Music Spotlight: "Do Not Pray for Peace" by Hannah Cruse and Charles F. Freeman

Charles F. Freeman is a Presbyterian pastor in Gainesville, FL, with a flare for hymn writing. A lot of his writing comes hand-in-hand with preparing sermons. Usually, the hymns get matched up with tunes that are familiar to Freeman's congregation. However, "Do Not Pray for Peace," was very different in that respect. The meter of the text does not fit with any well-known tunes and is just begging to be set to original music! 

As soon as I read Freeman's text for the first time, a melody washed over me almost instantaneously, and I knew I had to write it down. I jotted down the chords at that time and later devised the four-part harmonies. 

Though Freeman's text works splendidly on its own, I strongly felt that, as a congregational hymn, it needed an additional section--a petition for God to "make us ready" for the peace we seek. Thus came the chorus, "Lord, make us ready now to heed your urgent call so they'll know we are Christians by our love," with an intentional quote of "We Are One in the Spirit" by Peter Scholtes. 

Pastor Greg Glover helped me finalize the song by suggesting the change from "do not pray" to "we won't pray," which concretes the idea that we Christians are making a commitment to faith prayer, and work--together, not alone.  

Enjoy the piece, sung by TJ Morin, starting at 55:04 in the video below.

-Hannah Cruse, Music Director & Organist