Faith In Brooklyn for Feb. 6
Heights Poet Honored for Her New Hymnal: ‘Songs Unchanged, Yet Ever-Changing’
The ability to listen to a sermon or prayer and then transform it into hymn poetry is a gift. Plymouth Church celebrated this gift in its longtime member Jacque Jones last weekend for her recently published hymnal, titled “Songs Unchanged, Yet Ever-Changing.”
“Songs Unchanged” is an anthology of about 51 of Jones’ poems (for that is what hymn texts truly are), set to both traditional and newer hymn tunes. (Example: John Zundel’s “Beecher” tune, named for the founding minister of Plymouth, Henry Ward Beecher. Zundel himself was an organist and choir director at Plymouth during the 19th Century, serving there for 28 years.) “Songs Unchanged” also includes a brief description from Jones on the inspiration for that poem, Scripture sources and a list of themes, as well as additional indices and resources.