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On Friday, March 11, Brian Wren, one of the most prolific and popular hymn writers of our day, will present the 2011 Weber Memorial Lectures, Surprise Us by the Words We Sing: New Hymns to Sing and Ponder. Brian studied at Oxford, taking degrees in Modern Languages and Theology, including a D. Phil for work on the Hebrew prophets. After ordination, he pastored a Congregational church in Essex, served as consultant to the British Council of Churches, and worked in the student-based world poverty campaign, Third World First. Since 1983, Brian has followed a freelance ministry, helping worshippers, ministers, educators and musicians to improve skills, and deepen spirituality. Recently retired as John and Miriam Conant Professor of Worship at Columbia Theological Seminary, he currently lives in upstate New York with his wife Susan Heafield, a United Methodist pastor. One of his hymns, I Come with Joy, was recently sung at the first celebration of full communion between the Moravian and Episcopal churches, and most contemporary hymnals include several of his hymns.
The lectures will be held in Prosser Auditorium in the Haupert Union Building (HUB). Using a number of his own hymns, as well as several by Richard Leach, Shirley Murray, and other contemporary writers, Dr. Wren will discuss the history, practice, and future of congregational singing in a time of rapidly changing styles of worship. He will conclude the day by introducing his two newest hymns, commissioned especially for this occasion in celebration of full communion and covenant partnership agreements recently approved by the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Moravian Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The lectures/workshop will run from 9:30 to 2:30, and are free of charge and open to the public. For further details and to register, click here or call 610-861-1519. |
