As we are gathered, Jesus is here

John Daniels was conscious of Matthew 18:20 as he wrote this song in 1979: ‘That makes every Christian meeting in every generation a divine appointment!’ The promise, he adds, was given before the death and resurrection of Jesus; then came the ascension and the miracle of Pentecost, ‘and the practice of Christian meetings from that point was established.’ The composition grew from the author’s musical ministry in the Midlands with ‘The Alethians’ (with Dave Pope and David Anfield) in the early 1970s. It was published in the first MP (1983), with the music AS WE ARE GATHERED arranged as here by Roland Fudge. It also finds a place in Rejoice and Sing (1991), which calls it ‘anon’ and alters ‘washed in the blood’ to ‘built up in love’.

b Cowplain, nr Portsmouth, Hants 1951. After schooling at Churcher’s Coll, Petersfield, he worked for 2 engineering companies (ONC, Business Studies) until moving into full time Christian music in 1974. He first toured the midlands with a group called The Alethians, and travelled in a gospel ministry with Dave Pope (Saltmine), Graham Kendrick, Sheila Walsh, Dana and others in concerts and church-based missions. He often worked with Youth for Christ, YWAM and the Arts Centre Group. When colleagues DP and David Anfield moved on in different directions, JD (‘the more quiet of the three’—Paul Davis) saw songwriting as his priority, and in the 1980s he has worked in music production of some 40 gospel albums for Kingsway, Word, Chapel Lane etc and various TV slots. From 1992 to 1997 he lived and worked in the USA (Music Minister in a Fort Worth church 1995–97), returning to the UK in 1997 before settling in Texas in 2002. His American work has been mainly with music for the RBC Ministries ‘Day of Discovery’ TV programme; ‘my ministry has always been earthed in being a “writer. 565, 759.
He co-wrote 617 with Phil Thomson.