Virtual Hymnal Your UU Virtual Hymnal Is in Development

A Black woman wearing headphones smiles and sings, holding a tablet or iPad.

In consultation with the Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries (AUUMM), the UUA's Virtual Hymnal Task Force has been at work since March 2023.

Our Vision: to build a living collection of song resources through an accessible, equitable, online platform grounded in UU values. This virtual hymnal will help Unitarian Universalism live into our prophetic calling as a joyful, liberatory, and anti-oppressive faith.

Your Virtual Hymnal is headed to a June 2025 launch!

If you're here because you just learned about the new virtual hymnal, Welcome! We invite you to review our Frequently Asked Questions document (PDF).

If you'd like to be the first to receive future updates about the virtual hymnal, please visit this page to subscribe to WorshipWeb's newsletter.

In January 2025, we're pouring our hearts and energy into the following facets of this complex project:

  • Our Song Selection Team (PDF) members are creating criteria and guidelines for the music submission process (which we hope to open in February). Please do not send in music submissions until our process opens.
  • We're consulting with UUA leadership to choose the official name of this UUA virtual hymnal (which we hope to announce in February).
  • We expect to issue a call for artwork and logos for the virtual hymnal in February or March.
  • We're assessing our subscription models so that the virtual hymnal is sustainable and provides fair compensation for the many musicians whose labor is reflected therein.

In Fall 2024, 136 UU congregations volunteered to beta test our prototype hymnal! We're grateful for their constructive feedback, which helped our Task Force squash some bugs and make Prototype 2.0 even better.

In Spring 2024, Rev. Erika Hewitt and Camille Hatton held several enthusiastic public gatherings in which we revealed our virtual hymnal prototype; explained its licensing system; presented our tentative plans for beta testing our model; and presented financial details that were emerging.

In January 2024, our Task Force held helpful and exciting Zoom Q & A sessions. That informative video—with a compilation of all questions asked—is now available (Vimeo).

in 2023, our Task Force outlined all of the complex layers of this project, investigated technical platforms, held focus groups with musicians, and plotted out the course of our work.

The Virtual Hymnal Task Force is comprised of six members:

  • Camille Hatton, Consulting Project Manager

  • Mary Benard, UUA Publications Director

  • Rev. Erika Hewitt, UUA Minister of Worship Arts

  • Beverly Horton, musician and Lay Chaplain, First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, Ontario

  • Carey McDonald, UUA Executive Vice President

  • Susanne Maziarz, Music Director, Neighbourhood UU Congregation of Toronto, Ontario.

To receive periodic updates about our Task Force's work, please subscribe to the WorshipWeb newsletter, "From the Muse to the Pews."