Hymns

Hymns for use in churches and school
(Index and Links)

on “Care for Creation” themes
to be sung to well known tunes.
New ones are being added at the beginning. Current total: 19

Since 2019 there are two types of songs/hymns added to this list:

1. ** Written in black ** The authors are happy for people to print their hymn for services and non commercial publications etc provided that the exact words are printed, and that the authors are credited. They would be pleased to hear where the hymns are being used.

These will appear in the book “Environment Praise” (details)

Some were written for the Settle Methodist Circuit Hymn Competition in 2001, and four – from the 2016 Competition.

2. ** Written in red ** These link to outside sites – please follow instructions on those sites as to permission for using the hymns.

3. **Links to other useful websites with environment hymns –at bottom of page

Date add-ed	Title	Author	Comment, Tune and Example Verse (Not necessarily first verse)	Short comment


19. Aug 2019 (Hymn written May 2019)	The care of our planet, the threat of extinction	Andrew Pratt	Recommended Tune: The Streets of Laredo – or – St Catherine’s Court The care of our planet, the threat of extinction, alerts us to need to be stewards of the earth: this place of great beauty, our God given tenure, the place of our nurture, the globe of our birth. This place we must guard for each new generation, to leave as we found it or, better, restored; to share each resource without greed or pretension, not barring the needy, not plunder, nor hoard. + 2 more verses
18. Dec 2016	Earthcare	Selly Oak Green Team	Recommended tune: *The Skye Boat Song* Chorus …… Care for the planet that cradles our life, beautiful mystery: Spark from the sun, flung out into space; part of our galaxy. 1) Why are we here? Will we survive? Questions of origin; What is our role ? How should we live? Where did it all begin?	An entry in the open local section for the 2016 Settle Methodist Circuit Hymn Compe-tition: Theme: The God of Creation.
17. Nov 2016	O, Lord we know that you made every thing	Win Walters	Recommended Tune: Peel Castle, Hymns and Psalms 346 O, Lord we know that you made everything Skies, mountains,land,seas,stars and planets too. All they contain.trees.flowers.fruits and crops. For these we show our grateful thanks to you	This was first prize in the local section for the 2016 Settle Methodist Circuit Hymn Compe-tition: Theme: The God of Creation.
16. Nov 2016	Green Guardians (Good for Chidren)	Alison Blenkin-sop	Recommended Tune: All things bright and beautiful Chorus: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small; God made us to keep them safe, so let’s protect them all. 1. Each little flower that opens feeds bees and butterflies, so pollen goes by airmail to plants of every size.	An entry in the open local section for the 2016 Settle Methodist Circuit Hymn Compe-tition Theme: The God of Creation.
15 Nov 2016	For life we rejoice	Matt Allen	Tune: Laudate Dominum (O Praise Ye the Lord) For life we rejoice; A gift from God’s hand. Creation gives voice; The seas, skies and land. Each proton, electron, Each neutron and quark, Show order from chaos, Speak light into dark.	An entry in the open local section for the 2016 Settle Methodist Circuit Hymn Compe-tition Theme: The God of Creation.
14	God’s Goodness	Mary Whitfield	Written in farming community in 2001 (Foot and Mouth year). TuneL C.M. Beatitudo (J.B. Dykes 1823-76) Words usually sung to this tune: Fill thou my life, O Lord my God H&P 792(ii) 1. Oh Lord the beauty that we see, Around us everywhere, The hills and vales, the trees and flowers, Show forth your loving care.4. In times of grief and deep distress, When all seems dark and drear, We feel your presence with us Lord To comfort and to cheer.
13	Weaver God	Kate Compston	I haven’t got copyright for this – so can’t put the hymn on this site – but I give a link to where it is printed elsewhere and to a recording of the hymn. Here is the last verse: Weavers we are called, yet woven too we’re born. For the web is seamless: if we tear we’re torn. Gently may we live – that fragile earth is left, Love and justice joined – the fabric’s warp and weft. Tune: Noel Nicolette	Local Preacher John Anderson used this at a service in the Bradford district.
12. Nov	Mother Earth	Audrey Theo-dosia Bryant	Tune “O Danny Boy” Oh mother earth, we take to Copenhagen our last, our deepest hope of all, to live within our means, *no more delay, gone are heady days when men could steal and stall. Now look ahead, you delegates of nations, and see our children, what their lives are worth – to live at last in knowing we’re relations, Christ’s family and offspring of our mother earth.	Written for Copenhagen and CEL
