The gifts we bring express our love

‘God loves a cheerful giver’; 2 Corinthians 9:7 is one of many texts used here. Even more emphatic is Matthew 10.8 at the beginning of the refrain, where the repeated ‘freely’ is borrowed from the song God forgave my sin. Brian Hoare’s only text in the book concludes its section of 8 on ‘Gifts and Ministries’, comprising two from Charles Wesley and six by late-20th-c writers. This one has special reference to the stewardship (3.4) of money, and the motivation for Christian generosity. Words and music were written together in June 1986, at a music weekend organised by the author at Cliff College with the London Emmanuel Choir. ‘I was looking for a hymn to sing during the offering’, he writes, ‘but found nothing directly on the theme of Christian giving—so wrote this.’ It is included in his own 1986/87 selection, Hymns and Songs for Worship, and appeared in 3 other books, including Sing Glory (1999) shortly before the present book.

The tune OFFERING SONG was composed by the author together with the words.

b Upminster, Essex 1935. Southwell Minster Grammar Sch and Westminster Coll, London 1956–59 (BD and Teacher’s Cert). First a teacher in Calverton, Notts 1959–62, he then worked as Travelling Sec for the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (IVF, later UCCF), 1962–68; Richmond Coll, Univ of London, 1968–71 (BD). Since 1971 he served as a Methodist minister, including a school chaplaincy in N Yorks and on the Filey circuit there, the Hull Mission circuit 1974–77 and as NT Tutor at Cliff Coll, Derbys, 1977–86, From 1986 to 1988 he was Supt Minister of Longton Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, followed by 12 years in the Home Mission Division of the Methodist Ch, becoming President of the Methodist Conference for 1995–96. He has 36 items in print, beginning with Hymns and Songs for Worship (1987) and 3 further collections in the 1990s. Served on the committee for Hymns and Psalms, 1983, and (as a Jubilate Hymns associate member) on the words group for Sing Glory, 1997–99, which features 4 of his texts. In retirement at Knaresborough, N Yorks, with his wife Joyce he worked with the Pratt Green Trust, co-editing HymnQuest under its auspices. In 1998 his own collection became available as Singing Faith, and in 2003 he co-authored a biography of Donald English, More than a Methodist. He has also written on using the Bible, mission and evangelism. Characteristic of his work is the ‘Celebration Song’ from 1991, Celebrate the faith together; but his best-known composition to date is Born in song! (words and music written for a Wesley celebration in Sheffield, 1979), based on a phrase which begins the Preface to the 1933 Methodist Hymn Book: ‘Methodism was born in song.’ In the 2009 collection of texts by living authors, Come Celebrate, his self-selected share is 15, while 4 of his hymns find a place in Sing Praise, No.599.His tune, Ruxley, is set at 1177.