The Hymn Society Annual Conference
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
ST. OLAF COLLEGE • NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA
12-16 July 2009

Most faith communities regard their children and youth as their future. But this truism often fails to recognize the importance of children and youth for the current life of any congregation. If we neglect to involve them in our worship, not only do they lose significant opportunities for faith formation. We, too, risk spiritual atrophy. This conference will offer opportunities to reassess and reclaim the significance of children and youth in the worship life of our various traditions. From both theoretical and practical vantage points, we will explore the role of music and congregational song in teaching and learning a faith tradition. In addition we will consider ways to identify and foster the underappreciated gifts of children and youth.

As always, our plenary and sectional sessions take place in an environment of sung faith and ecumenical hospitality. Every day includes a hymn festival and some occasion for corporate prayer, and there are ample opportunities to develop new friendships and to renew existing ones.

Meeting on the campus of a college noted for the broad involvement of its students (not just the music majors!) in a wide range of musical organizations, we hope to imbibe some of that spirit of engagement and enthusiasm before we return refreshed and eager to use this experience in our home situations. Plan now to be a part of this memorable conference!

PLENARY SPEAKERS: Marva J. Dawn C. Michael Hawn David Morales/Julie Haydon    Peter W. Rehwaldt

HYMN FESTIVAL LEADERS: James and Marilyn Biery Carl P. Daw, Jr./Mark G. Meyer John Ferguson/Bruce Benson Tina Schneider/Scott Foxwell Paul Westermeyer/Rebekah Schulz/David Cherwien

DAILY WORSHIP: Delores Dufner, OSB Kevin Hackett, SSJE Marilyn Haskel Anthony Ruff, OSB

SECTIONAL LEADERS:

Tom Booth Joseph Burgio James Hart Brumm Jan Buley Susan Cherwien James E. Clemens Virginia Cross Andrew and Wendy Donaldson    Edith Downing David Eicher Harry Eskew Alfred V. Fedak

Mark Alan Filbert Donna Hamilton Bruce Harding Alan Hommerding Hal Hopson Kenneth Hull David Hurd Scott Hyslop Michael Joncas Mary Nelson Keithahn    S T Kimbrough, Jr. Richard Leach

Jorge Lockward Karl Moyer Harry Plantinga Bert Polman Pedro Rubalcava Myron Sauder David Schaap Donald Sebesta John Thornburg Patricia Woodard Brian Wren Andrew Wymer

The recently renovated Boe Memorial Chapel on the St. Olaf campus.

The Conference Schedule

Conference Bookstore Hours:

Sectionals I (Monday 11:00 am)

1. Tune Writers’ Practicum – Alfred V.Fedak
2. Banquet Without Walls (text collection) and Credo (hymn collection) – Richard Leach [Selah]
3. Teaching Liturgical Song – Hal Hopson [MorningStar]
4. “Hymnody in the Roman Rite since Vatican II” – Michael Joncas [OCP]
5. “Sunday School Hymnody in the United States before 1875” – Virginia Cross
6. “When the Music Speaks and the Words Sing” – Donna Hamilton
7. For Everyone Born: Global Songs for an Emerging Church – Jorge Lockward [GBGMusik]
8. Discussion Group I: “Literacy Assumptions to Uncover before a Little Child Shall Lead Us” – Jan Buley

Sectionals II

9. David Hurd Hymnary – David Hurd [GIA]
10. Sing Praise for Faithful Women and Through Joy and Sorrow (text collections) – Edith Downing [Wayne Leupold]
11. “The Best Hymns of the Praise-Worship Movement” – Bert Polman
12. “Engaging Children and Youth in Congregational Song” – Mary Keithahn
13. “The Legacy of Margaret Clarkson, F.H.S.” – Andrew Wymer
14. “Organ Accompaniment for 16th and 17th Century Hymnody” – Karl Moyer
15. “Sacred Songs for an Intercultural Generation” – Pedro Rubalcava [OCP]
16. Discussion Group II: “An Introductory Session for Prospective Editors of The Hymnary” – Harry Plantinga

Sectionals III

17. Let All the People Praise You, O God (tune collection) – Donald Sebesta [Wayne Leupold]
18. “Recorded Hymns for a New Century” – Patricia Woodard
19. “Music for Young People: The Church of Today” – Tom Booth [OCP]
20. “Hymn-Based Music for Organ and Instruments” – Joseph Burgio
21. From Glory Into Glory: Reflections for Worship – Susan Cherwein [MorningStar]
22. Text Writers’ Practicum – Brian Wren
23. “Singing with the Children of Cameroon” – John Thornburg
24. “The Art of Psalms” – Alan Hommerding [WLP]

