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Iona Community

Author of "I Waited Patiently for God" in Psalms for All Seasons Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian group of men and women based on the small island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. The community began in 1938 when the Rev. George MacLeod of the Church of Scotland began a ministry among the unemployed poor who had been neglected by the church. He took a handful of men to the island to rebuild the ruins of a thousand-year-old abbey church. That rebuilding became a metaphor for the rebuilding of the common life, a return to the belief that daily activity is the stuff of godly service – work, and worship. The Community has since grown to include a group of members, associates, and friends all over the United Kingdom and many other countries. In addition to many conferences that attract people to Iona from around the world, the Community is known for its publishing of new songs and prayers for worship, both developed in community and gathered from around the world. For more information on the Iona Community, check their website: www.iona.org.uk. John Bell is probably the community’s most well-known member, having composed and arranged much of the community’s music. Sing! A New Creation

William Billings

1746 - 1800 Composer of "LEWIS-TOWN" in Glory to God William Billings (b. 1746; d. 1800) was an American choral composer, thought by some to be the father of American choral music. His father died when William was 14, and he was forced to drop all formal education and take up tanning to get by. With no formal musical training he began to compose, and his songs were well-loved and traveled quickly. However, due to unsubstantial copyright laws, Billings received hardly a penny from the publication of his music. After a period of fame and prosperity, his music was forgotten, and his last decade was one of decline. Married with six children, he died in poverty, though his music would be resurrected after his death and sung to this day. Laura de Jong

John L. Bell

b. 1949 Person Name: John L. Bell (b. 1949) Author of "I waited patiently for God" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) John Bell (b. 1949) was born in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, intending to be a music teacher when he felt the call to the ministry. But in frustration with his classes, he did volunteer work in a deprived neighborhood in London for a time and also served for two years as an associate pastor at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. After graduating he worked for five years as a youth pastor for the Church of Scotland, serving a large region that included about 500 churches. He then took a similar position with the Iona Community, and with his colleague Graham Maule, began to broaden the youth ministry to focus on renewal of the church’s worship. His approach soon turned to composing songs within the identifiable traditions of hymnody that began to address concerns missing from the current Scottish hymnal: "I discovered that seldom did our hymns represent the plight of poor people to God. There was nothing that dealt with unemployment, nothing that dealt with living in a multicultural society and feeling disenfranchised. There was nothing about child abuse…,that reflected concern for the developing world, nothing that helped see ourselves as brothers and sisters to those who are suffering from poverty or persecution." [from an interview in Reformed Worship (March 1993)] That concern not only led to writing many songs, but increasingly to introducing them internationally in many conferences, while also gathering songs from around the world. He was convener for the fourth edition of the Church of Scotland’s Church Hymnary (2005), a very different collection from the previous 1973 edition. His books, The Singing Thing and The Singing Thing Too, as well as the many collections of songs and worship resources produced by John Bell—some together with other members of the Iona Community’s “Wild Goose Resource Group,” —are available in North America from GIA Publications. Emily Brink

Donald Busarow

1934 - 2011 Arranger of "LEWIS-TOWN" in Glory to God Donald Arthur Busarow, was born April 10, 1934 in Racine, WI. He received a Bachelor's degree from Concordia University, River Forest, IL, a Master's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He served churches in Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee. He was a professor at Concordia College - Milwaukee, WI, before coming to Wittenberg University in 1975. At Wittenberg, he served as professor of music, teaching courses in music theory, composition, church music and organ. He served as University organist and directed the Wittenberg Choir for 28 years. He traveled the country giving organ recitals, hymn festivals, and choral and organ workshops. Don was a member of St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church in Huber Heights, OH, and served as organist and choir director there for 24 years. He was also the organist at the First Presbyterian Church of South Charleston, OH, for the past 10 years. During his career, Don received many honors for his compositions. His published works are included in the catalogs of seven publishing houses. He was involved in organ consultation and design in many cities including Detroit, Chicago, and most recently in Columbus, where he designed the organ at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. In 1996, Don received an honorary Doctor of Letters from his alma mater, Concordia University, IL, for his achievements in music composition and choral conducting. From his obituary published in Dayton Daily News on Nov. 2, 2011