In Australia, indigenous people believe that the gods walked over the land, creating songlines with their footsteps. Today, Australians use traditional music to mirror creation’s songlines. My ancestors came from Wales, where group singing builds community, as it does in Australia. Today, we’ll be recreating our faith community using hymnals that replaced Old Blue, in use until 1993. Let’s recreate our own songlines with readings, chants, and hymns that illustrate our theological heritages. We’ll include Hymn #115, set to the tune of Cwm Rhondda, the Welsh national anthem.

Due to copyright laws, this recording does not include some of the music. If you’d like to listen, here are links to recordings of some of the songs included in the service:

 

About Helen Bishop

A long-time member of this congregation, Helen looked after 80 UU congregations in the Midwest as a District Executive. She served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, is a Credentialed Religious Educator at the Master level, has master’s degrees in genetics, medieval and Renaissance music, and distance learning, and has a doctorate in organizational leader-ship. She has taught at Starr King School for the Ministry and at Meadville/Lombard Theologial School, as well as working for The Mountain, a UU center near Highlands, NC. She and her wife, Susan Grider, have five children and ten grandchildren, and she also loves to sing!