Kentucky Christmas Shapenote Sing

Mt. Zion Global Methodist Church
Mercer County, Kentucky
Sunday, December 10, 2023

Aaron Lewis opened the twenty-first annual session of this singing with prayer promptly at 3:00 p.m., following which Jim Thobaben invited Ron Pen to explain the shapes and gamut for the benefit of our visitors.

Song selections were from The Sacred Harp, 1991 edition (tagged with `SH') and The Southern Harmony, 1854 facsimile, 1987 UofK reprint (tagged with `SoH').

Leaders:
73b (SH), Arlington - Ron Pen
86 (SH), Poland - Raphael Finkel
68b (SH), Ortonville - Tim Gregg
159 (SH), Wondrous Love - Amy Pemberton
39t (SoH), Bozrah - Don Waggener
82t (SH), Bound For Canaan - Donna Kwon
361 (SH), Loving Jesus - Joy R. Dunn
551 (SH), Jacob's Vision - Ray Turner
312b (SH), Restoration (First) - Jonathan Powers and Esther Peters
128 (SH), The Promised Land - Ron Pen (by request of Jim Thobaben)
455 (SH), Soar Away
292 (SoH), Ripley - Erin Fulton (in honor of Tom Waggener)
   “Morton” - Randy Webber (his own composition, named for attendee Tim Morton, who assisted leading)
45t (SH), New Britain - Tim Morton and Ted Steinbock.
Announcements of upcoming singings were solicited.

RECESS

Leaders:
31t (SH), Ninety-Third Psalm - Robbie Couston
16 (SoH), Star in the East - Tim Gregg (by request of Marcie Thobaben)
117 (SH), Babylon is Fallen - Shelby Fiske and Ron Pen
313b (SH), Cobb - Tom Morton (in memory of P. Dan Brittain)
148 (SH), Jefferson - Greta Turner
47b (SH), Idumea - Marcie Thobaben and Tim Morton
81t (SH), Beach Spring - Jonathan Powers and Aimee Dirig and Noah Dirig
58 (SH), Pisgah - Joy R. Dunn and Don Waggener
92t (SoH), Fiducia - Ray Turner
200 (SH), Edom - Greta Turner (in memory of Larry Olszewski)
35b (SoH), Parting Friends - Erin Fulton
322 (SoH), Samanthra - Ron Pen.
Andi Wallace offered a prayer over the meal. Jim Thobaben led 267 (SH), Parting Friends (First), as the class of fifty-eight singers took the parting hand and were dismissed to a soup supper prepared by the church members, as well as to enjoy a display of nineteenth and twentieth-century shape-note books shared by Louisville visitor Ted Steinbock.

Chairman—Jim Thobaben; Secretary—Erin Fulton.