Hymn Blog - November 15, 2009

November 15, 2009 – Restorative Justice

VU 603 – In Loving Partnership We Come. A hymn expressing a vision of what church might be, Jim Strathdee’s words and music were first popularized within the United Church through the 1987 supplement “Songs for a Gospel People”. Strathdee, a Californian, presents an image of a justice seeking community, coming together in worship to prepare for service.

MV 145 – Draw the Circle Wide. Author and composer Gordon Light, retired bishop of the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (of British Columbia), is a well-known Canadian musician who composes, plays guitar and sings as a member of a 25-year-old quartet called the Common Cup Company. The arrangement is by Michael Bloss, Director of Music Ministry at Dublin St. United Church, Guelph.

MV 94 – Love Knocks and Waits. Author and Composer Dan Damon is an internationally published writer of hymn texts and tunes. He is pastor of First United Methodist Church, Richmond, California. Dan serves as adjunct faculty in church music at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. He is an active member of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Dan plays piano in clubs in the San Francisco area and studies piano and composition with Richard Hindman. Dan has toured Zimbabwe with the Jubilate Choir from the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.

VU 148 – Jesus, Remember Me. This prayer response was composed by Jaques Berthier in the early 1980’s for the for the Taizé community in France. It is based upon Luke 23:42.

MV 169 – When Hands Reach Out Beyond Divides. Keri Wehlander is an author, hymn lyricist, liturgical dancer and leader of retreats and workshops. Spirituality and the arts provide a primary focus for her work in various settings in both her native Canada and the U.S. A passion for making biblical stories and imagery come alive is at the heart of her work.   The tune, SALEM, is from the 1854 edition of Southern Harmony, a shaped note hymn book from the Sacred Harp tradition. 

Further to the obituary of Fred Kaan, found in the October 18, 2009 hymn blog, A BBC radio obituary of Fred can be found at the URL http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00nlxzt
The Kaan obit is found starting at 8:33 into the broadcast and runs to 14:34.