Lower School students and faculty gathered in the Amphitheater for a special chapel service this week—a hymn sing! Students sang the top requested hymns together, led by choral instructors Ms. Shirley Moore and Mr. Chuck Bowers, with Mr. Collin Power as accompanist. Enjoy the hymns and explanations from students about why the chosen hymns are their favorites.

“My favorite chapel hymn is ‘Amazing Grace.’ I love the tune because it is so upbeat and so joyous. When Rev. Chadwick puts up the number for the hymn, it makes me happy to see everyone else happy.”

“This song assures me that even in my worst moments, God still loves me. I think this is the best hymn for chapel because all of us will mess up, over and over again, and we all need to know that God will love us even when we do, because He is that big and His love is that amazing.”

“My favorite hymn is ‘Go Down Moses,’ because it brings everyone together when we sing it. I remember when the deep notes of the hymn vibrated the Little Sanctuary. Everyone’s voices are perfectly in tune because the hymn is easy to sing, which makes everyone equal in that one song.”

“The Choristers sang ‘Seek Ye First’ for us at our first Cathedral chapel. A student requested that we sing it again now that we can sing with the full Lower School.”

“My favorite chapel hymn is the school hymn ‘Men of the Future, Stand.’ I like it because not only does the music sound pleasant, but the words describe a true ‘St. Albans man.’ My favorite line is ‘fight the wrong and show the good.’ It is a complete embodiment of the saying, ‘hard right over the easy wrong.’”

“In its lyrics, the song reminds us of the values of goodness, integrity, and generosity that we hold dear at St. Albans.”

“This is my favorite hymn!”

“I like this hymn so much because it helps us understand our blessings and be grateful for them. I like the references of nature and animals that we have been blessed by God to admire.”

“My favorite chapel hymn is ‘Come thou Fount of Every Blessing.’ I love this hymn for multiple reasons. The first is its tune; it is very beautiful. The second is that it brings back great memories. It brings back the memory of singing together on a warm spring day with the doors open and the sun shining. It brings me to a very peaceful place where I have nothing on my mind, and I am very relaxed and happy.”

“‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ is my favorite chapel hymn. I love it because it just sounds so calming and uplifting, and it always puts me in a better mood. After listening to it, I always feel refreshed and ready for the rest of the school day.”

“My favorite chapel hymn is the Black National Anthem, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’ I like this hymn because it uses imagery to showcase the hardships African Americans had to endure. I like how the song commands us to ‘Lift every voice and sing ’till earth and heaven ring.’ This is powerful because it has a rallying tone to it, and I feel the power when we sing in the Little Sanctuary. It is also an inspirational song telling how life can be a long and hard journey, but you can never stop or give up. It has taught me and inspired me to keep pushing forward.”

My favorite chapel hymn is ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’ In its lyrics reside hope for the future and memorial for past struggle and pain. Its sound is uplifting and inspiring. It reminds us to never forget how God has been with us all throughout time, and how He will lead us into the future.”