Songs for Church Anniversaries (June 22 2024)

June 22 2024 is the 47th Anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia. You may also like to consider these songs for any Anniversary that's meaningful for your congregation.

• Online Resource / Walk as One Here we are in this church (Leigh Newton) Written for the 2000 Assembly of the Uniting Church, this song has three verses recognising our roles in the church, in the world, and in the land Australia. Lyrics and free sheet music.
  
• Online Resource / BUC Song Project When the carpenter's on / Drive us out (Shawn Whelan) This is not an "anniversary song" but it's a good and lively song about being driven to new places by the Spirit and would be very appropriate for a church anniversary! Free sheet music and sound sample.

Here are some other anniversary-type songs from around the world 

• Online Resource / Walk as One Beneath the Southern Cross (Catherine Burton / Malcolm Gordon) This song was written in New Zealand, but the lyrics are also applicable to Australia, in recognising God's presence under the Southern Cross. Video (with NZ-specific lyrics). Sheet music for purchase here (with lyrics that work in both Australia and New Zealand). Sound samples, and pack with accompaniment, sheet music, powerpoint.
• Online Resource We are a people of courage / Pioneers of hope (Malcolm Gordon) A song that looks forwards and backwards at the same time. Really great verses, and easy to sing. Written for the Centenary Celebrations of Presbyterian Schools in New Zealand, but would work for any church or school anniversary. Sheet music (downloads a PDF).
• Online Resource If our church is not a building (Hannah Brown / Sally Ann Morris) Challenging words to think about our future church, not just our current building and history. Lyrics, sheet music sample and purchasing options. New words to old tunes.  
  
• VU528 God of life in Christ you lead us (Jane Parker Huber) "Celebrating past and present, consecrating future days". Good words to a standard hymn tune. Sound sample. New words to old tunes.
• SFFS 2221 In Unity We Lift Our Song (Ken Medema) Excellent words to a well known hymn tune (EIN FESTE BURG). Celebrates the life of a church. Good for a church anniversary too. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• NCH371 God creation's great designer (Jane Parker Huber) Excellent words, particularly if you worship in an older church building, or have an anniversary to celebrate. Sung to a well-known tune (HOLY MANNA). Lyrics (downloads an order of service). New words to old tunes.
• FFS53 Out of the storms (Colin Gibson) Another good song for a church anniversary, particularly appropriate for Australia or New Zealand.
• FFS57 Song of faith that sings forever (Shirley Erena Murray) Simple tune and good words reaching back to the past and forward to the future. Can be sung to ABBOTS LEIGH. New words to old tunes. Lyrics.
• FFS31 God who carved this timeless landscape (Doug Grierson) These words are good for Australia and New Zealand. I'm not a huge fan of the tune, but it can be sung to CONVERSE (What a friend we have in Jesus. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• NCH370 / UMH087 / W&R685 / URW127 What gift can we bring? (Jane Marshall) A good offering song. Also good for a church anniversary. Lyrics. The tune is a bit tricky.
• GtG685 Unseen God your hand has guided (Hermann Stuempfle) This is a song for marriage, about joining two people to travel together, sharing, and serving their community, as well as supporting each other. It's very inclusive, and could also be used at anniversary celebrations. Could be sung to a more familiar tune if desired, as the meter is 8787. Sheet music samples.

And here's a song about caring for the old items of fabric in our churches. 

• Online Resource We gather up an ancient cloth (Hannah Brown) Are you fixing old banners, altar cloths, cushions, and re-instating them. This song, set to to the well known tune TALLIS CAROL would be a great thing to sing. Lyrics, sheet music sample and purchasing options. New words to old tunes.