Stories and testimonies from members about the impact of hymn singing.
"I used to hate the hymn Amazing Grace. Whenever picking hymns, I would specifically avoid it. I prided myself on singing 'deeper' or more sophisticated hymns, liking older music, and despising things that my ignorant brain thought were overplayed or over-sung. For that reason I also despised modern songs, and especially 10,000 Reasons. When I first came to hymn sings in the beginning, it was so wonderful, I thought no one sang hymns anymore, and we sang for almost 4 hours, and just couldn't stop, because each hymn was so beautiful and wonderful. But what quickly became apparent was how little I knew what I was singing, and just glossed and glazed over the text as mundane platitudes. Studying Amazing Grace, and realizing the depth of God's grace broke me, and such wonderful amazement and depth from words I had never fully considered shook me to my core and flooded my life with wonder. Studying the hymns and having scripture come alive in it surprised me more than I ever expected. No one could be more shocked than I was to find how much my personal preferences have ceased to bother or annoy me anymore; rather the beauty of the texts and the richness of scripture has so overshadowed and overflowed my thoughts with joy and fullness that the secondary pleasures of musical preferences have ceased to control my will to worship. There is a greater and deeper joy than I could have ever imagined in the chance to get to just praise my Father and my God; and for the chance to do so with some of the people I love most in this world I am just utterly and unspeakably grateful."
— Ellia H.
"Hymn Singing Club has really been a blessing in my college life. It has challenged me to reflect on the words of the hymns and apply their truths in my daily life. Still more, it has pushed me to consider why I praise God and if I truly believe that His characters and works are praiseworthy. Truly, it is right and good to give Him thanks and praise! I am also very grateful for the fellowship and discipleship in Hymn Singing Club, especially with its board members."
— Sharon Z.
"Participating in and leading Hillsdale's Hymn Singing Club has grown me closer to the Lord in two main ways. Hymn Singing, especially studying hymns intentionally, has helped me have a better heart and more focused mind while worshipping. It has helped me to live a better lifestyle of worship. Serving others by sharing hymns and leading in worship has also helped build my boldness in the gospel and given me more of a heart for service."
— Alex M.
"The Hillsdale Hymn Singing Club has had a profound impact on my life. I have often been tempted to focus more on the musical beauty of a hymn than on its words, and if I am not careful, I can sing an entire hymn without truly grasping its message. Studying hymns carefully, discussing them intentionally, and continually tying them back to Scripture has helped me learn to sing with understanding and from the heart. It has also been a great blessing to form friendships that build one another up and encourage faithfulness in the Christian life. Singing together has strengthened not only my love for music, but my love for the gospel truths hymns contain. Sharing hymns with the broader community is another gift. Through song—a language nearly everyone understands—we proclaim the truth of salvation openly and without apology. Colossians 3:16, our theme verse, calls us to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another with thankfulness as we sing. Our singing flows from the Word of God, and hymns are a remarkable way to dwell in Scripture, to store it in the heart, and to carry it with us. (Melody, after all, is a faithful servant to memory!) What a privilege it is that God has given us music, and that by His Spirit He inclines our hearts to praise Him with our voices! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to participate in this heavenly endeavor with such wonderful friends at the Hillsdale Hymn Singing Club."
— Benjamin B.
"HSC has taught me why we should sing hymns. Through serious study, I have come to appreciate how saturated they are with God's Word. Hymns put the Bible to beautiful and memorable song. HSC has shown me how effective hymns can be to communicate God's Word to others. Hymns can remind believers of the source of their salvation, show them the boundlessness of His love, and help us give praise and glory to God. HSC has introduced me to other strong believers who love to unite in song to praise God's name. HSC has pushed me to make God's Word my foundation, training me to live off of it alone."
— Nolan M.
