Such musical schlock has miserably failed the test of time.
Most church musicians are incapable of singing the music - and forget about the people singing along. Yet the songs are supposedly designed to be sung by the people.
Unless the song is a true classic, I simply smile silently.
I will no longer participate in the charade.
I gave it a good try, but if you combine the subversive newage feminist political lyrics of so many of the songs with the low quality of the music and style not suitable for liturgical worship, the music is just crapola (latin for crap).
I don't like to stand in church with crapola coming out of my mouth.
You have my sympathy. I joined the choir in our last church because my daughter was interested in joining it, and I stayed on after she left for college. We had a great choir directer, superb music, and an organist who had studied with the best.
When we moved to Vermont, I found another good choir, and a smaller group that did good music. I joined it. But a succession of priests and choir directors and the typical bad feelings that arise because of the disputes and turmoil in the Church raised by dissenters gradually reduced the music to the lowest common denominator. Funds dried up, the last semi-decent choir director left, the choir disbanded.
Our new priest who presided over the last stages of this disaster has since been asking people to volunteer for the choir, but who the heck wants to spend his time singing "Gift of Finest Wheat," or worse? So we have one lady who sings at the mike, a piano player (the organ goes begging), no real choir, and a congregation that mostly hold their hymnbooks in front of them but can't manage to sing this junk.
Our priest is actually orthodox and good with people, except for one or two fairly innocuous ad libs that he throws into the canon of the Mass and a few other quirks, but the music has just fallen apart. And we have numerous talented people in the congregation, too. Young people who play musical instruments beautifully, talented singers, the whole works. We did some great four-part Renaissance music earlier, and plainchant too. But there remains not a clue how to use this potential for the greater glory of God. So, I just grin and bear it.