On this first Sunday of the New Year at the 10am service, the St. Michael’s Singers will revisit two anthems from Lessons & Carols. At the offertory will be Rosephanye Powell’s incredible anthem, “The Word Was God.” Last year, Powell was controversially sued by Indiana Bible College after she called them out for slightly changing and republishing this iconic work without crediting her. In response, we—like so many other choral organizations around the country—have specifically programmed her original work to show support for the artist and her intellectual property. At communion time, the choir will sing a carol (“Dormi, Jesu!”) by another woman of color. The composer, Dr. Jaebon Hwang, is a recent transplant to Portland from southern California and now teaches organ at Lewis & Clark College.