wfn.org | New Hymns on the Way for Taiwan

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Taiwan Church News 2605, February 3, 2002
Reported by Fei Te-lei,  Written by David Alexander

   For her hundredth anniversary in 1965 the Presbyterian
Church in Taiwan (PCT) produced a new hymnal.  37 years
later that collection of 518 pieces is still in use in Hoklo
(Taiwanese) speaking congregations within the PCT.
Supplements were produced in the 1980's and 90's, but
did not "take".  Now a committee dedicated to publishing
"New Hymns for the Century" is preparing a 100 hymns
for publication in time for the biennial General Assembly
meeting scheduled for April 2-5.
   The committee burned the midnight oil from January 21 to
23, poring over the poetry, music and theology of over 200
submissions to select 100 for the new book.  They sought
to be both ecumenical and contextual in their selection of
material.  Tunes with a local flavor, submitted by Aboriginal,
Hakkanese and Taiwanese writers, have pride of place. But
this does not preclude the inclusion of material from Latin
America, Africa and elsewhere in Asia.  Euro-American
material fills out the mix.
    Committee chairman Dr. Loh I-toh said, "The songs we
choose are demonstrations of the attitudes of our faith,
so this new book must be both ecumenical and contextual
in order to simultaneously show the character of our PCT."

For more information: Church Music Committee:
                                       sing@mail.pct.org.tw
                         Loh I-toh:    ttcs@bbs.ttcs.org.tw

The Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Chinese
View our Website:  www:pctpress.com.tw