What We Hear from HymnServe Users
Our Customers Share Their Enthusiasm for Our Work
I’m the “Road Captain” for a local chapter of a motorcyclist fellowship and ministry group, Christian Motorcyclists Association. We planned a two day motorcycle trip and had a worship service the morning of the second day. Since we couldn’t carry instruments with us to accompany singing, I was glad to find your Web site HymnServe.com. There I could download music and words for several hymns that we could use during our worship service. As one member wrote in our quarterly newsletter about the trip, “Southern Messenger’s Chaplain, Rodger, gave an awesome sermon about how we are called to do greater things. We sang some of my favorite hymns and prayed….” The recorded hymn music helped make our worship service a blessing for all of us.
We plan to use HymnServe again for additional music for our other events.
Alan
Waldorf, MD
Thus far we have used the hymns for two gatherings, and we will both be using more and downloading more of the hymns, perhaps even this week.
There are but 25 souls in our assembly, we go by the name “Christ Our Refuge Fellowship.” I am the pastor. There are those gifted with lovely voices in our group, but for now there are no piano players. I found you through Google.
We have been singing a cappella for about a year together so now we have to adjust the good and bad habits we have picked up from one another while we have not had instrumentation to lead.
Many have rejoiced that we now have music, inasmuch as we all have enjoyed that in our previous church experiences. We are truly blessed by your gift. Thank you for sharing it and making it available for groups such as ours. From now on, I shall say, “Elaine will now play Amazing Grace (etc.) while we turn in our hymnals to!
Pastor Patrick
Sturbridge, MA
We used the music today for a nursing home worship and it worked great. The older people seem to follow along with your arrangements.
Sarah
Grand Haven, MI
The music is wonderful, key is perfect for older voices, and [for] me to lead it. I am very pleased and will order more this week.
Sherry
Grants Pass, OR
As I have been coordinating services at a new Unitarian congregation without any live music, services like HymnServe.com are naturally very useful – especially to download individual tunes rather than having to pay for complete CD sets.
Dr. T.E.
Bath, UK
When the former pastor and our organist married and moved away, we had two options: sing with no accompaniment, or become a Karaoke church. We chose the latter. However, finding hymns and/or Worship and Praise songs that were easy for our congregation to follow was nearly impossible. The artists were taking too many liberties with the tempo.
Our church is very small and could not pay to have an outside accompanist to assist us in the worship service.
In a web search I ran across “HymnServe” and Elaine Johnson. I now have a song library of approximately fifty hymns from which I can put together a service that include mostly traditional hymns and interjecting a few of the contemporary worship and praise songs… The accompaniment is played in strict tempo making it easy for the congregation to follow.
I can recommend “HymnServe” to any small church that faces the problem of having no accompanist among the congregation and not having a budget to go outside the congregation to hire a musician.
Wayne
Lucerne, CA
Last Sunday I tried some of the songs that I downloaded from your HymnServe and played on our church sound system. They sounded great! The quality came across much better than I expected. It would be hard to distinguish your recorded music from someone playing the piano live. I really appreciate the service you offer and will probably be ordering some more in the near future.
Larry
Hartford City, IN
Regarding your inquiry, the songs were a big hit and helped me very much. The night I downloaded them I was in a bind. I am the lay leader for a small Methodist church in rural Georgia. I found out on Saturday evening that neither of our musicians could be at church the next day. Your site was a life saver. Thanks again. I look forward to using HymnServe again in the future.
Herb
Bowden, GA
My Aunt Eva was in hospice and I was going to be with her a lot. When my next door neighbor asked if she would want to listen to some of her favorite hymns, I took a HymnServe list to her and she said she would like some. She checked the ones she liked. Then we got the CD to her. But by that time, she had gotten worse and died just a few days later.
But the family took the hymns she so recently selected and played them at the funeral. Thank you, Mrs. Johnson, for all the favorite hymns that you made for my Aunt’s funeral. They were very nice and made the atmosphere very solemn and pleasant.
Anna
Bowling Green, OH
HymnServe was very helpful to me. I used the accompaniment for a small family wedding that was held outdoors. I was able to use a CD player and we could all sing a hymn.
Pastor Kleppe
Pine City, MN
I’ve enjoyed listening to them while doing the dishes. I pointed out to my Church Music Director husband that the “You Are My Hiding Place” version on the CD sounded a bit Latin (Latino) and that we could probably add guitar or other instrumentals to it to make it even more so, which would be a lovely addition to our worship music at church. I like the light, traditional feel to these praise songs and will use them as gathering music at our traditional service. They are a bit too light for our praise service, but I ordered it specifically for our traditional worship service (during the pre-service gathering time).