Sectionals IV

25. Text collection – Brian Wren [Hope]
26. “Singing at The Table: A Composer among the Worshippers” – James E. Clemens
27. Cross Generation (teens/youth hymnal supplement) [GIA]
28. “Hugo Distler’s Use of the Chorale” – Mark Alan Filbert
29. “Charles James Stewart and the First Canadian Anglican Hymn Book” – Kenneth Hull
30. “And a Child Shall Sing the Lead” – Andrew and Wendy Donaldson
31. “Djembe Drumming to Accompany Congregational Singing” – Bruce Harding
32. Young Scholars’ Forum

Sectionals V

33. “William Walker and the Folk Hymns and Spirituals of the Early South: A Bicentennial Consideration” – Harry Eskew
34. Tune Collection – Hal Hopson [Hope]
35. The Art & Craft of Typesetting Hymns – David Schaap [Selah]
36. Discovering a “New” Fanny Crosby – S T Kimbrough, Jr. and Carlton R. Young
37. Rhythms of Praises (text collection) – James Hart Brumm [Wayne Leupold]
38. The Hymn Tunes of Paul Manz [MorningStar] – Scott Hyslop
39. Sing with the World: Global Song for Children, ed. John L. Bell and Alison Adam [GIA]
40. Discussion Group III: “Hymns in Music Education” – Myron Sauder

Sectionals VI

41. Encore Sectional
42. Encore Sectional
43. Encore Sectional
44. Encore Sectional
45. Encore Sectional
46. Discussion Group IV: “A Gathering for Members of Hymnal Editorial Committees” – David Eicher

History and Setting

The St. Olaf campus is beautiful in the summer.

Since very early in its history, Northfield has been a center of higher education. In 1866 the Congregational churches founded Northfield College, which had 23 students its first term. By 1871, the name was changed to Carleton College to honor an early benefactor, William Carleton of Charleston, Massachusetts. St. Olaf College was founded in 1874 on the western edge of town by Norwegian Lutheran immigrant pastors and farmers eager to preserve their faith and culture by training teachers and preachers. Renowned as a seat of Norwegian culture, the college houses the national archives of the Norwegian-American Historical Society. St. Olaf also has a rich tradition in music with an internationally acclaimed choir. These two institutions, which today enroll a total of more than 5,000 students, have a major influence on the life of the town,

On September 7, 1876, Northfield experienced one of its most important historical events. An outlaw gang led by Jesse James tried to rob the First National Bank of Northfield. Local citizens, recognizing what was happening, armed themselves and resisted the robbers, successfully thwarting the theft, but not before the bank’s cashier, Joseph Lee Heywood (who also served as Northfield’s and Carleton College’s treasurer) and a Swedish immigrant, Nicholas Gustafson, were murdered. A couple of the James-Younger gang were killed in the street, while the rest of the Gang (except for Jesse and Frank James, who reportedly escaped), were cornered near Madelia, Minnesota, and were either killed or taken into custody. This foiled attempt now serves as a tourist draw for the town, especially during The Defeat of Jesse James Days, held the weekend after Labor Day every year. The original bank building, which still exists, has been converted to a museum operated by the Northfield Historical Society. A skeleton supposedly of a gang member was displayed in the museum for many years and is still in storage there. The First National Bank of Northfield is still in operation, although the main office is now a half a block away from the original site. In its front lobby, a glass case showcases a gun used during the attempted robbery. A number of films have been made of the attempted robbery, but none of them is very accurate. One of the best known is the 1972 film The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid, which portrayed the bedraggled James brothers riding off into the mountains west of town, but those mountains are actually about 1,200 miles away.

Many of the buildings in downtown Northfield date from 1875 to 1905 and have been well preserved. Some of these buildings, as well as others in the community, are on the National Register of Historic Places. Because of early economic successes and the stability of two thriving colleges, the downtown is more extensive and better maintained than comparable areas in otherwise similar Midwest communities. Today, Northfield’s two colleges and business climate continue to thrive. Several important industries have developed in Northfield, involving everything from food processing to revolutionary advances in computer technology.

Although winter temperatures in Northfield are often in the single digits, the summer climate is warm. The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum daytime temperature of 83°F (28.3°C) and an average nightly low of 58°F (14.4°C). Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, though July is the second-wettest month with an average rainfall of 4.3 inches.

Venues and Accommodations

Cathedral of Saint Paul

Excellent dining facilities in Buntrock Commons.		Ytterboe Hall is the newest residential hall at St. Olaf.

Meals

Transportation

By Train: Amtrak offers daily service to Minneapolis on the Empire Builder routes, which connect at their eastern end in Chicago with northern, central, and southern services and in Seattle and Portland from points west. For schedules and fares visit www.amtrak.com or phone 800 USA-RAIL (800 872-7245).

By Bus: Greyhound bus lines operate a station in Minneapolis, and can also deposit or board passengers in Northfield. Schedule and fare information is available through their website at www.greyhound.com or through their toll-free numbers 800-661-TRIP (8747) [Canada] or 800-231-2222 [USA]

Conference Bookstore

Silent Auction

Scholarships