Music for Sunday 10 January 2010
January 6, 2010 by Rob Westwood-Payne
Filed under News, Random Jottings
Sunday 10 January 2010 is Commitment Sunday for The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom.
The Songsters contribution to both meetings on Sunday will be William Himes’s Song of consecration. William Himes is a Salvation Army composer who has been music director of The Salvation Army’s USA Central Territory since 1977. He is also Bandmaster of the Chicago Staff Band.
The song speaks about the challenge presented by the condition of the world in which we live: need, despair, strife, darkness and death. It then goes on to set out a spiritual vision which reveals the need for commitment to meet the challenge:
Commissioned by the Lord of Hosts,
Whom we serve and whose we are.
We will take the gospel news
To the world both near and far.
Lord, Thy blessing we would ask:
seal us for Thy holy task.
What a great prayer for this New Year!
Why not join us for our meetings at 10:30am and 6:00pm at The Salvation Army, Meredith Street, Cradley Heath, B64 5EP.
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Rob Westwood-Payne grew up in The Salvation Army at Norwich Citadel. He left Norwich to study at the University of Warwick and became fully involved in the music centre there culminating in his conducting Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to a full house in Symphony Hall in Birmingham. He also transferred to The Salvation Army at Coventry City, where he became Songster Leader at the age of 21. He was made Songster Leader at Cradley Heath in April 1998 shortly before marrying Gail in the following October. He is a former leader of the West Midlands Divisional Youth Chorus and is currently Programme Director at the West Midlands Divisional Summer School for The Salvation Army. He is an Associate Solicitor in the Licensing Team of a national practice based in the south west.
Thanks for posting re: Himes’ song. It was written for the commissioning held in Kansas City in 1980 – all the four U.S. territories were present for the centennial celebration!! I’m looking for sheet music (with words) to the song. Can you help?