Roberta
Mercedes, TX
I’m a music minister at a small church in South Texas. I was recently called here, and found that I have no instrumentalists to work with, so I’ve been doing everything by CD. Since, I have experience with digital audio editing, I’ve been able to create custom CD’s for every service that virtually play by themselves and lead us through Praise and Worship, hymns, choruses etc…. Your hymns are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Your hymns have already added to our worship. Thank you for making things much easier for me and for being a blessing to many.
Israel
Dilley, TX
We have really enjoyed the hymns I downloaded and we use them all the time at First Evangelistic Church. They work well. They are easy to follow and I’m not a singer.
Linda
Dalton, GA
A note about “Amazing Grace”
Thank you so much. It is absolutely beautiful. I needed it to sing a solo at my father in law’s memorial service this Sat. and all of the other versions I have found were all gussied up. The song is beautiful just as it was written and your rendition is appreciated.
Stacy
Harbert, MI
Your accompaniments were fantastic! They suited what I needed beautifully. I am thankful I stumbled onto your site. I am also very thankful your ministry was there in my time of need.
Michelle
Beaufort, SC
I am a new song director at our small country church of 25 members and I have no formal training as a song director so I need all the help I can get.
We have been singing hymns a cappella. I have searched the internet for traditional gospel hymns and found your site. I listened to some of the hymns and like your style of playing.
There is a real need for this type of music to make our worship service an uplifting song service to our heavenly father.
Myran
Fincastle, VA
P.S. If I find any one in need of your services I will definitely pass it on.
Pastor Kris from Mineral Baptist Church in Keyser WV… Just a note to let you know that we have utilized your CDs in a few of our services since receiving them last month. The music has been wonderful. Thank you so much for your ministry and may God continue to bless as you serve Him.
Pastor Kris
Keyser, WV
The entire CD is wonderful. God has since sent us a piano player in fact it looks like we may have two. Isn’t he awesome! We just love the music so much we wanted to purchase more songs anyway. They are so good to have on hand for everything. I know God is going to bless your ministry.
Kiwana Soddy
Daisy, TN
I officiate at several nursing homes/retirement facilities as well as small worship services, these will be a wonderful addition when “real” music is not available.
I would highly recommend your service to anyone without hesitation!
Pastor David
Natick, MA
Our Music director at church played some of your music at church and we sure do enjoy singing by them. It is much better than the ones we usually use.
Thank you for providing this service. We really appreciate it.
Charles & Eva
Cameron, WV
We have used your accompaniment for the past three Sundays and they are working out quite well. I think it will be a good alternative to not having live accompaniment.
Wayne
Kelseyville, CA
I was thrilled to find your music site! I attend a very small rural church and I sing specials at every Sunday service. I bought 2 high priced cd’s and the arrangement of the music was not what I had grown up with, thus making it hard to just pick up and sing along with it. I found your site and ordered Springs of Living Water. I sang it a couple of Sundays ago and it was great. I was able to sing comfortably with the cd from the first time I sang to it and got many nice compliments that Sunday. I also downloaded He Hideth My Soul and look forward to singing with it maybe this Sunday.
I think you are offering a wonderful service!! So far I have not found any other sites that just play music to sing along with. I definitely will be ordering more selections and I thank you very much for inquiring about how the music helped me and giving me the opportunity to express my thanks. May God richly bless your ministry!!
Mary
Waldo, AR
The hymns worked great for our nursing home service. The arrangements were just right for the people in the audience. I could tell the person who recorded the songs knew the natural tempo for people to sing along.
Douglas
Norton Shores, MI
I am the pastor at a small church in Indiana. We have a dear sister who is on her death bed and ready to be with the Lord. She is so blessed by the hymns that I left her hospice room in search of a CD with the hymns that she loved so much. What a blessing it was when I found your WEB sight full of all of the beautiful music so wonderfully played. As I thanked Jesus for His guidance and direction I copied the hymns to a CD and it was taken to her room. What a blessing to see a person at the place in life where she is and to see her remember the words to these spiritual songs. Thank you for the work you do. I will make sure that everyone I know has your web address.
Pastor Doug
Lowell, IN
This has turned out to be exactly what we wanted. It’s the favorite hymns and familiar choruses suited for the church service, and in this case fundamental Baptist. We are a church of 4.5 years existence… Singing in a small congregation without a piano works with some songs but not all of them. We have a good quality sound system so the CD’s sound great. This is also attributed to your quality recording.
The ability to hear the music before purchasing worked excellent.
Will probably be looking for the Christmas music this fall.
Pastor C.R.
Minerva, OH