Hymn Competition: Australian Lutheran Hymn Book

New Hymn Competition Announced  closes 31 July 2013 
As part of the ongoing Together in Song project of The Australian Hymn Book Pty Ltd, an International Hymn Competition is announced. 
Entries close 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time 31 July 2013. 
Please distribute this announcement far and wide to any people and networks you think may be interested.

CALL FOR ENTRIES
The Australian Hymn Book Pty Ltd is delighted to announce its first international hymn competition as part of its work of gathering the finest congregational songs for its growing Together in Song collection. The competition has two entry levels, either of which may be selected by an individual competitor: General and Specific.
Level 1: General
The General Level competition is seeking texts that re-imagine Pauline theological emphases / allusions / metaphors / images, expressing them as song texts that are accessible to, and understood by, twenty-first century worshippers.
[As an historical model, note how in his hymn ‘And can it be’ (#209 in Together in Song) Wesley employed the following emphases / allusions in meaningful ways for congregations of his time: Verse 1: Col 1.19-21, Eph 1.7; Verse 2: 1 Peter 1.6-12; Verse 3: Phil 2.6-8; Verse 4: Acts 12.6-11; Verse 5: Rom 8, Phil 2.9 and 3.9, Heb 4.16, and 1 Cor 9.25]
Level 2: Specific Pauline Text(s) Focus
This competition level is planned to focus on Pauline texts, which deal with Paul's notion that believers must experience a ‘crucifixion’ or ‘death’ of their old selves, before they can be fully reconciled with God. 
The aim of this part of the competition is to elicit faith-based responses to one or other of the quoted texts. Each response will form a ‘story’.
The ‘story’ should (a) ‘unpack’ the meaning of the text and (b) convey a sense of why the text is important to the author.
Texts for Consideration:
* 1 Corinthians 2.2 *Galatians 6.14 *Romans 6.6 *Colossians 3.3
[As an historical model, Charles Wesley re-imagined Colossians 3.3 in the text of his hymn "Thou Shepherd of Israel, and mine". The Appendix includes the Text.]

for more details and information visit:  http://www.togetherinsong.org/