specific hymn found on the lists below with a brief article about that hymn. That article will also be posted on Northwestern Publishing House’s Facebook Page.

When that article is published, you’ll be invited to comment - either on our website or on Facebook - about what you personally cherish about that particular hymn. You may also wish to use your own social media accounts to express what you love about any hymn and invite others within your circle to do the same. The goal is start each week by joining together to celebrate how much we love hymns and why.

On the following Monday, we’ll publish a collection of some of the responses that come in so that everyone can see what others from around the synod have been saying.

In addition, we will invite anyone to produce a more creative expression of their personal favorite (a photo, drawing, video, slideshow, etc) and provide details for submitting that work.

Thank you again for helping us celebrate these wonderful hymns. We value and appreciate your input and look forward to hearing more.

Pastor Jonathan Bauer
WELS Communications Committee