Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) - Kum Ba Yah

Topic: Kumbaya 1955-1961
The Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) was the second religious group to publish “Kumbaya” after it appeared in the American Camping Association’s Lets All Sing in 1958. [1]  As mentioned in several posts, the denomination broke from Presbyterians following the Cane Ridge Revival, and was distinguished by its refusal to use musical instruments. [2]

Its Chapbook was intended for youth group meetings, as well as summer camps.  As such, it contained more religious material than a typical Cooperative Recreation Service (CRS) publication or the Southern Baptist Convention collection mention in the post for 18 June 2023.  Just over a quarter of the songs in the ACA songbook were religious and nearly 44% in Songs for Fun and Fellowship.  More than 75% of the ones in the Christian Church book had sacred content.

The denomination’s musical aesthetic was formed in the 1800s when the two denominations, the Christian Church and the Disciples of Christ, were spreading.  More than 60% of the hymns are from that century, with less than a quarter from the 1900s.  The earlier ones were written by Martin Luther, [3] Isaac Watts, [4] and Charles [5] and Samuel Wesley. [6]

Almost none are popular religious songs from the late 1800s [7]  Instead, like CRS and the Baptists, the editorial committee used spirituals as a less solemn alternative to hymns.  They represented about 30% of the ACA songbook, and 18% of this one. [8]  The number in the Baptist book represented 16% of the total.

The editors obviously expected the songbook to be used in camps: it contained eleven graces while the Baptists only had one.  However, sung graces were not an indigenous traditions: six were in Let’s All Sing. [9]

The songbook wished to include “fun songs,” but again had no tradition to draw upon.  Of the 31 secular songs with no religious content, 22, or nearly 60%, were in the CRS songbook.  “Kumbaya” falls into the group of songs it considers secular, but, in fact, have religious content.

The editors took their version from the Song Sampler published by CRS in 1956. [10]  It not only had the same headnote on an Angolan origin and the same pronunciation footnote, but it italicized “Kum Ba Yah” that way Jane Keen had.  Let’s All Sing said it was a “Spiritual,” and had no footnote or special typography.

The song was accepted: it was one of the ones that was reprinted in Chapbook 2 in 1966.  That collection “picks up some of the best songs, hymns, and worship resources from The Chapbook.”

Performers
Vocal Soloist: single melodic line
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
 
Credits
African (Angola)

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English

Pronunciation: koom-bah-yah, like that published by CRS Song Sampler

Verses: those published by Cooperative Recreation Service (CRS) in Song Sampler – kumbaya, praying, crying, singing

Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: Lord
Basic Form: four-verse song

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5; same melody as that published by CRS
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: slowly
Key Signature: no sharps or flats
Basic Structure: strophic repetition
Singing Style: one syllable to one note except for final “Lord”

Notes on Performance
Cover: 4.25" x 5.75" spiral bound; drawings of thee Gothic church windows enclosing music notes

Color Scheme: white with red print; windows and music notes in shades of black, white, and gray

Plate: exactly like that in CRS’s Song Sampler; this includes italicizing “Kum Ba Yah”

Audience Perceptions
The person who owned the copy I purchased online checked “Kumbaya” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain” in pencil; “Are You Sleeping” was checked in ink.  The C-F-G chords were written in; this is the only song so marked.

Notes on Performers
Guin Tuckett worked for the Christian Board of Education from 1953 until 1990.  Born Guinevere Ream in Indiana, [11] she was a descendant of Johann Eberhard Reihm who migrated to Conestoga, Pennsylvania, from the Palatine in 1717. [12]  Count Zinzendorf, leader of the Moravians in Germany, stayed with Eberhard in 1742. [13]  When her branch joined the Christian Church is unknown, but her father’s mother was a member when the family lived in Nebraska [14].

Besides the Martin Luther hymn, the Chapbook contains lyrics set to old German tunes.  The setting for Saint Francis of Asisi’s “All Creatures of Our God and King” is from Geistliche Kirchengesäng. [15]  The tune for “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” is in Straslund Gesanbuch. [16]  The melody for “Fairest Lord Jesus” is from Schlesische Volkslieder. [17]

Availability
Songbook: “Kum Ba Yah.”  150 in Christian Youth Chapbook: Hymns, Fun Songs, Worship Resources for Young People.  Saint Louis: Bethany Press, 1955.

Songbook: “Kum Ba Yah.”  151 in Chapbook 2, edited by a “joint youth committee from The American Baptist Board of Publication and Education and the publishing and program divisions of the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) chaired by Guin Tuckett.  Saint Louis: The Bethany Press, 1966, and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: The Judson Press, 1966.

