Preparing for the Rev. Dr. Bridgett Green's Visit on August 27
In June of 2022 the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC), the denominational publisher of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A,), announced that it would donate royalties from sales of the Glory to God hymnal to organizations involved in reparative justice for every African American spiritual and Indigenous Peoples’ song in the book. They are taking this action to “…honor the creators of these songs, who, unlike other hymn writers in the book, were never able to benefit from their creations.”
WRPC’s Worship Committee has been talking about taking similar steps toward reparative justice as we include African American spirituals and Indigenous Peoples’ songs and other music in our worship and congregational life.
To that end, and as part of West Raleigh’s pilgrimage during our church Sabbatical, we have invited the Rev. Dr. Bridgett Green, Vice-President of Publishing at PPC and Editorial Director at John Knox Press, to our pulpit on August 27th to talk about reparative justice.
In a press release from PPC Dr. Green said, “Paying royalties for songs composed and arranged by respective communities of African Americans and Indigenous People is part of the repair work for racial justice and healing PPC understands as part of its mission as a publisher… The hymnody and creative expressions of faith of these two groups have been and continue to be pivotal to Christian worship. Because many hymns and spirituals were passed through tradition and without an assigned author, African American and Indigenous communities were never compensated and honored for their creative expressions when their works were published; therefore, those communities did not benefit from the economic resources they so richly deserved.” (Source: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/glory-to-god/)
Joining Dr. Green will be Ms. Michelle Deck, a Gospel singer leading us in music, who describes herself as “Blessed with multiple gifts and talents. [I] am a Mother and Grandmother. A song Writer, Poet, and a Visual Artist. Most of all a Lover of Jesus Christ”.
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