Music lovers from many area congregations filled Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church Sunday evening November 3rd
RIDGEWOOD – Music lovers from many area congregations filled Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church Sunday evening [November 3] to celebrate and try out a brand-new hymnal jointly published by two denominations prominent in northern New Jersey, the Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America.
The service moved through major themes in the life of Jesus Christ, sampling a variety of traditional hymns, contemporary music, spirituals, and songs from foreign lands from the new “Lift Up Your Hearts” hymnal.
Featured singers, instrumentalists and speakers came from the Ridgewood congregation and Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, Covenant Christian Reformed Church in North Haledon, Faith Community Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, and Midland Park Christian Reformed Church, joined by participants from area Reformed Church in America congregations.
The Ridgewood church, led by the Rev. Mary Stegink since last year, is one of the first in the Northeast to adopt the new hymnal for regular Sunday use.
“Lift Up Your Hearts” has over 800 songs selected by a joint team of Christian Reformed and Reformed Church editors, including Claudia Godoy-Cortes, former Spanish teacher at Eastern Christian High School and co-leader of the worship team at Bridgeway Church in Haledon.
The hymnal is issued by Faith Alive Christian Resources, the publisher that has jointly served both denominations since 2004 in line with an ecumenical agreement “to find ways in which to work collaboratively.”
The “Rejoice in the Lord” hymnal, widely used in the Reformed Church, was published in 1989 and the current edition of the Christian Reformed “Psalter Hymnal” in 1987. Faith Alive explains that though the “gospel message doesn’t change,” the “desire for a new hymnal for a new generation fits with the reality that a hymnal has a lifespan of about 20 years.” In line with worship styles in increasing use, the hymnal is available in digital form for screen projection of the words and music notes.
For further information: The Rev. Mary Stegink, or administrator Joyce Monsma, Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church (201) 445-1832 or corneroffice@rcrcnj.org.
Also see: https://liftupyourheartshymnal.org