FEED THE WORLD | Healing Hands Worship Series, week 5
July 29, 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: B♭
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.

Break Thou the Bread of Life

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 599
Recommended Key: E♭
Tempo: 100-108 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ, piano, or solo guitar
Notes: This hymn provides the connection point between the Scripture as the bread of life, which finds its metaphor in the story of Jesus blessing the bread and feeding the thousands by the Sea of Galilee. This hymn style yearns to be sung deliberately—whether slowly and sustained (as with an a cappella choir) or quickly enough to sustain the phrases for congregational singing. Either way, if the tempo is slower than what is indicated above, be sure to provide significant direction in its singing. It is also possible to accompany with a gentle, arpeggiated accompaniment from a guitar, either in E♭ or played in the key of D (for a more guitar-friendly option).
Resources: History of Hymns: "Break Thou the Bread of Life" »

Eat This Bread

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 628
Recommended Key: G
Tempo: 56-60 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ, piano, guitar, or a cappella
Notes: This short, cyclic song is from the Taizé Community in France. Like so many other songs from their repertoire, this chorus is intended to be sung repetitively as a prayer. Accompaniment can vary, and the musical parts for other instruments can be found in some Taizé collections.

Fill My Cup, Lord

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 641 (refrain only); Worship & Song, 3093 (entire song)
Recommended Key:A♭–B♭
Tempo: 54-60 bpm
Instrumentation: Organ or piano
Notes: The refrain of this well-known song by Richard Blanchard is included in the UMH, but the verses were also included in Worship & Song because of a demand for the whole song to be featured in United Methodist collections. Even though it is specifically directed toward Jesus’ experience with the woman at the well from John 4:1-42, it also references the bread of heaven and the plea for Jesus to feed us, which can be a lived experience this week in the singing of this song, particularly if the Eucharist is celebrated.
Resources: History of Hymns: "Fill My Cup, Lord" »
Fill My Cup, Lord Hymn Study »

Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me

Source: The United Methodist Hymnal, 509; Songs of Zion, 49
Recommended Key: B♭
Tempo: 72 bpm (UMH); 104-112 bpm (SOZ)
Instrumentation: Organ or piano
Notes: If you are looking to vary the traditional accompaniment of this gospel-era hymn, consider the setting by Verolga Nix in Songs of Zion. Either setting provides the opportunity for the congregation to pray for Jesus’ guidance, especially in the midst of trying circumstances.

Feed Us, Lord

Source: Worship & Song, 3167
Recommended Key: D
Tempo: 60-64 bpm
Instrumentation: Piano, guitar, band, or organ
Notes: The preferred accompaniment with this congregational song would be a simple setting of guitar and accompanying instruments. Light percussion, bass, keyboards, and other wind or string instruments would be welcomed. The imperatives in the stanzas are brief but powerful–”Feed us,” “Quench us,” “Fill us,” and “Lead us.”