Iona Community
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| The Iona Community was
founded by an inner city minister, George
McLeod. Having its locale in the small remote island of Iona,
off the west coast of Scotland, this ecumenical community
of craftsmen and clergy is now scattered throughout the world. The main
tenants of this group are world peace and justice for those members
of society who are economically, racially, socially and religiously oppressed. Within this general movement during the 1980's, a small group of hymn writers became active in producing songs which have an immediacy of appeal in both texts and tunes. Led by John Bell (b. 1949), minister of the Church of Scotland, along with Graham Maule (b. 1958), the group has produced three collections of 150 songs and other chants and responses which reflect a Celtic spirituality and a rugged honesty in a variety of popular folk styles. The titles of the collections, all produced by John Bell and Graham Maule with the Wild Goose Resource Group (the wild goose is a Celtic symbol of The Holy Spirit), and published in Glasgow by Wild Goose Publications are:
More recently, in a search for openness and reciprocity in the use of indigenous devotional expressions from the world over, the Wild Goose Worship Group has issued two more collections of songs from Latin America, Africa, the Orient and other parts of the world:
The singing of these songs and hymns, coming mainly from oppressed
peoples, is encouraged as both an instrument of solidarity
and a means of intercession. None of the hymns of Bell, Maule and other Iona Community members found a place in American hymnals until 1995 (see 'The Chalice Hymnal'), with the exception of those of Tom Colvin (b. 1925). He is a clergyman of the Church of Scotland and The United Reformed Church in Great Britain who served for many years as a missionary in Africa. Colvin encouraged the use of indigenous song by the folk among whom he ministered. As a member of the Iona Community, he collected and published privately these African hymns in two books:
Colvin's hymns became more widely known in 1983 with the publication in the United States of:
Colvin's most recent collection is:
Some of Colvin's hymns found in current hymnals:
[From Sing with Understanding, by Harry Eskew and Hugh McElrath (Nashville: Church Street Press, 2nd edition, 1995.] See Iona Community
See Coracle (a bi-monthly magazine) See The Cause of the Poor and Exploited See Racism and Inter-fath Matters See Sharing of Communion (ecumenical issues) See Rediscovery of Spirituality See The Flight of the Wild Goose
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© 2001 Smith
Creek Music
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Site last updated: January 17, 2004