Macalester Plymouth United Church of St. Paul, Minnesota, announces a thirteenth international contest for English language hymn writers. It is our understanding that hymns can motivate the church to be more actively involved in social reform, a vital part of its ministry. It carries a prize of $500 for the winning entry. We are looking for new texts which will enable the church and its people to lament, to cry out in anger and frustration to God. This is richly expressed in many of the Psalms, but is a tradition largely neglected by the modern church. We are especially looking for texts that lament war and its aftermath, or cry out against other forms of violence.
This contest is part of a continuing memorial to Macalester Plymouth church member A. A. ("Al") Heckman, widely known as Minnesota's "Dean of Philanthropy." He was one of the first men in the nation to earn a graduate degree in social work and went on to create many private and public partnerships to help the needy. He was a pioneer in the establishment of integrated social services at the city, county and state level, and served on the boards of many philanthropic foundations. His life was an inspiration to those seeking to integrate Christian faith with social action.
This is a search for new texts. We strongly encourage the use of familiar meters which may be sung to familiar tunes. New music for the winning hymn may be sought in the future. Hymns previously published or currently entered in other contests should not be submitted. It is certainly permissible, however, to have a local congregation or other group sample your hymn before submitting it.
Macalester Plymouth Church, a member of both the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ, is a liberal and inclusive church with a history of active involvement in contemporary social issues. We suggest avoiding archaic language (e.g. "Which wert, and art, and evermore shall be") and non-inclusive language (e.g. "O brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother").
There is an entry fee of $3 for each hymn submitted, and checks should be made payable to "Macalester Plymouth United Church" with a memo entry for "Hymn Contest." Entrants should provide four copies of each hymn. The entrant's name must not appear on these copies. Please provide a cover letter with your name, address, telephone number, and the title of your entry or entries. All entries will be acknowledged within two weeks of receipt.
All entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2008. The judges will arrive at their decision by February 15, 2009, and their decision is final. The winning hymn will be announced by February 28, 2008. Only one winning entry is anticipated, but the judges may decide to split the prize among several co-winners. The judges also reserve the right not to select any hymn as the winner. Each entrant will receive notification of the contest winner and a copy of the winning hymn.
Copyright for the winning hymn will be retained by the author, but the author agrees to permit the use of this hymn by Macalester Plymouth United Church in perpetuity. Churches of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (Presbyterian Church/USA), and churches of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ shall be permitted to use the winning hymn(s) for one year (March of 2009 through February of 2010).
Please send entries and correspondence to:
Hymn Contest
Macalester Plymouth United Church
1658 Lincoln Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105-1949
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site:www.macalester-plymouth.org
October 21, 2008
Macalester Plymouth United Church
