Songs to welcome new church members

At Brunswick Uniting we have a special service twice a year to welcome new people to our community. Those who want to be part of the community (but who may not necessarily be seeking membership by baptism, confirmation or a confession of faith) are invited to name Brunswick as their community of faith.

• CH198 / MV001 / GC753 / GC(II)741 / RS 846 Let Us Build a House / All are welcome (Marty Haugen) This song has wonderful lyrics of hope for what a Christian community can be like, and a chorus that joyfully says “All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place”. Sheet music sample. Sound sample. Lyrics (scroll down a little).
• Online Resource / Songs for a Hopeful Church All the hungry all the thirsty (Elizabeth Smith ) Great words to open the service - a song of welcome, and of praise, and of sharing our gifts and challenges as a comunity, sung to ODE TO JOY. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
  
• MV 145 / CP418 / SP&P123 Draw the circle wide (Gordon Light) A great song about welcoming all people. Lyrics (downloads a Word document). Chorus is “Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still. Let this be our song, no-one stands alone, standing side by side, draw the circle wide”.
• Online Resource When you're not sure who you really are / All belong here (Lenora Rand / Hannah Rand / The Many) Excellent words of God's radical inclusion at the Table; most suitable if you are celebrating communion. Lyrics, sound samples and sheet music. 
  
• Online Resource: Welcome to this circle (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A lovely song of “radical inclusivity” which is kind of what our welcoming service is about. This song is more a promise coming from the congregation that welcomes all regardless of their level of faith. We’ve sung this a couple of times at welcoming services already. Youtube. Sheet music available here.
• Online Resource / Tune In Community (Dave Brown) “Part of a fam’ly, interconnected, this is community”. A big favourite at Brunswick. Excellent words and very easy to sing; really good for a welcoming service. Sound sample, lyrics and songbook available here.
• Recorded Music Christ Before Me (Malcolm Gordon) A song based on St. Patrick's Breastplate which includes the lines "everyone belongs here, everyone is blessed" (and more), so works well for a welcoming song. It might be good to get your own musicians to sing this, if they can. This is on high rotation in my house. Sound sample and purchase options. 
• ACS978 / GtG399 God welcomes all (John Bell / South African Traditional) A simple song of welcome if celebrating communion, and if your table is fully welcoming. Sound sample.