Fall will be here soon so now's the time to prepare for worship services for the coming year. Three popular tools for pastors and music directors are The United Methodist Music & Worship Planner, Prepare! An Ecumenical Music and Worship Planner, and The United Methodist Worship Planning Calendar.

The two music and worship planners are all-in-one resources that help you plan the worship services for each Sunday and holy day of the year. The United Methodist edition includes:

• Weekly pages in spiral-bound format that help you plan the entire worship year, from September through August.
• Eight or more suggested hymns for each service keyed to United Methodist worship resources: The United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, Worship & Song, The United Methodist Book of Worship, and The Africana Hymnal.
• Complete lectionary text of the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel readings using the Common English Bible translation (NRSV option also available.)
• Reproducible worship planning forms.
• Resources for holidays and special days.
• Suggestions for prayers, solos, anthems, visuals, and much more. 

The ecumenical edition, Prepare! includes:

• A new theme index with topics like: assurance, doubt, family, justice, prayer, temptation, and many more.
• Scripture Index.
• Calendar format that helps you plan the entire choir year, from September through August.
• Eight or more suggested hymns for each service keyed to 16 hymnals from at least 7 different denominations, including: Africana Hymnal, The Baptist Hymnal, Chalice Hymnal (Disciples of Christ), The Faith We Sing, Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal, The Hymnal 1982 (Episcopal), Hymns for the Family of God, Lutheran Book of Worship, The Presbyterian Hymnal, The New Century Hymnal (United Church of Christ), Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship, Songs for Praise and Worship Singalong Edition, The United Methodist Hymnal, Voices United, Worship & Song, and Worship III (Roman Catholic).
• Complete lectionary text of the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel readings, using the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
• Reproducible worship planning forms.
• Resources for holidays and special days.

Suggestions for prayers, solos, anthems, visuals, and much more.

You can buy both titles in either CEB or NRSV editions at the following links:

The United Methodist Music & Worship Planner 2021 2022 CEB Edition

Prepare! 2021 2022 CEB Edition

The United Methodist Music & Worship Planner 2021 2022 NRSV Edition

Prepare! 2021 2022 NRSV Edition

Whether one is the pastor of a small congregation, a music director, or a member of a large worship planning team, The United Methodist Worship Planning Calendar can help create and capture weekly worship service details: sermon topic, hymns, anthems, acolytes, lay readers, and special services such as communion or baptisms.

The planning chart provided for each Sunday includes: the lections, liturgical day, liturgical colors, and hymn suggestions from The United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, Worship & Song, The Africana Hymnal, Hymns from the Four Winds, The Korean United Methodist Hymnal, Mil Voces para Celebrar, Songs of Zion, and Zion Still Sings.

The standard month-at-a-glance format includes all the features of a great standard calendar including U.S. and Canadian national days, beginning and ending dates for Daylight Saving Time, major Jewish observances, and more.

Key Features

• United Methodist specific, but with a variety of choices allows for the creation of a worship experience that fits each congregation
• Easy-to-use layout, with everything needed at a glance, so less time is spent planning worship without sacrificing quality of service
• Planning Section for each Sunday ensuring worship will be meaningful and strengthen participants' relationships with God