 The Townsend-McAfee Institute, established in 2005, is a collaboration between the Townsend School of Music and the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology offering graduate programs in church music that prepare musical artists for the ministry.The institute, located on the Macon campus with the School of Music, is preparing a new hymnal for Baptists and other Christian fellowships.Slated for release in 2009, the 400th anniversary of Baptists, the project demonstrates Mercer's commitment to its church-related heritage and connects with the university's namesake, Jesse Mercer, who authored "Cluster of Spiritual Songs", a hymnal first published circa 1800 with 11 subsequent editions.