MennoMedia is halfway to its fundraising goal for the new hymnal collection project. As of January 2017, the organization has received $303,000 in gifts and faith promises, or 50 percent of the fundraising goal of $606,000.

The new collection is scheduled for release in 2020.

While donors can give a gift of any amount, gifts or faith promises of $500 or more will be honored in the printed hymnal. Giving levels have been designated with musical terms for volume from piano (p) to fortissimo (ff).

Lead donors Ed and Carol Nofziger of Archbold, Ohio, have given $25,000 and intend to give a total of $100,000 toward the project. Goshen (Indiana) College, in partnership with College Mennonite Church and the Greencroft Foundation, has pledged $25,000 to honor Mary Oyer, a fortissimo honoree. To commemorate their donation, the back of the new hymnal will include an image and a brief biography of Oyer. Mennonite Church Canada has also given $10,000 to support this project through an offering at the 2016 Assembly in Saskatoon and through its denominational budget under Faith Formation.

“Other colleges are considering naming ‘fortissimo honorees’ who were or are significant leaders in Mennonite church music,” says Steve Carpenter, MennoMedia’s director of development and church relations. “It is a beautiful way to commemorate the contribution of these musicians who added so much to our musical history.”

Those wishing to contribute new and original content can submit their work online at http://mennoniteworshipandsongcollection.org. This online submissions portal will be active throughout 2017, and members of the Mennonite Worship and Song Committee will be reviewing all submissions and making determinations for what is included in this forthcoming collection.

MennoMedia is accepting donations for the new hymnal collection by check or online at HymnalProject606.com. As the committee chooses the resources for the hymnal, Mennonites are also encouraged to visit the website to name their favorite song.