FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The five-song album from Christians for Social Action and Common Hymnal explores what it means to listen, remember, and hold onto hope in a fractured cultural moment.
October 26, 2026 — We are living in a moment crowded with competing stories about who we are, what has happened, who belongs, and whose experiences matter. As political and cultural divisions deepen, it can become increasingly difficult to listen to one another, or even to agree on which stories deserve our attention.
Storybook, Vol. 2, a new five-song album from Christians for Social Action and Common Hymnal, enters that tension through music. The album features songs by Truth’s Table Foundation, Virago Rising, Eloheh, The Center for Restorative Justice, and Liberated Together.
Created through the second cohort of CSA’s Storytellers Collective, the album brings together songs about memory, belonging, justice, identity, and hope. Like the first Storybook album, released in March 2026, the music grew out of relationships with communities doing the work of justice and restoration. But this second volume turns particular attention toward the stories we inherit, the voices we have failed to hear, and what happens when people insist on being seen.
“We are surrounded by stories all the time, but we don’t always stop to ask whose stories are shaping us,” said Nikki Toyama-Szeto, executive director of Christians for Social Action. “Part of loving our neighbors is learning to pay attention to their histories, their experiences, and what they might be able to show us about the world that we couldn’t see on our own.”
What Storybook, Vol. 2 Offers the Church Right Now
Christian faith is rooted in remembering. Scripture repeatedly calls God’s people to remember where they have been, what God has done, and the people and stories that have shaped them. Storybook, Vol. 2 asks what that practice might mean in a time when forgetting, overlooking, or flattening one another’s stories can come so easily.
Across five songs, the album approaches that question from different directions.
“We Are the Echo,” inspired by Virago Rising, looks to the faith and courage of women who came before and the work that remains for those who follow. “Hands Full of Hope,” created alongside Truth’s Table, holds together truth-telling, solidarity, faith, and the hope women find in one another. “Remember,” shaped by the Center for Restorative Justice, refuses to hide brokenness or leave difficult parts of the past untold.
“You Will See Me,” inspired by Liberated Together, gives voice to women who have been present but not always fully seen or heard, while “Time & Place,” drawn from a story by Christians for Social Action, wrestles with identity, pain, belonging, and the question of whether there is room for us to become who God has made us to be.
Together, the songs move between personal stories and larger questions: What do we carry from those who came before us? What happens when painful histories are buried? Who has been asked to remain quiet? Where do we find the courage to keep going?
“Songs have always helped communities remember,” said Malcolm du Plessis, founder of Common Hymnal. “They carry stories from one generation to another. They give us a way to hold grief and hope, history and possibility, without pretending that any of those things are simple.”
The album grew out of the second cohort of the Storytellers Collective, which brings artists from Common Hymnal into relationship with organizations and communities working in areas of justice, restoration, faith, and community. Artists spend time listening before the songwriting begins, allowing the experiences and voices of those communities to shape the music.
“For us, listening is where storytelling starts,” said Avril Speaks, director of the Storytellers Collective. “We aren’t looking for a clean or inspiring version of someone’s story. We want to make room for what is actually there — the joy and the pain, the questions, the history, and the things people are still figuring out.”
The first Storybook album explored gospel hope in the midst of uncertainty and unfinished stories. Vol. 2 continues that conversation, but asks a different set of questions about how we remember, whose stories we hear, and what we owe to one another.
At a time when so much of public life asks us to react quickly, choose sides, and reduce people to categories, Storybook, Vol. 2 offers another posture: listen closely, remember honestly, and refuse to give up on one another.
“We hope these songs help people hear stories they might not otherwise encounter,” said Toyama-Szeto. “And maybe, in listening to someone else’s story, we begin to understand our neighbors, and even our own stories, a little differently.”
Storybook, Vol. 2 will be available October 23 on all major streaming platforms. Music videos for all five songs will be released on YouTube on October 26.
About Christians for Social Action
Christians for Social Action (CSA) is a Christian nonprofit working to inspire and equip people to pursue justice shaped by the love and teachings of Jesus. Through storytelling, media, learning communities, and partnerships with leaders and organizations around the world, CSA helps Christians engage today’s social challenges with courage, imagination, and faithfulness. Founded in 1973 by theologian and author Ronald J. Sider, CSA continues to foster thoughtful Christian engagement in issues such as justice, reconciliation, environmental stewardship, and community renewal.
About Common Hymnal
Common Hymnal is a collective of artists, worship leaders, and songwriters committed to creating music rooted in community, justice, and spiritual formation. Founded by South African-born worship leader and songwriter Malcolm du Plessis, Common Hymnal works collaboratively with organizations and communities to craft songs that reflect lived experiences of faith, struggle, and hope. The collective seeks to cultivate music that carries both prophetic imagination and deep communal resonance.
Media Contact:
Laurie Nichols
Director of Communications, Christians for Social Action
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