I know that BPW (Baptist Praise and Worship for the uninitiated) never really caught on, was published too late and so was overtaken by Mission Praise, Songs of Fellowship and The Source and is long out of print. I also know that nowadays many churches have abandoned books in favour of data projectors and quite a few use things like Hymn Quest. But I also know plenty of churches for whom BPW (and even the 1962 green book!!) is standard fare.
But why, oh why (to quote the song by Fischy) does the list of music sources published for Baptist Assembly not give the BPW numbers for those hymns and songs that are in it? To cite HTC (Hymns for Today's Church an Anglican hymnal that predates BPW) seems to me to add insult to injury!
I actually think BPW is a pretty decent hymnbook, though only one of many resources I use. Like all the 'traditional' hymnals it has some useful seasonal cross referencing and biblically thematic indices and it seems sad that it is ignored or overlooked by the very people who created it.
Enough of today's blogging frenzy!
Comments
When I'm stuck for something that goes a bit deeper or deals more explicitly with a theme than a single good line buried in other irrelevant twoddle, I reach for BPW. The tune selection sometimes need revising, but it's a solid resource to put alongside some of the more epehemeral selections.
Also its updating of language often calls for a bit more work to turn it back into poetry rather than just a hunt for a rhyme - but hey it's worth it.
It's also guaranteed to flummox everyone equitably and fairly - both young in heart and body (who don't 'get' hymns immediately so need a good tune to keep them interested) and old in body and disposition,(who like what they know and know what they like and struggle to connect with the unfamiliar), but at least that makes everyone work harder at their worship at the same time, so it's fair... and Good For Them!
Here's an example of one I adapted earlier. It's a case in point of a hymn that was too wordy for more modern collections and set to a not very singable tune, but selected for BPW because of its content and suggestive of a theme of service and incarnational mission not available in gtreat variety elsewhere.
A change of metre, the use of a better known tune, a stripping down of some of the wordiness and we had something the younger elements of the congregation might understand more readily but which spoke less triumphalistically and less simplistically than some of the more recent stuff.
Jesus, Son of God, our Saviour
you're the source of truth and grace;
Son of Man, your life among us
hallows all the human race;
fill us with your love and passion
for the people of this place.
Jesus, born the Son of Mary,
humble servant come to earth,
in self-giving you won blessing
and in service showed your worth;
as we die to self with you, Lord,
so we rise to second birth.
You gave up your life for others,
you have shown us how to live;
you have given us good gifts freely,
peace and plenty we receive;
we are stewards of your riches,
teach your people how to give.
Quench our fevered thirst for pleasure
shame our greed and love of ease;
hush the storms of strife and passion
bid our selfishness to cease;
in your love may we find blessing,
in contentment find your peace.
Tune: Westminster Abbey (Baptist Praise and Worship, no. 474)
Adapted By ACJ from BPW 639, original words by S C Lowry (1855-1932)
Some of S C Lowry's phrases were very telling and simply too good to leave unsung.
For myself, I hesitated over the title 'Son of Man', sought to balance it with 'Son of Mary', then wasn't sure if I'd simply perpetuated a female stereotype of submissive obedience... but decided eventually Christian self-giving is a tougher call than merely living among people! So probably imperfect, but it worked in context.
We need more BPW's to help keep the brain cells alive and to preserve helpful stimuli from previous generations!