"The Hymn Singing Club has taught me so much about how to sing songs intentionally from the heart. I used to like hymns just because of their musical style and nice-sounding poetry, but now I love them because of the biblical truths they contain and how they serve as wonderful reminders of who God is and what He does. The hymn studies taught me to read and sing hymns in light of Scripture and to actually think about the meaning of the words I was singing, and hymns that I'd sung countless times before without understanding now came alive with wonderful gospel truths they expounded. I have so much more joy when I sing now that I see the gospel truths I'm singing about and how precious those are, and the hymns that I've memorized are now wonderful deposits of Scripture that I can draw on every day. The Hymn Singing Club also taught me so much about what the Bible says about why we should sing in the first place and what a privilege it is to be able to praise God together with other believers. God has used it to help give me a heart of joy that loves Him and loves telling other people about Him, and my mindset surrounding singing has become much less self-centered and more God-focused as a result."
— Stephen Z.
"In the Hymn Singing Club, I learned how to more deeply penetrate the meaning of hymns, and I am grateful for the experience of singing their truths to members of the Hillsdale community. It is a joy to proclaim God's awesome majesty, and my participation in the club helped me better understand how hymns can declare truths about God in rich and especially thought-provoking ways."
— Thatcher D.
"When I first arrived at Hillsdale, I began the typical process of checking out various clubs. I visited a couple random ones but ended up devoting myself to HSC. Why? Well, what stood out to me about HSC was the fact that it couples Scripture with the discussion of a certain hymn of the faith. And while examining hymns in light of the Bible is good, HSC hooked me with its emphasis on sharing these rich hymns with the community. With a storehouse of theological gold, what's stopping us from sharing it far and wide? As a result, I believe God has used this club to shape my growth as a Christian while also giving me a strong Christian community which seeks to faithfully spread the joy of the Gospel through the beauty of hymns."
— Cayden G.
"I have found Hymn Singing Club to be a sweet restful time to come together, reflect on the riches of the gospel, and then sing those blessed truths loudly and wholeheartedly to the Lord. It's also been wonderful to be able to bless some in the community by bringing them the gospel in word, deed, and song. Through the club, I have formed deep friendships firmly rooted in Christ and in encouraging one another in the faith. We get to remind each other: look to Christ, to the Gospel, what He has done, and now let's sing and rejoice in it!"
— Maddy B.
"When I first joined the Hymn Singing Club, I had no idea at all how profound such a seemingly simple thing as paying a little more attention to the words we sing in church all the time could be. I still think that studying hymns in light of Scripture is a simple thing, but it is a simple thing that has humbled me tremendously and utterly transformed my outlook on worshiping God. It has taught me never to underestimate even the smallest and simplest, Scriptural commands (like Colossians 3:16). Over the course of the last two years, God has grown in me a habit of rich, heart-felt worship through the consistent and deliberate study, discussion, and singing of Scripture-saturated hymns. Again and again He has impressed on my heart the unfathomable significance and centrality of the simple gospel. Hymns have driven me to Scripture, and Scripture has driven me to song. Whenever I sing to God now—whether at church, with friends, or just calling to mind a hymn by myself—I am confronted either by a glimpse of God's immeasurable glory or else by the recognition that I cannot sing the words as I ought, with presence and sincerity of mind and heart. In the latter case, I am driven to prayer—prayer petitioning God to strengthen my faith and to lift my eyes to Calvary and prayer thanking God for saving me by the gospel of Christ, who is my life."
— Hannah W.
"I appreciate how singing hymns with others has opened me up to wonderful hymns that were new to me. From my growing up, I have a pool of hymns that I enjoy singing, but HSC has helped expand that pool. While we share many favorite hymns in common, everyone has unique favorites. It's a blessing to sing and study beautiful, biblical hymns that are new to me. I have also loved the opportunity it has given me to lead a couple hymn studies. It is encouraging and exciting to dig into the history of the author, think deeply about what the text means, and find how Bible verses support the truths contained in the hymn. Putting in the effort of preparing to lead a hymn study has helped me get much more out of a hymn."
