“Joy of the desolate, light of the straying, hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure. Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying, ‘Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure.’” These words from this classic hymn take on new life in this meditative CHORAL SETTING by Ken Medema and Cathy Chamblee. A gentle, flowing piano accompaniment supports easy-to-learn four-part writing, making this anthem a meaningful addition to a variety of worship settings. This anthem is sure to become a mainstay in your choir’s repertoire! Because it was arranged during the pandemic, no performance recording exists, but you can acquaint yourself with the piece through the free MIDI-generated recording available on this website. Learn More

The lyric sheet product is a chord chart with lyrics and chords. The lead sheet product bundles lead sheet, congregational melody line and songleader's guide. This song is licensed via OneLicense.net, CCLI and Worldmaking.net. This song is part of Richard Bruxvoort Colligan's intergenerational camp song album, "Branching Out: Neo Camp Songs." This song centers on Romans 8:38-39, a passage abot God's unfailing love. Verses unpack the nitty gritty, the refarin is a catchy reminder of the heart of the Jesus tradition. Great for camp, intergeneratial worship or a hymn of praise in a liturgical service. Learn More

Lenora, Gary, and Hannah Rand of "The Many" have just written and recorded this beautiful song as part of the "We Stand With Love" campaign.  "We Stand With Love" has a great website with instructions on how to get involved with this campaign to help congregations focus on God's Love and Grace this Fall in particular as the presidential election approaches.  There are some great resources and instructions on how to participate and who is involved at www.westandwithlove.org

Please see the entire free bunch of liturgical resources on the CMP site to go along with this campaign also.  Among other prayers and written liturgical resources you will find an entire worship service and a sermon written by Lenora Rand that can be used in worship.

Thanks SO MUCH to The Many for creating these special  "We Stand With Love" resources!

There is no sheet music available yet for this song, but we'll post it as soon as there is. 

The lyric sheet product is a chord chart with lyrics and chords. The lead sheet product bundles lead sheet, congregational melody line and songleader's guide. This song is licensed via OneLicense.net, CCLI and Worldmaking.net. This song is part of Richard Bruxvoort Colligan's intergenerational camp song album, "Branching Out: Neo Camp Songs." Resilience, not happiness. Nothing wrong with being happy, but if that's the only goal for our kiddos, we will be forming grown-ups who understand seasons of unhappiness as failure and be unprepared for inevitable losses in a mature life of faith. Many outdoor ministry settings happen around woods, so this uses a tree's growth rings in the forest as a metaphor for how each person's stories is embedded in our daily life. Learn More

A simple song written initially to go with a camp curriculum and with the Emmaus Road road story from Luke 24:13-35. Easy to play and accessible to all ages. Learn More

A new CHORAL OFFERING by Ken Medema! On this journey in life, we travel fraught paths. We endure unspeakable wounds, relentless threats, and deep sadness. But if we look closely, we see that God is with us through these untrodden paths as the Light that does not surrender and the Song that does not cease. God is always granting us a next verse and is always wrapping us up in encircling love. In this space, we are unbound, freed souls. This S.A.T.B. piece is a prayer of gratitude to God for that healing, redemptive space and steadfast presence in this life. It features original music by Ken Medema and text by Cathy Chamblee, arranged for choir by Ken and Cathy with piano accompaniment and optional cello. Because it was composed during the pandemic, there is no performance recording available, but you may enjoy a free MIDI-generated mp3 to acquaint yourselves with the anthem. This piece can be used in a variety of worship settings and is a MUST HAVE for its highly accessible choral writing and its compelling, lovely musical message. Learn More

• The lead sheet product includes lead sheet plus songleader's guide and congregational melody line. 
• The lyric sheet product is a chord chart.
• Choral arrangement available at Worldmaking.net.

This piece can function in 3 ways: the refrain can stand alone as a Gloria, fit for that celebratory moment in worship; the verses can stand alone as a hymn form; all together the song can serve both/either. This song works well with organ, piano or band ensemble.

This song is licensed via OneLicense.net, CCLI and Worldmaking.net.