A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

uasion. Subjects such as The Gospel Call, The Ministries of the Church (Christian Evangelism, Christian Missions, Christian Service, and Christian Nurture), Discipleship, and Social Concern were included to give expression to the evangelistic outreach of the Mennonite Brethren Conference. The addition of special sections for children and youth enhanced the hymnal's usefulness for all members. It was probably the first modern denominational hymnal to include contemporary folk hymns with chord indications for guitar accompaniment. Marvin Hein, chairman of the General Conference commented thus on the project: Not to be overlooked is the fact that in this hymnal we have the first fruitful, cooperative effort in hymnal production between our Canadian and United States churches. As we come to appreciate hymns that are new to us but familiar to those who live above or below the border we will have reason to praise God that, in an age of increased polarization, we find it possible to have fellowship in worship, not only with God our Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ, but with one another. 23 Of interest were the positive reviews which the Worship Hymnal received from outside Mennonite Brethren circles. The Hymn, the official journal of the Hymn Society of America, stated: Here is a well-organized, excellently printed and comprehensively-compiled hymnal "for everyone." Though it is produced by one of the smaller denomi- nations on the American continent, it is a hymnal that can be used advanta- geously by practically any church. It has an excellent selection of both hymns and "worship aids" for every Christian. 24 Choir Singing Even though congregational singing has been at the heart of music-making among Mennonite Brethren, choirs and male choruses have served as significant outlets for musical expression. No matter how small the church, a choir would be formed to sing in worship services. The prestige of the church choir was such that even without promotion, most young people automatically became members. Another popular organization in most churches was the male chorus. To a more limited extent ladies choruses, children and youth choirs have also flourished. Unfortunately within recent years interests outside the church have begun to siphon off participation in church choirs. 248 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH In his Die Geschichte der Mennoniten-Bruedergemeinde," A. H. Unruh states that during the earlier years in Russia the choir, in addition to its regular singing ministry, served to introduce to the church the newer gospel songs which eventually became a part of the congregation's repertoire. Choir singing became such an important activity that many hand-copied songbooks were made from imported publications, mostly into Ziffern notation. The first official reference to choirs appeared in the record of the General Conference held in Mountain Lake, in 1919, indicating the e