Hymns are one of the most powerful and immediate ways of in­corporating young children in the life of the worshiping congrega­tion. When we sing together, we are joined not only in thought, but more importantly in feelings: music and text together express and inform some aspect of our Christian faith, allowing us to ex­perience praise, trust, hope, awe, joy, or sorrow at a profound level. Children as well as adults have these experiences; more­over in singing they know themselves as equals or partners with everyone else in the gathering.