Community hymn sing planned June 1 to benefit refugee resettlement
Published 1:37 pm Tuesday, May 26, 2026
QUINCY — The Quincy Area Ministerial Association wants to bring together the community’s voices to support local humanitarian needs.
QAMA sponsors a community hymn sing and fundraiser on Monday, June 1 at Quincy Brewing Company, 110 N. Sixth.
“We’re getting together to sing and do good work at the same time,” said Stacey Nicholas, QAMA president and pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
“Any given Sunday, we could be sitting with people we have significant differences with, but when we’re all singing together and all working toward a common goal, those differences are not so important.”
Free will donations, and proceeds from a bake sale during the hymn sing, will benefit the United Way Unmet Needs Committee Refugee Resettlement Fund. Contributions may be made with cash or electronic giving.
Churches from across the community wanted to help as Unmet Needs saw a growing number of requests for help from families, all legal immigrants, who “shouldn’t need assistance” but are facing hardship, Nicholas said.
“Here in Quincy, there are persons who came to this country legally but who are experiencing difficulty obtaining the paperwork they need for daily life,” said Tim White, pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ. “This is an opportunity for Quincy to continue claiming the title ‘City of Refuge.’”
Nicholas said a hymn sing provided a familiar, and fun, way to help others.
“We’re churches. We know how to do hymn sings. Hymns are something all churches in QAMA have in common. It’s a unifying force for different denominations and faith groups,” Nicholas said. “The other wonderful thing about a hymn sing is it’s not a performance, not a choir singing to you. This is all of us singing to each other.”
QAMA members printed a hymnbook featuring selections from multiple faith traditions for the event, with participants able to choose hymns to sing.
“I hope people are taking away a little bit more of an understanding of just the challenges that even legal immigrants have in this country,” Nicholas said. “I hope people take away some happiness from singing – singing is so wonderful for our mental health, our physical health. I want people to enjoy that and to see that churches can work together to build something up instead of tearing each other down.”
QAMA meets monthly to provide collegial support among area clergy and to foster cooperation among congregations throughout the community. Nicholas sees potential for the association to hold other hymn sing fundraisers in the future.
“I have had so much joy working with my fellow clergy on this event,” she said. “So much cooperative joy while helping deserving families just warms a special part in my heart.”
More information about the community hymn sing or the Quincy Area Ministerial Association is available by contacting Pastor Stacey Nicholas at pastorystaceyfccq@gmail.com.
