Club

Constitution

Our official by-laws, mission, and organizational structure.

Mission

The mission of the Hymn Singing Club is to encourage Hillsdale College students to intentional, God-glorifying worship by studying, singing, and sharing hymns. We believe that true worship overflows from a grateful heart in response to the word of Christ (Colossians 3:16).

Description

The Hymn Singing Club meets every Sunday in Howard 220 to do three things. First, we study a hymn in light of Scripture so that we can understand the meaning of the words and sing them to God from our hearts. Then, we sing requested hymns, rejoicing in fellowship over God’s mighty deeds as revealed in the Bible. Finally, we practice select hymns for performances in the local community. Through our singing, we aim to encourage people while proclaiming the saving truth of the gospel. We have sung at the Bread of Life food pantry, the Hillsdale Medical Care Facility, and more.

Goal

The goal of the club is to help people see hymns not merely as poetry and music, but as heartfelt words that express truths about God and can help us draw closer to Him. We aim to perform at senior housing centers once per month.

Meeting Structure

  • 4:00 - 4:30 pm: Hymn Study
    • What was the context in which the hymn was written?
    • What did the hymn writer experience that inspired them to write this hymn?
    • What Bible verses is this hymn based on?
    • What do the words in the hymn really mean?
      • How do they express truths about God?
      • How do they describe our condition?
      • What can we learn from them? What have we already learned from them?
      • How can we apply them to our lives?
  • 4:30 - 4:35 pm: Sing Hymn Study hymns (2)
  • 4:35 - 4:40 pm: Prayer and Announcements
  • 4:40 - 5:10 pm: Sing any requested hymns
  • 5:10 - 5:30 pm: Practice hymns/choir pieces for performances
  • 5:30 pm: Close with The Lord Bless You and Keep You

Officers and Duties

The club will be led by 4 officers: the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Their duties are as follows:

All Board Members

  • Prepare and lead approximately 2 hymn studies a semester

President

  • Organizes weekly club meetings and officer meetings
  • Selects hymns and choral pieces to study and sing
  • Coordinates with senior housing centers to organize performances
  • Communicates with the faculty advisor and other relevant faculty members about the status and needs of the club

Vice President

  • Takes on the responsibilities of the President if the President is sick or absent
  • Assists with research for the hymn studies
  • Conducts outreach to students, particularly at the start of each semester
  • Creates fliers for the club and its events
  • Manages the club’s social media accounts

Secretary

  • Communicates all relevant club information (weekly meetings, performances, etc.) through the club email and group chat(s)
  • Takes notes during all officer meetings and during club meetings as needed
  • Manages all club files, including a sheet that tracks what hymns have been sung and studied

Treasurer

  • Manages all club finances, including paperwork and reimbursements
  • Manages all fundraising efforts
  • Makes purchases of hymnals, choral sheet music, etc.
  • Determines a semesterly budget
  • Communicates with the Student Federation and Business Office as needed

At the end of each year, the current officers will vote to select the officers for the next year.

Membership

There are no requirements for regular membership - any students may attend the weekly meetings, and they may attend as many or as few as they want. To take part in performances, one must be a choral member. The requirements for being a choral member are as follows:

  • Attend the choral practice at the end of every meeting unless there are exigent circumstances
  • Attend any additional choral practice sessions as needed
  • Practice the choral pieces individually as needed

Procedure

Regular Club Meetings

Regular club meetings will be held every week and will approximately follow this structure:

  • Open in prayer, study and sing the selected hymn
  • Sing 1 more selected hymns with the same theme as the studied hymn
  • Sing 7-10 hymns that people request
  • Practice the hymns and choir pieces we plan to perform
  • Sing the closing hymn (The Lord Bless You and Keep You)

Officer Meetings

Officer meetings will be held every month and will approximately follow this structure:

  1. Open in Prayer
  • Select the hymns for the next month’s club meetings
  • Select the hymns and choral pieces for the performances
  • Decide on dates and locations for the performances
  • Discuss potential improvements to the club’s organization, meeting structure, etc.
  • Discuss club finances and purchases
  • Discuss the preparedness of the choral members for performances and schedule additional practice sessions if necessary
  1. Review upcoming hymn study