Our church has dis-affiliated with the UMC. Gone GMC instead. Part of the agreement with dis-affiliating churches is you have to remove all imagery with the UMC Cross and Flame logo. I can understand that. But the UMC said they wouldn't have issues with GMC churches keeping their UMC hymnals despite being prominently marked with the Cross and Flame.
Hymnals are expensive. And many of these were donated by hard working folks. But our church is getting rid of them and buying all new hymnals...without the Cross and Flame. I think it's a waste of money. They are always asking for money for legitimate issues. But this is for a book that hardly anyone actually uses. I'm one of the few who do use the hymnal because I'm a luddite who likes the old ways. But when I look around, I only see maybe two or three other people also holding the hymnal.
It's also a sad renunciation of a community's heritage. Again, a lot of these hymnals are thirty years old. Maybe it's as good time for a change as any even though they seem in great shape. Well, either way, I will miss the old UMC hymnal.
