REBIRTH: Singing Death, Singing Life

James Thompson, Sponsor
In Memory of Chiu-Tuan Chen & Bao-Hui Tung 

The Siraya language, as an endangered indigenous language of Taiwan, is undergoing a journey from "death" of cultural memory to "rebirth" of faith in practice. This session centers on the newly published The Lord Our Refuge: A Modern Worship Hymnal of the now thriving Siraya Musuhapa movement. The presenter will share a true narrative of transforming the sorrow of near linguistic extinction into communal hope, which particularly emerged from personal reflections during the pandemic—grappling with a father's cancer-related passing and cultural, generational loss. What transpired was a grassroots movement that integrates prayer, composition, translation, choral arrangement, and worship leadership.

Participants will experience at least three contemporary Siraya hymns presented through a short talk, demonstration musicking, and congregational singing. These works carry theological significance and demonstrate how biblical passages, language, and music intertwine to transform experiences of "death" into testimonies of "rebirth." Integrating perspectives from ethnomusicology and practical theology, this session proposes a concrete and transferable model that assists multicultural communities in creating "new songs" enabling worship into action that renews life and faith.