Almost two years ago, the Townsend-McAfee Institute of Church Music and Mercer University Press announced plans to produce a new hymnal. One of the first tasks for the editors – Tom McAfee, John Simons, Stanley Roberts, and Milburn Price – was to select a committee of 50 church musicians and theologians, composer and arrangers, laypeople and educators to comprise five committees to accomplish the task. In the intervening months, “Celebrating Grace: A Hymnal for Baptist Worship” became the hymnal’s title; an additional editor – David Music – was named; the Web site – www.celebrating-grace.com – was launched; and Mark Edwards, veteran minister of music at First Baptist Church, Nashville, Tenn., was tapped to become the first full-time employee of the project and “face” of the project. [more]
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