كتاب ترانيم اوصنا

▪ PREFACE ▪

Hymns are a gift from God to worship and glorify Him, and they are melodies with prayers through which we offer our hearts to God in praise.

Historically, the Sudanese churches have sung hymns through oral tradition and memory. Therefore, it was often difficult to sing them consistently in worship, because the same songs would be performed with different lyrics and melodies. Hymns that were not regularly sung were often forgotten.

We were able to collect the lyrics of many hymns, but most could not be sung due to the lack of musical accompaniment. To preserve the heritage of the Sudanese church, we have prepared sheet music.

It is our hope that through this South Sudanese and Sudanese Hymnbook, the Sudanese churches will be able to worship God with unified lyrics and melodies.

This hymnbook includes lyrics, sheet music, and chords for 461 popular hymns from South Sudan and Sudan regions (South Sudan Praises, Sudan Praises, Arabic Praises, and Foreign Praises). The Arabic songs are written in Roman characters so that everyone can sing along.

The first line of each hymn is used as its title, and the hymns are organized by category and season. For hymns with original authors, the composers’ and lyricists’ names are included with the melody. An additional study guide is also provided to help individuals read and study the sheet music.

Over the past five years, with the help of pastors and praise leaders from South Sudan and Sudan, as well as Sudanese individuals in the diaspora (Canada, USA, Australia, Sweden, and Egypt), we gathered lyrics. This hymnbook is the fruit of their continuous dedication and hard work.

Previously scattered hymns that had been sung differently across churches were standardized and verified by the original composers and worship leaders. Most of the South Sudanese praise composers are difficult to trace, so different worship leaders collaborated to standardize these hymns, while Sudanese praise songs were verified by the original composers.

With the help of praise leaders, the songs were recorded and sheet music was created. Seonghee Hong (Esther) prepared the sheet music, and pastors confirmed and verified the biblical and theological basis of the lyrics.

We sincerely thank all the composers and Sudanese individuals who contributed. We especially thank the Hosanna Worship Ministry Team for their continuous sacrifice and dedication. We also thank Alec, who created the Hosanna iPhone App.

The Sudanese hymns are filled with the Holy Spirit. These songs are part of the history of the Sudanese church and a spiritual heritage to be passed on. We are thankful that through this hymnbook, these spiritual praises will continue for generations to come.

“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Cush.” (Isaiah 11:11)

With the hope that God’s promise will be fulfilled in Sudan and South Sudan, we pray that God’s joy will fill the hearts of all believers as they offer praise in Sudanese churches.

Dec. 5, 2025
Ministry Worship Hosanna