Hymnbooks are wonderful. Most of us who grew up singing in church are so comfortable with the heft and solidness of a good hymnbook that we have difficulty going through worship without the security it offers. More than that, the hymns that our hymnals contain are treasures of the faith, as of course is the music woven through the liturgies. Anglicans and Lutherans may differ on the relative importance of various worship books – there are no Lutheran worship books with quite the reputation or influence of the BCP. But even Lutherans have defined their generations at times by the hymnals they used: the “old red” SBH, the green hymnal, the new “cranberry” Worship Book. Clergy of both traditions could – perhaps some still can – tell you what hymn number goes with what hymn. It’s that deep.
But God’s times are changing and perhaps some of our traditions with them! Now, because of both new technology AND changing needs, the world of hymnbooks and copyrights is not the only way to go. OpenSpirit.ca answers the dream of a creative worship music “commons” in several ways:
- OpenSpirit.ca is open and accessible to all.
- OpenSpirit.ca is Canadian. “What is the uniquely Canadian contribution to global song?” With your help, OpenSpirit.ca may be part of the answer to that question!
- OpenSpirit.ca is a “commons”. As a website that welcomes uploads from Canadian Lutherans and Anglicans, it is our attempt to harness the power of “crowd-sourcing” and the Spirit-given creativity we know is out there!
- OpenSpirit.ca offers its hymns and worship music for free, asking only that there be proper acknowledgment of its writers and composers.
- OpenSpirit.ca is aware of God’s world and our need to care for the environment: if your church uses powerpoints or projected images, you need never go to paper at all! Plus, web-based resources are a good way to avoid obsolescence.
- OpenSpirit.ca is flexible. ANY book, once bound, has a shelf life. As a website that is constantly changing, we hope that OpenSpirit.ca will constantly adjust itself to the worship needs and available resources of our Canadian churches.
