Calvin hymn links early Reformed music with modern world

“People of the Lord” is the title of the official hymn of the Calvin Jubilee.

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	Greg Scheer

Greg Scheer of the Christian Reformed Church in North America won the Calvin Jubilee hymn competition, Clifton Kirkpatrick, head of the International Patronage Committee for the Calvin Jubilee, announced in October.

Scheer is Minister of Worship at the Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Music Associate at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. His writings include The Art of Worship and contributions to Reformed Worship, The Hymn, Call to Worship and Worship Leader and a chapter in New Songs of Celebration Render.

The announcement came during a meeting of World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches leaders in Bern. Kirkpatrick is also president of WARC.

Kirkparick said “People of the Lord” suits the Calvin Jubilee admirably. “The hymn encourages the people of God to hand on the heritage of the faith to the next generation – as Calvin did successfully before us.”

The composer has created “a fascinating link between the early Reformed hymns and the modern world,” Kirkpatrick said. It is now up to the Reformed churches around the world to “to play the hymn in as many worship services, devotions or congregational events as possible during the Calvin year.”

A compact disc of “People of the Lord” is currently in production. The version produced by Scheer can be heard at www.calvin09.org.

A second competition looked for exceptional sermons to mark the Calvin Jubilee and the patronage committee awarded prizes to three particularly inspiring sermon writers: Ben José of San Jose, California, in the United States; Maurice Gardiol of Geneva, Switzerland; and Kathrin Oxen of Germany.

In addition, the committee awarded a special prize to theology student Csilla Lörinc of Tirgu-Mures, Romania, for a particularly original sermon.

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