Great is God's love for us

Linda Mawson writes about her own text: ‘In 1989, Margaret Ellis and I had the privilege, and fairly frightening opportunity, to lead a seminar on ‘Music in the Local Church’ at the Caister Conference [see notes to 795, also 598]. We attempted to establish the principles that should guide our choices and presentation of the hymns and songs we sing. The seminar involved presentation and discussion …’—so they ventured to introduce this composition. It appears here for the first time in a hymnal.

The tune CAISTER is named from the holiday camp premises on the Norfolk coast, used annually by the FIEC until the move to Pwllheli in 2002 for reasons of space. The composer hopes that ‘its simple melodic outline, with some repetition and some variety, and its straightforward words outlining what God has done for us, will be used by his people in order to praise him.’

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*.