Thousands of voices, including choirs, congregations, chaplains and soldiers, are to be blended together in one giant, online hymn sing to help support the Anglican Church’s ministry in Canada’s remote north according to Episcopal Life Online.
The Amazing Grace project asked Canadian Anglicans to video themselves singing the iconic 18th-century hymn, and to forward the recordings to the church’s national office in Toronto. Here, the anticipated hundreds of renditions will be edited into one video, which will be available online by Christmas.
The initiative was intended as a unity building exercise but also included a fundraising component. Each singer was encouraged to donate 2 Canadian dollars (US$1.61) to support youth ministry and clergy training in Canada’s northern territories. The majority of clergy in these areas are non-stipendiary, or unpaid; the money raised will allow clergy to travel from their remote communities to receive training.
Some groups raised more money than expected; at least one parish pledged its entire Sunday offerings to the project. Most of the videos were recorded on November 23, though other groups recorded their versions earlier.
By November 26, more than 200 parishes and church groups had uploaded their videos to the national church website. Brian Bukowski, website manager, said organizers were expecting to receive 500 videos either electronically or by regular mail. There are about 2800 Anglican congregations in Canada.
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