With heart and soul

Looking back on 2018 I see that we have a lot of activities that have to do with song. Every first Friday of the month we sing with the French-speaking brethren from Liége. Each 3rd Wednesday Shirley and I are with the congregation in Eindhoven for their singing. In March and October Scott organizes a Song Workshop to help members learn how to sing or learn new songs. This year in October that meant that several new songs were even written by members. In September the church in Maastricht gets together with the church from Cologne, Germany for fellowship and song. 

In addition to these moments, there is a camp meeting in January which is also a Family Day with congregational singing. And at the end of the summer Bible camp weeks we have a Family Day where we sing some more. And in the congregation in Maastricht, we love singing. Most Sunday’s the worship service will end with one of the members humming the last song and others joining in and re-singing the song, or someone beginning a new song while others join in around the coffee. 

Singing is essential to our spiritual well-being. We are made to sing, created by the wondrous Creator with the capacity to put emotion to word and thought and so encourage and teach one another. And although there is a rich Dutch-speaking history of hymnody, much of it is quite classical. Newer songs tend to be in English – and then perhaps translated into Dutch. That is why we are so excited about the opportunities to add to the church hymnody with our own members developing the talents, sharing the inspiration that God has given them. 

In the coming months Scott will be getting a group together from around the Netherlands and Flanders and recording as many of the songs that have been written by our own members as possible. These will be presented online as recordings and in music notation so that other congregations can learn them. Many of these songs are designed around texts straight from Scripture, so that members will be able to carry God’s word in their hearts and minds daily. We will pass on the site address once it is online (although most of the songs will be in Dutch). Until then, if you are interested in some of the previous projects we have had, you can hear the songs by linking through the Maastricht church website here. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns andspiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.Colossians 3:16 (RSV1885)