There comes a time in the life of every church when hymnals need replacement. Sometimes it is because of wear and tear, but often, it is because there is some language sensitivity or perhaps new emphasis that the congregants want to express in song. In the case of our church, it was a combination of both. The Pilgrim Hymnal our church used had been a gift to the congregation thirty years before and had surpassed the average life of hymnbooks. Northbrae, in its role as a community church, had also become uncomfortable with some of Christianity's expressions of exclusivity.

It was difficult to get a consensus for the selection of a new hymnbook. In 2003, the Worship Committee addressed the question and could not decide on the Unitarian Universalist Hymnal or one assembled specifically for Northbrae. For a combination of reasons, the Unitarian hymnbook was chosen and would supplement the Pilgrim Hymnal rather than replace it. The Unitarian hymnal had wonderful Spiritual readings and very inclusive language, both of which fit into the Northbrae philosophy of openness. These hymnbooks were gratefully received as donations.

However, something was not quite comfortable. In the investigation process, we had also looked at the Friends Hymnal. There was something very appealing in the old favorites and the new chants and rounds that we saw. The print was also clear and easy to read, which made it an improvement on the existing Pilgrim Hymnal. Simultaneously, this country was on the brink of the Iraq war and these hymns subtly brought the message of peace that the Friends' Tradition exemplifies. So it was decided to replace the Pilgrim Hymnal with both the Unitarian and Friends hymnals. Thus, we had a new ''set'' of books.

The philosophy of Northbrae is one of an inclusive church. It is described elsewhere on this website as Christ centric and universally inclusive. In this set of books, we find a combination that helps us sing of that philosophy -- a kind of gentle Christianity - that many of us find here at the Northbrae Community Church. We retain the Christ centric approach with our Friends green book, while contemplating the universal goodness of people that is the emphasis of the Unitarian Universalist book. For Northbrae folks, this combination seems to work well.

People in the Northbrae family donated and dedicated the books.

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