DRAW CROWDS | Healing Hands Worship Series, week 4
July 22, 2018

The following selections are congregational songs chosen from this week’s Hymn Suggestions, with notes on key, tempo, and instrumentation, along with some practical and creative considerations in singing.

Healer of Our Every Ill

Source: The Faith We Sing, 2213
Recommended Key: D
Tempo: 84-92 bpm
Instrumentation: Piano, organ, or guitar
Notes: We recommend the use of this hymn as a theme throughout the entire “Healing Hands” series. Marty Haugen has created a hymn in which the text and tune are both comforting. For the first four weeks, sing the refrain, one stanza each week, and the refrain. On the final week, sing the entire hymn. This will teach the hymn to the congregation over time and closely tie it to the theme of the series.

There Is Power

Source: CCLI #7026322 »
Recommended Key: Bb
Tempo: 80 bpm
Instrumentation: Piano, guitar, or full band
Notes: If you are in a setting with a band or modern worship music style, we recommend the use of this hymn as a theme throughout the entire “Healing Hands” series. Singing this every week will help the congregation learn and sing with vigor by the last week. The recommended key is a bit lower than the original setting to accommodate for congregational singing.

Kum Ba Yah (Come By Here)

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 494; Songs of Zion, 139;
Come, Let Us Worship, 332
Recommended Key: C
Tempo: 80–126 bpm (eighth note)
Instrumentation: a cappella (preferred); could also sing with light piano, guitar, or percussion
Notes: This song has been featured in the press recently as having been formally recognized as a song from the Gullah Geechee culture on the southeastern coast of the United States (and, more specifically, coastal Georgia). Even back as far as Songs of Zion and The United Methodist Hymnal, Methodist musicologists have recognized the song as such. Included in the resources are links to a recent article on the recognition and the original recording from 1926. As you will hear, the singing in the recording may be more vivacious than the work is often sung. For this reason, a large span in the recommended tempo is included. However, the song can also be used as a prayer directed toward invocation, preparation, or illumination.
Resources: The New York Times article
Library of Congress recording

People Need the Lord

Source: The Faith We Sing, 2244; CCLI 18084 (https://songselect.ccli.com/Songs/18084)
Recommended Key: C
Tempo: 76 bpm
Instrumentation: Piano or band
Notes: This classic contemporary Christian song has taken many forms since its creation, from a light ballad with a praise band, to a choral anthem or handbell work. The Faith We Sing includes only the refrain, so if the verses are desired, simply visit CCLI SongSelect to access them. Even though the song doesn’t explicitly speak of healing, the brokenness mentioned in the song can easily be connected to our need of healing found in the touch of Jesus.

We Cannot Measure How You Heal

Source: Worship & Song, 3139
Recommended Key: F
Tempo: 124 bpm (4-measure phrases) or 136 bpm (8-measure phrases)
Instrumentation: Organ, piano, or guitar
Notes: This poignant text from John Bell of The Iona Community focuses on the healing hands of Jesus. Its connection with the “drawing crowds” theme of this week comes in the final stanza, which begins with the statement, “So some have come”–for healing and wholeness.
Resources: History of Hymns: "We Cannot Measure How You Heal" »

You’ve Got to Move

Source: The Africana Hymnal, 4077
Recommended Key: Bbm–Dm
Tempo: 84-92 bpm
Instrumentation: a cappella with hand claps
Notes: This short, rhythmic song is an example of a “ring shout,” which is an African American tradition of singing that involved music, dancing, and shouting, all while standing in a ring. The melody of a song would be sung and improvised upon while drums were played, hands clapped, and feet shuffled to embody the ecstatic nature of the song. If you have the opportunity to consult the recording that comes with The Africana Hymnal, it will be helpful because it helps teach the performance practice of the singing and clapping together. If the clapping as written on the score is too difficult for your congregation, it is also possible to proceed with other options:

Clap in a half-note pattern (the slower pattern on the recording) throughout on beats 1 and 3. OR
Have the congregation clap in a half-note pattern on beats 1 and 3 while the choir or a selected group claps the more syncopated pattern from the score.

For more information on a ring shout, be sure to watch the video, Reflect, Reclaim, Rejoice: Preserving the Gift of Black Sacred Music or read the small-group study of the same title.
Resources: Reflect, Reclaim, Rejoice video

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

Source: Worship & Song, 3104
Recommended Key: D–Eb
Tempo: 56-60 bpm
Instrumentation: Full band, piano, or solo guitar
Notes: Many congregations have embraced this song as a modern expression of one of the most beloved hymns in our congregational repertoire. The refrain hearkens to Charles Wesley’s own “And Can It Be that I Should Gain,” where Wesley writes, “my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee.” This song is often accompanied by a band and vocal praise team, but it can also be accompanied by solo piano, guitar, or even organ. Note that the melody notes included in Worship & Song are an ornamental representation of the way Chris Tomlin sings the song, and your congregation may instead sing this as it is used to, which is perfectly acceptable!
Resources: Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) Hymn Study »

I Love to Tell the Story

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 156
Recommended Key: Ab
Tempo: 102-108 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ or piano
Notes: This classic, nineteenth-century gospel hymn speaks to the call to evangelism and telling the “old, old story of Jesus and his love.” The ascending phrases in the refrain bring heightened energy with every phrase, which can be interpreted as inspiring and bringing confidence to those departing a worship service and sharing the “message of salvation.” Keep the tempo moving forward!
Resources: History of Hymns: "I Love to Tell the Story" »

Heal Our Land

Source: CCLI #7070516
Recommended Key: D–F
Tempo: 70-73 bpm
Instrumentation: Full band, piano, or solo guitar
Notes: This is a song of unity that calls the church together and offers the prayer that “in every nation, Christ be known.” This is a very catchy tune and is easily singable, with a comfortable range in the keys listed above.
Resources: Watch the YouTube video »