Minister of Music, Dr. Barbara Hamm has served for 28+ years at Community Congregational Church. Before that she served for nearly 17 years as the Director of Music at First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, in Antioch, California. Barbara directs the Sanctuary Choir, as well as an instrumental program featuring various combinations of instruments. A lively Instrumental Ensemble consisting of flute, clarinet, cello, harp, mandolin, and piano accompanies most Sunday worship services, as well as other special events at the church. The December Christmas Orchestra plays throughout Advent and Christmas.
Barbara likes to think of herself as a “partner musician” for the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, as she has accompanied congregational singing at national, regional, and local events of both denominations. She has accompanied many Annual Gatherings of the UCC Northern California-Nevada Conference and the DOC Northern California-Nevada Region. She has also conducted workshops on the Music of Taizé and on New Music for Congregational Singing.
A published hymn writer of both texts and tunes, Barbara has collections with both Abingdon Press and Hope Publishing Company. Her first collection, entitled Children of Creation: Hymns of Love & Justice for the 21st Century, was published by Abingdon in 2006. Her second collection, entitled Table of Grace: Hymns and Short Songs, was published by Hope in 2018. Barbara also has hymns in the UCC Sing! Prayer and Praise, the Methodist Worship & Song, the Presbyterian Glory to God, and the Community of Christ hymnal, Community of Christ Sings. In addition, several of her hymns are included in the Hymn Society’s two online collections entitled, respectively, Singing Welcome: Hymns and Songs of Hospitality to Refugees and Immigrants and Songs for the Holy Other: Hymns Affirming the LGBTQIA2S+ Community.
Barbara is a graduate of Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Kansas, where she earned an AB degree in Bible and sacred music. She earned a BA in English from Milligan University and both the MA and PhD degrees in English from Kansas State University. She taught English for 30 years at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. She also played piano occasionally at Max’s Opera Café in San Francisco from 2002 up until the pandemic. She is the mother of Hilary and the grandmother of Nola and Beau.
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