11. Aug ’09	Climate is Warming	George Stuart	Sung to “The Ash Grove“. As climate is warming Will bees keep on swarming If we just continue to damage the earth? Will birds and sea-creatures, With beautiful features, Forever be lost by denying their worth?	Our first “Climate Change” hymn.
10.	Green Bottle Decade	Audrey Bryant	Ten green bottles standing on the wall, Ten green bottles standing on the wall And if one green bottle should accidently fall There’ll be nine green bottles standing on the wall.One green bottle nearly full of oil From the world’s great caverns under sea and soil, Supplies are running out with ever rarer finds – They’re trying to fill it up with oil of different kinds. When this green bottle is empty it will fall And there’ll be nine green bottles standing on the wall.	Sung to Ten green bottles
9. Aug ’08	Good gifts for all	Alison Blenkin-sop	Sung to “We plough the fields and scatter“. The fields of many countries are tilled to pay their debt, and so disease and poverty remain a constant threat. Their goods, unfairly traded, make losses for our gain, as most of all the profits in wealthy hands remain.	Hymn with green/ fairtrade / debt themes to well known harvest tune.
8. Oct	For the beauty of the earth	Sheila Redmond	Sung to: As the Deer Pants. But the earth belongs to our children, It’s not ours to destroy. They will need its scarce resources, To use and to enjoy. ……..	Nice tune. Practical straight forward words
7.Sept	Lord of All Lang-uages	Audrey Theo-dosia Bryant	Sung to Slade (Lord of all hopefulness). Lord of all whispering, speak in the leaves the small voice that counsels each one who believes, Lift our eyes to the mountain, give us peace from the field and wash us with rain that our souls may be healed. ……..	Spiritual and thoughtful. 6 Verses
6. June	Creator God	Jenny Baines	Sung to Sine nomine (For all the saints…). Beneath the moon the ocean lifts its tide, Help us to curb our poisoned human pride Still may the whales, the fish and dolphins ride Seas ever singing, ever singing ……..	This can make a joyful and moving end to an environ-ment service.
5. May	The Earth is the Lord’s	Gerald H Gardiner	.. touching on harvest, delight in creation, and our present multi-faith society, . (Tune: Lord of the Dance). The earth is the Lord’s, sing Christian and Jew, Sacred the earth for Muslim, Sikh, Hindu. Reverence for life is the Buddhist way, Violence none, in all we do and say. ……..	Good tune. Multi faith element
4. Apr	En-twining Circles	Jean Mac-Donald	Set to the folk tune “Waly Waly“, this song reminds us that entwining circles “Join us with sea and earth and sky”, the earth is suffering from pollution.. So we believe, Creator God, We make a difference when we say Like that young boy with two small fish, ” Here, take and share my gifts today.” . …….	Haunting tune
3. Mar	What the Lord Creates	Jessica, Emily and Sam Craw-shaw	This hymn – sung to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star – won first prize in the Children’s Section of the Settle Methodist Circuit and CEL Environment Hymn Competition 2001 . Praise him, Praise him, Praise the Lord For the wonders of the world. For the people big and small For the animals short and tall We will care for all these things That our Lord Creator brings. …….	Could get your children to add extra verses.
2. Feb	The Glory of Creation –	Denzil Walton	Written for the Second Sunday before Lent – Creation / Environment Sunday in the Old Lectionary. The Second Sunday before Lent was treated as Environment or Creation Sunday in the Old Lectionary and still is in some versions of the Anglican Lectionary.(Tune: Ewing or to other 7.6.7.6 D hymns) – and used by several visitors to this website for the occasion. . Deep mysteries, of oceans and unknown outer space, Migration paths of swallows, the eagle’s nesting place. The more we gain in knowledge, the less we understand This world so rich and complex, created by God’s hand ……..	Some beautiful descriptions of Nature
1. Jan	Creator God, abundant Life your mark –	Mrs Pat Bennett	Tune: Sine Nomine the tune to “For all the saints who from their labour rest” Sung at The Operation Noah Service on 4th November at the start of the Stop Climate Chaos Demonstrations.The hymn can be heard briefly in the interview with the Bishop of London on Radio 4 It was entered for the Settle Methodist Circuit hymn competition on the Environment in 2001 . We pledge to touch all things with holy care Until your coming Kingdom ends despair Then all the world will witness and will share The jubilation – Of healed creation. …….	Good for pledging yourself to action