Authors: Tammy-Jo Mortensen

The Lent/Easter 2026 issue of Gathering is all about the Order of Worship, the improvements and tweaks you may have made, and how that applies to the elements of your bulletin. This topic had me reflecting on an experience I had several years ago. “Don’t you want to do better?”...

We should be playing music from underrepresented communities all year round, but if you focus on Black History Month in February, here are some Canadian composers, or composers who lived/studied in Canada, to investigate. These are composers who have written music that may be useful to church musicians. Of course...

The theme for this issue of Gathering is worship and whether what we do makes a difference to God or to the world. As I was reflecting on this theme, I was reminded of various churches and denominations, some where this question of giving your best to God was considered...

In this issue, we are exploring how worship gets planned and reviewed, along with best practices. Like me, you have probably experienced worship planning and evaluation in many different ways. How worship comes together, including the music, depends on context. How large is the pastoral charge? How big is the...

“Those who sing, pray twice.” This phrase is often attributed to St. Augustine, and the sentiment is a good one! As we birth a new hymnal in The United Church of Canada and celebrate the church’s 100th anniversary, I have been reflecting on congregational song in the past century. Hymn...