Bethel's four hymn boards, placed so as to be visible throughout the congregation, reflect the day and season of the year and the hymns used for that particular day.  In the Lutheran Church, as in other liturgical Christian churches, the church year is divided into the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.  The seasons include major festivals and lesser festivals or "commemorations" which are observed by many congregations when they fall on Sundays but are commemorated in the Lectionary cycle.

My work with the hymn boards is one of the highlights of my week as it provides me a quiet and worshipful time in the Sanctuary.  Over the years my grandchildren and other children have often helped me.  Their presence has provided not only a teaching opportunity with numbers but also an opportunity to instruct in the seasons of the church and how to follow the music in our service.

Some trivia about hymn boards you might find interesting comes from a book describing hymn boards in the 16^th to the 18^th centuries:

"Now to the hymn board…number boards were hung in 1701 because          the hymns could no longer be recognized from the organ prelude.” …
It seems that hymn boards have become an unnecessary church fixture since bulletins are printed (or yes, even projected via Powerpoint).  But let the hymn board be a visual reminder to the church musician and the congregation:

• The church musician shall clearly introduce the hymn so as to invite the congregation to sing.
• The congregation shall kindly accept the invitation and sing vigorously since the hymn number is prominently displayed.
• If either the church musician or the congregation fails to do the above items, the other party is welcome to remove the hymn board and bring it to the other party as a reminder of the covenant between musician and congregation. "

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