Mission Yearbook: Striking photo inspires pastor to pen a new hymn

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The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. File photo.

“Your Little Ones Are Suffering” is the name of the most recent hymn by Presbyterian hymn-writer the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, who penned the lyrics to the hymn after seeing this photo by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Carol Guzy. The new hymn is set to PASSION CHORALE, the tune for “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.”

Gillette said she finished the hymn shortly after President Donald Trump said he was ordering the banning of all immigrants from “Third World” countries. The hymn laments the suffering of immigrant children and their families while encouraging Christians to help them.

The hymn references Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:6–7: “But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse — and it’s doomsday to you if you do” (The Message by Eugene Peterson). 

Permission is given for free use of the hymn in worship, including streaming online.

Your Little Ones Are Suffering
PASSION CHORALE ("O Sacred Head, Now Wounded")

Your little ones are suffering from evil things we do.
So, Lord, we pray for children, for youth and families, too.
A girl cries for a loved one who’s just been ripped away.
And so a mighty millstone is ours to wear this day.

Her mother can’t console her; her dad has disappeared.
The land we love has told her, “There is no mercy here.”
We see the things that happen; we sigh, and let them go.
A heavy-weighted millstone — our guilt — is bound to grow.

The harm comes from ignoring — participating, too.
When we look back on suffering, will we admit we knew?
God, where is our compassion, that we would let this be?
And now we wear the millstone — and none of us are free.

When nations harm the children you’ve placed within our care,
Lord Jesus, you give warning to people everywhere.
And when we show compassion, and mercy, love and grace,
We’ll all know peace and freedom together in this place.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Elizabeth Sanders, Customer Service & Logistics Associate, Operations, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Jose Santana, Project Manager Academic Books, Operations, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray:

God of compassion, may your love be seen in us as we journey on earth with your people. May we welcome all who come our way. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: New hymn encourages peace and justice work

Presbyterian pastor and hymn writer the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has a new hymn that encourages people of faith to work for peace and justice.

“O God, As Troubles Here Increase” is set to KINGSFOLD, the tune for “Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples.” Its biblical reference is Matthew 5:9, 13.

The first verse ends with these lyrics: “They say if 3.5%/protest nonviolently,/then swords of hatred can be bent,/and people can be free.”

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The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

That’s a reference to a study reported by the BBC, Gillette noted: “There are, of course, many ethical reasons to use nonviolent strategies. But compelling research by Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard University, conforms that civil disobedience is not only the moral choice, it is also the most powerful way of shaping world politics — by a long way.”

“Looking at hundreds of campaigns over the last century, Chenoweth found that nonviolent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns. Although the exact dynamics will depend on many factors, she has shown it takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure political change.”

The hymn, Gillette said, is in the tradition of “Once to Every Soul [Man] and Nation,” James Russell Lowell’s 18-stanza poem that protested the Mexican War.

Hear singer/songwriter David LaMotte sing Gillette’s hymn here.

Gillette grants permission for free use of her hymn in churches, including in online, streaming worship services. She asks that the hymn be shared with other pastors and musicians for their possible use.

O God, As Troubles Here Increase

KINGSFOLD ("Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples")

O God, as troubles here increase,
we wonder what to do:
Can people who are seeking peace
still change the world for you?
They say if 3.5%
protest nonviolently,
then swords of hatred can be bent,
and people can be free.

It only takes a little salt
to change a loaf of bread,
An act of peace can help to halt
what violence seeks to spread.
It only takes a mighty few
daring to take a stand 
to bring in justice, love, and truth —
to help a hurting land.

It only takes a few to see
and speak with prophet voice,
to challenge our complacency,
to seek the better choice.
O God, when troubles come, we pray:
“Please, won’t you send those few?”
And then we hear the word you say:
“My church, I’m sending you.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Spencer Corbett, Housekeeper, Stony Point Center, Interim Unified Agency
Cindy Corell, Interim Unified Agency

Let us pray:

Gracious God, we give thanks that you multiply our small and humble offerings and efforts as we work to care for those in need. We ask that you sharpen our focus on you and on ways we may serve. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian hymn writer pens ‘Now There Is War’

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette’s hymn laments the deaths of children in the Middle Eastern war

February 5, 2024

Photo by Arusfly via Unsplash

Presbyterian hymn writer and pastor the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has written “Now There Is War” to help Presbyterians as they sing, pray and act for peace.

The new hymn is set to the melody “O WALY WALY,” which is also the tune for “Though I May Speak.”

“This hymn laments the deaths of children in the current Middle Eastern war,” Gillette says on her website.

Gillette grants permission for free use of the hymn, adding she would appreciate hearing (even afterward) that you used it. Reach her here. Her hymns can be found here.

Now There Is War
O WALY WALY 8.8.8.8 (“Though I May Speak”)
Now there is war and children die,
but theirs is not the battle cry.
This is their time to live and grow —
to think of things the young should know.

This is their time to open doors —
to read new books, to do their chores,
to make new friends, to share their bread.
The world gives pain and death instead.

This is their time for soccer teams,
for watching clouds, for dreaming dreams.
They long for peace; they’re told to “Wait!”
They long for love; they’re taught to hate.

