Countdown To Hymnathon

Sing your heart out for St. Michael & All Angels

The fundraising for the Organ Appeal at St Michael & All Angels continues with the Hymnathon Top 50 which will be held on Friday, February 28th for three hours starting at 6pm.

Two years ago, the church held a 30-hour Hymnathon and sang all the hymns in the New English Hymnal from 1- 542 through the night. The event raised over £50,000 for the Organ & Parish Rooms Appeal.
 
The church still has more than £ 100,000 to raise, and the latest event will sing the Top 50 Hymns. Donations will decide which hymns are sung and their order.

Donations in support of favourite hymns can be made online atwww.JustGiving.com/top50 or on Gift Aid forms available in the church.

"Hundreds of people took part in our last Hymnathon, including the schools and choirs that sing at St Michael's" said the vicar, Fr Kevin Morris. "It was a fantastic occasion and we hope the whole community will be involved again, and enjoy the new organ they've helped us pay for!"

Bidding for places in the Top 50 will close at 10pm on Wednesday February 26th. The 50 hymns will be announced on Chiswickw4.com. After that, donations will continue to influence the placings, including the No 1 hymn, which will be sung as the Grand Finale.

Three hymns are vying for top place at the moment. The latest Top 50 can be seen at www.smaaa.org.uk.

The event will begin with a Schools Hymnathon at lunchtime on Friday. At 12.45pm, Orchard House School will sing their own Top Ten hymns till 1.30, followed at 2pm by Chiswick & Bedford Park Preparatory School. Parents and others will be very welcome to watch and join in.

At 4.30pm, it's the Hymnathon Tea, with home-made cakes for sale in aid of the Organ and Parish Rooms Appeal. Bidding will continue right through till 8pm, when the Top 10 placings will be finalised.

At 6pm, the Hymnathon Top 50 will begin with the Friday evening Mass, in which the hymns placed 50 and 49 will be sung. All are welcome to come and sing at any time during the evening, and to bring their friends.

From 6.30 to 7pm, the singing will be led by singers from the Arts Ed schools, who opened St Michael's two previous Hymnathons in 1987 and 2012. Other local groups and choirs will lead at other times.

After the Grand Finale at about 9.30pm, there'll be a Hymnathon Celebration in the Michael Room, in St Michaels Parish Hall, with drinks and sandwiches. Donations will still be welcome for the Appeal!

February 22, 2014