End Notes
1.  Let’s All Sing is discussed in the post for 4 June 2023.

2.  The Christian Church and Disciples of Christ are mentioned in a number of posts, including one for 8 November 2020.  The Disciples of Christ in Pamlico County, North Carolina, were mentioned in posts about Minnie Lee, especially the one for 26 January 2020.

3.  “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
4.  “Jesus Shall Reign.”
5.  “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” and “Love Divine, All Love Exceeding.”
6.  “The Church’s One Foundation.”

7.  The one possibility is “Take Time To Be Holy,” which was published by Ira Sankey. [18] Sankey is discussed in the post for 17 January 2021.

8.  The church segregated after the Civil War, but did not expel freed slaves as the Methodists and Baptists did.  Its attitudes toward Blacks are mentioned in the posts for 18 July 2021 and 30 October 2022.

9.  “Chimes Grace,” the Girl Scouts’ “God Has Created a New Day,” “Gratitude Grace,” “O Give Thanks,” “Praise for Bread,” and “Round of Thanks.”  The Baptists adopted the “Round of Thanks.”

10.  Song Sampler, number 1, is discussed in the posts for 31 July 2022 and 7 August 2022.

11.  Lynn.  “Guinivere (Tuckett) ‘Guin’ Ream Stemmler.”  Find a Grave website, 24 October 2009.

12.  John Ream. “Ream Family History: 9 Generations.”  His website.

13.  Norman Whisler Ream.  “Riehm-Ream Genealogy.”  1930.  248.  Reprinted by John Ream.

14.  “Mrs. J. S. Ream Funeral Held.”  The Minden Courier, Minden, Nebraska, 27 Mary 1948.  11.  Reprinted by Rose Marie Brown on “Maggie Mae Simon Ream.”  Find a Grave website, 7 August 2013.

15.  Friedrich Spee.  Geistliche Kirchengesäng.  Kohn: 1623.
16.  Ernewertes Gesangbuch.  Stralsund: 1665.

17.  August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben.  Schlesische Volkslieder mit Melodien.  Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1842.

18.  Laura Lee Leathers.  “Who Wrote the Hymn ‘Take Time to be Holy’?”  Christianity website, 5 December 2022.

Hymn Aesthetics

Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
Including "Kumbaya" in hymnals provided two kinds of freedom to congregations. It allowed them to sing a song that did not contain the Biblical allusions found in nineteenth century hymns, a pleasure not allowed older parishioners when they were young.

People raised in denominations where the word was supreme also were granted the liberty of editing the word. [1] In my experience, no one ever sang every verse of a hymn. Once "Kumbaya" was in the hymnal, liturgists could pick and choose stanzas, in effect, creating new songs for specific occasions.

When I mentioned this freedom from the word to a friend, the retired Presbyterian minister told me I was wrong. Presbyterians, who had resisted hymns longer than other denominations, accepted them when they were convinced they were prayers. He said, once a man or woman wrote a prayer, it could not be abridged.

He may be right. When I looked at current church bulletins discussed in the post for 21 February 2019, less than a third of ones from Presbyterian congregations listed verses, while more than three-quarters of ones from Methodists did. [2] One assumes if stanza numbers weren’t listed, the entire song was sung.

One important difference between the denomination’s hymnals was the Methodist version was six verses, while the Presbyterian one was the four that originally were published. Of those that specified verses, Presbyterians had a sense two or three verses was the appropriate length, while Methodists preferred one, three or four verses. [3]

Both denominations sang the "kumbaya" stanza most often, followed by "praying." Methodists then were likely to choose the verses that connoted joy: "singing" and Carlton Young’s "let us praise." Presbyterians, on the other hand, were next most likely to sing "crying." [4]

Individual congregations’ interpretations of "Kumbaya" ultimately were tied to when they used it. Among Methodists, Presbyterians, and the other denominations mentioned in the post for 21 February 2019, there was no clear connection between the song and the liturgical year. It was not sung in August, November, December, or January, but was sung any other time. Only Presbyterians used it during Advent. [5]

Instead of relating "Kumbaya" to the season, it sometimes was used for specific occasions. The First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, used the song "in commemoration of tomorrow’s Martin Luther King Day," [6] while Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, scheduled it during Black History month. [7] Similarly, the Disciples of Christ congregation in Mantua, Ohio, sang the Presbyterian version as a welcoming hymn on the Sunday it worshiped with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [8]