O God, your reign belongs to these
who make up songs and skin their knees.
May we seek peace and daily strive
to build a world where they may thrive.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Today’s Focus: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette’s pens ‘Now There is War’ hymn

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Jon Baxter, Engineer, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Glen Bell, Senior Vice President of Development, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray

O God, when the world’s needs seem to overwhelm our ability to help, let us remember that you ask us to give what we have, not what we do not have. By your Spirit, we can do more than we ever dreamed. Give us faith to trust your Word and obey your commands through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - New hymn encourages Presbyterians to gather and deliver emergency kits

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette pens ‘O God, When We Face Trouble’

March 31, 2023

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

Presbyterian pastor and hymn writer the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has written a new hymn to encourage Presbyterians and others to gather and send hygiene and other kits to organizations that can put them in the hands of people who need them as the result of natural or human-caused disasters.

Gillette’s new hymn, “O God, When We Face Trouble,” is set to the tune of AURELIA, “The Church’s One Foundation.” After an introductory verse, one of five optional verses — for hygiene, cleaning, school kits, welcome backpacks and period packs — can be inserted. Gillette completes the hymn with a sixth verse.

Gillette wrote the hymn with Church World Service, a partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in mind. Find the new lyrics formatted in hymn form here.

O God When We Face Trouble

AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D (“The Church’s One Foundation”)

O God, when we face trouble, when we need help and care,
you reach to us through others who listen, love and share.
You send us now to neighbors with troubles of their own.
May they know, through our labors, that they are not alone.

We give these kits for hygiene with basic things like soap.
We put in combs and Band-Aids for health care and for hope.
At borders and in shelters, God, may these items be
a sign of love and friendship, and shared humanity.

We give these kits for cleaning — these buckets and supplies,
for more and more, we’re seeing storms rage and waters rise.
When flooding has receded, God, may these buckets bear
supplies to use and also, the promise: Neighbors care!

We give these gifts of School Kits; they’re filled with simple things
like pencils, crayons, notebooks. What joy a school bag brings!
The gift of education begins with basic tools.
May these help youth and children succeed and thrive in schools.

We give these Welcome Backpacks for those who’ve fled in fear,
for neighbors just arriving have few possessions here.
May snacks and pens and blankets and water bottles, too,
give struggling people courage as they begin anew.

We give these gifts for hygiene — these Period Pack supplies.
When things like Pads are lacking, it complicates young lives.
When women have no money, when girls are forced to flee,
may these gifts be a blessing for health and dignity.

You teach us to be neighbors; you teach us what is true —
that when we’re helping others, we’re also serving you.
God, as we share with others, use all these gifts, we pray,
to help our hurting neighbors look toward a better day.

Biblical References: Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 25:31-46
Tune: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864 (“The Church’s One Foundation”)
Text: Copyright © 2023 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: carolynshymns@gmail.com
New Hymns: carolynshymns.com

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Ashley Winn, Senior Assistant, Loan Operations, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Jung Ju Winner, Marketing Assistant, Presbyterian Women

Let us pray

God of mercy and justice, we thank you for the fire that purifies and the Spirit that sustains. Bless our modest efforts to speak in your name. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - A hymn to help voice prayers for peace

As Russia considered invading neighboring Ukraine, Presbyterian hymn-writer published ‘We Pray for Peace’

June 24,  2022

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, a Presbyterian hymn-writer who has penned new lyrics to more than 400 hymns, has published her most recent hymn, “We Pray for Peace” to Finlandia, the tune for the hymn “Be Still, My Soul” and “This is My Song.”

The new hymn was written as the world braced for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the fighting that followed such an invasion.

The lyrics “May leaders hear the truth the prophets teach us/that gifts of peace are well worth struggling for” conclude the first verse.

As with other hymns Gillette has authored, this hymn comes with a YouTube video performed by the Rev. Casey Carbone, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Mahopac, New York, and the information technology and communications facilitator for Hudson River Presbytery. Carbone gives permission for use of his video, as does Gillette for “We Pray for Peace.”

The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Contributed photo)

We Pray for Peace
FINLANDIA 11.10.11.10.11.10 (“This is My Song”)
We pray for peace, O God of love and justice,
as once again, we face a time of war.
The meek and humble try — amid the crisis —
to love and build, to nurture and restore.
May leaders hear the truth the prophets teach us —
that gifts of peace are well worth struggling for.

We pray for peace, O Christ who calmed the waters —
who stilled the storm, who stilled disciples’ fear.
You spoke with love and with amazing power;
be with us now when trouble is so near.
May leaders see the miracle you offer —
that words and deeds can calm the nations here.

We pray for peace, O Spirit here among us;
your love emboldens, judges and restrains.
Take any hate and acts of impulse from us;
make leaders wise, amid competing claims.
May we seek peace, O God of love and justice;
may love and mercy be our highest aims.

Video URL: https://youtu.be/RCdbrqgzfJU

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Barbra Whaley, Hubbard Press, Production Clerk II, Administrative Services Group, A Corp
Donyale White, Account Clerk III, Administrative Services Group, A Corp

Let us pray

Gracious God, we celebrate that you are in charge of our future. We are honored to be part of your amazing story of birth and new life. Allow us to be open to you and your guiding Spirit. Amen.