It's a special day here at CWS -- we have the first copyrighted hymn to appear here, with permission, and it's a favorite of mine. Written in 1980 for use in the Metropolitan Community Church, this is an original text and tune that I've always thought should be used across a broader spectrum of churches.We are the Church Alive,
Christ's presence on this earth
We give God's Spirit body in
The act of our new birth.
As yielded open channels
For God's descending dove,
We shout and sing, With joy we bring
God's all-inclusive love.
We are the Church Alive,
Our faith has set us free;
No more enslaved by guilt and shame,
We live our liberty!
We follow Christ's example
And freedom now proclaim,
Destroying myths of doubt and fear
In Jesus' mighty name.
We are the Church Alive,
The body must be healed;
Where strife has bruised and battered us,
God's wholeness is revealed.
Our mission is an urgent one;
In strength and health let's stand,
So that our witness to God's light
Will shine through every land.
We are the Church Alive,
All praise to God on high!
Creator, Savior, Comforter!
We laud and magnify
Your name, almighty God of love;
Pray give us life, that we
May be your church, the Church Alive,
For all eternity.
Jack Hoggatt and David Pelletier, 1980
Tune: CHURCH ALIVE (6.6.8.6.8.6.8.6.)
Jack Hoggatt, 1980
Copyright © 1980 Jack Hoggatt and David Pelletier
Used by permission.
It has been widely used in MCC churches since its debut, but I believe it became even more significant and meaningful later in the 1980s and 90s as so many people died in the AIDS epidemic (not yet known in 1980). It was an awe-filled experience to sing "We are the Church Alive/The body must be healed..." with hundreds of other voices on a Sunday morning -- a hymn, a prayer, and a cry of defiance all in one. Thanks to Jack for letting me present it here, to at least a few people who haven't heard it.
9 comments:
Okay, well, what I was going to say aside from the fact that I had a midi file for you, and noting that the YouTube link was broken, was that I consider this a major hymn both in text and in tune. And I have been amazed at how many people I have shown it to have had a similar opinion on hearing/seeing it, but changed their minds upon learning of its denominational provenance. Where they had seen encouragement and confessional orthodoxy, all of a sudden they see narcissism and agenda. Homophobia is obviously not as out of style in the churches as one would hope. There was more, but I can't recall exactly what.
Leland aka Haruo
Interesting reactions (but not really surprising I guess). I'd say most hymns have an "agenda" of some sort and I can certainly name some that I consider narcissistic. But agenda is only bad when it's someone else's - you own agenda is always just fine.
When I brought it to church (one summer I was in charge of praise-song selection for a month) ca. 1997 I saw some of the reaction I describe in my own relatively liberal Baptist congregation; one couple walked out after reading the credit line. My pastor's wife (bless her heart) couldn't understand what the fuss was about; it turned out she thought MCC meant "Mennonite Central Committee"! I've encountered similar, sometimes more emphatic responses in online forums where topics like "important recent hymns" have been under discussion.
Leland aka Haruo
Geocities is no longer there. For a short URL that gets you to the MIDI in the Internet Archive, use
http://tinyurl.com/TheChurchAlive1
Thanks, Al! The link is fixed now.
Where can I find a hard copy of this hymn? Is it published in any hymnals? Or online?
Unfortunately I do not believe that it has ever been published in a hymnal, since UFMCC is neither willing nor able to publish their own worship resources.
I did a quick Google search for the first line of the hymn and see that it has apparently appeared in several worship bulletins/leaflets that can he seen online. At the moment I do not have a fast enough internet connection to be able to download those large PDF files to check, though.
P.S. - I also do not know whether those churches that used the hymn had permission to reproduce it, as of course it is still under copyright.
I know I'm commenting out-of-the-blue on an old post here, but I'm currently researching queer hymns, and I was wondering whether you'd be willing to discuss the former MCC hymnal project, and possibly shed light on some hymns I have found reference to, but for which I haven't been able to find the text (or, in some cases, any reference to where that text might be found or might have been published).
If you're willing to discuss that project (or anything to do with queer hymns), I'd welcome an email at sylvia.d.hook@gmail.com, or a reply to this comment.
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