"Kumbaya" often was used as part of the children’s time that occurred early in the service, before they were dismissed for other activities. Canadians hadn’t adopted that particular innovation, but shared the view it was a children’s song. Richwood United of Drumbo, Ontario, [9] and Knox Presbyterian of Waterdown, Ontario, [10] sang verses on camping Sunday, as did Hope United Methodist of Duluth, Minnesota, [11] and First United Methodist of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. [12]

Within the service proper, it was used more often in the time before the scripture readings and sermon. Many used it as the opening hymn. Saint Mark UMC of Atlanta used the traditional term "Introit," [13] while several Presbyterian and United Church of Christ churches called it a "gathering" song. [14]

After the opening, Methodist congregations most likely sang "Kumbaya" during the period of prayers. A number combined the "praying" and "needs you" verses with "let us praise" or "crying."

Methodists used it after the "Doxology," while Presbyterians used it during the Confession and Assurance. A Pittsburgh church only used "kumbaya" and "crying," [15] while one in Columbia, South Carolina, use "kumbaya" and "praying." [16] Lutheran [17] and Methodist [18] congregations used it after the "Apostles Creed."

Many denominations used "Kumbaya" for communion [19] or the collection. [20] Saint James United Church of Saint John’s, Newfoundland, used the verses "kumbaya" and "giving" for the offertory. [21] Rock Spring Congregational Church of Arlington, Virginia, [22] used it for confirmation and a New Orleans Presbyterian church for the installing an elder. [23]

Methodists and Presbyterians were the most likely to use "Kumbaya" as a closing hymn, recessional, or sending song. [24] This was one of the times some congregations used the "come by here" verse that did not appear in hymnals. [25]

End Notes
1. John Wesley told users of his 1761 hymnal to "sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can." At first glance this sounded like a demand for obedience to the word. However, if he was paraphrasing popular texts or tunes, it may have been a warning to stay with the sacred. Young included the "Directions for Singing" in the 1989 Methodist hymnal. (Page vii. See post for 14 February 2019 for complete publication details. Wesley’s notes appeared in Select Hymns: with Tunes Annext. London: 1761. )

2. 32.5% of 40 Presbyterian bulletins listed verses, while 77.7% of 36 Methodist bulletins did.

3.  Number of verses by denomination. More details on the sample were given in the post for 21 February 2019.

4.  Verses of "Kumbaya" sung by denomination.

5. Date when "Kumbaya" sung by month.

6. First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, 17 January 2016, "kumbaya" verse only, before and after Prayers of the People.

7. Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, 11 February 2018, did not specify verses, Hymn of Meditation before the speaker. The pastor of this church, Vera E. Miller, was an African-American woman.

8. Mantua Center Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 10 January 2010. The phrase was also used in the spoken Call to Worship.

9. Richwood United Church, Drumbo, Ontario, 26 April 2015, printed verses "kumbaya," "crying," "praying," "singing," and "laughing" on back of the bulletin.

10. Knox Presbyterian Church, Waterdown, Ontario, 22 January 2017, verses "kumbaya," "praying," "needs you," and "singing" from the Methodist hymnal during children’s time.

11. Hope United Methodist Church, Duluth, Minnesota, 30 April 2017, did not specify verses sung before Old Testament reading. The message was "Around the Campfire."

12. First United Methodist Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 11 March 2018, verses "kumbaya," "praying," "needs you," and "let us praise."

13. Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, 19 July 2015, verses "kumbaya," "singing," and "let us praise."

14. The 1990 Presbyterian hymnal included an order of worship. It used the terms "Gathering of the People" and "Going Forth." (Page 12. See post for 17 February 2019 for complete publication details.)

15. East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 18 February 2018, hymn number only.

16. Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina, 6 March 2016, verses "kumbaya" and "praying."

17. Hope Lutheran Church, Cherryville, Pennsylvania, 20 May 2012, lyrics printed on insert that was not uploaded.

18. Swansboro United Methodist Church, Swansboro, North Carolina, 21 May 2017, hymn number only.

18. The denominations were Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.

20. The denominations were Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.

21. Saint James United Church, Saint John’s Newfoundland, 15 April 2018. This was Camping Sunday.

22. Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Arlington, Virginia, 6 May 2018, hymn number only.

23. First Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, 22 May 2016, hymn number only.

24. It was used by one Fellowship Baptist church, one Metropolitan Community Church, five Presbyterian churches, and four United Methodist Churches.

25. Centennial Park Baptist Church, Grimsby, Ontario, 8 July 2018, and First Presbyterian of Rochester, Minnesota, 17 May 2008.