God's word is a light to show me the way

Each summer for about 17 years in the 60’s and 70’s Linda Mawson and her husband led a large team from their church in South London in a week of outdoor activities. There were over 100 children each day, aged from 2 to 15 years and the week included games, quizzes, Bible stories and singing. It was difficult to find lively children’s songs which would support the stories for the week, so Linda composed straightforward songs which she could accompany with an accordion! Her prayer is that the truths of God’s love will remain in the memory and be used to draw children to him. ‘God’s word is a light’ serves as a useful reminder of the authority of the Bible, and the way it describes itself, and gives encouragement to all to read and believe it as the Word of God.

Linda was born in Woking, Surrey 1947. She studied at the Royal College of Music and gained a  BMus, GRSM, ARCM (Piano)  Having worked in Music Education as both Piano Teacher and Secondary Music Teacher, Linda retired from teaching in July 2006. Her husband Peter also retired from Music education and early in 2007, they moved to Bristol where Peter served as co-Pastor in an Evangelical church in Headley Park. In May 2012 they moved again to Tenterden , Kent, where Peter is currently the Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church. Linda has served as music coordinator in each of the local churches she has belonged to and has also served within the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches in preparing music and as organist and pianist for Conferences.

Linda was invited to be music adviser and member of the Modern Songs team for Praise!, where her work is first published; subsequently she joined its Editorial Board as Member and Trustee. As such Linda has been involved in reviewing and selecting words and reviewing, composing and arranging music for both the book and online versions of the collection.

For many years she prepared a children’s chorus for a summer Bible Club; she had 23 compositions and 41 arrangements (many for instrumental groups and choirs) to her credit by the time of the publication of the hymn-book in 2000.  Text nos.378, 796. Tune nos.2A, 100=440, 119A*, 119E*, 133B, 166, 190*, 195*, 202*=548*, 245, 248*=815*, 270, 275*, 295*, 324*, 328*, 350*, 361*, 363*, 367*, 371*, 378, 404, 408*, 432*, 453*=910*, 462*, 474*, 480*, 510*, 512, 516*, 519, 531=784, 534=623, 579*, 598, 614*, 636*, 655, 667*, 675*, 676*, 683*, 684*, 710*, 715*, 729*, 733*, 779, 784, 789=926, 795=887, 796, 804*, 869*, 882, 885*, 895*, 914, 920*, 922*, 937*, 946*, 948*, 973*, 1205*, 1217*, 1252*.