Our offertory anthem is a special piece for me, for a number of reasons. First off, I think the hymn text is unmatched. When you read the words over and over again, you recognize a new truth. That’s one of the hallmarks of any good artist, you can come back to one of their creations, and notice something that you didn’t notice before.

Secondly, I think the hymn tune, Coe Fen, is so well-crafted that you just can’t get enough of it. It was written by British Composer, Ken Naylor. Coe Fen is the name of the small fen (a rural wetland) on the outskirts of Cambridge, England. It’s intersected by The Fen Causeway, one of the major routes into the city. The Leys School sits right afront The Fen Causeway, and just next door to Coe Fen. The Leys School is a prestigious, independent school where Ken Naylor was music master and later Director of Music from 1953-1980. The beauty of the natural wetlands, Coe Fen, was certainly the inspiration of this terrific melody.

The third reason why I think this anthem has special meaning, is that it’s my very own arrangement of Coe Fen! It’s being released by Saint James Music Press this month, and they’ve asked us to make the recording for their website. Saint James Music Press is a subscription service, which features thousands of pieces by composers from all over. I was first introduced to SJMP, when I was in graduate school at The University of Kansas. Mark Schweitzer, its founder, wanted to provide good, accessible, and sound-theological choral music for small church choirs. I was at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Leavenworth Kansas at the time, and our choir was modest, to say the least! SJMP was originally called The Sewanee Church Music Project. Mark and his good friend, Richard Shephard (whose music we’ve sung here on numerous occasions) began this business many years ago, with the intention of helping small church choirs do good music. The company has since then grown, and now has almost 2,000 subscribers, including St. Andrew’s.

One of my best friends in the world, Kevin Simons, now owns Saint James Music Press. When I lived in Oklahoma City, in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I introduced him to the resources of SJMP. Kevin was finishing his undergraduate degree at The University of Oklahoma, and I was teaching at Oklahoma City Community College. We met when I attended All Souls’ Episcopal Church in OKC, where he was an intern. After he finished at OU, he accepted a position at First Lutheran Church, in the heart of downtown OKC. Their choral program was fledgling, and he needed accessible music. After I introduced him to this treasure trove, he quickly made use of the vast and varied resources of SJMP.

Mark unfortunately passed away in 2019, and the company was run by his wife Donis, for a short while. In the winter of 2020, Kevin was visiting me here in Tampa, down from Michigan, where he now resides. At my kitchen table, we discussed an exciting prospect. He was negotiating with Mark’s widow about purchasing Saint James Press. Kevin and Mark became friends over the years, and when Mark became ill, he approached Kevin about acquiring the business.

When Kevin was here visiting, we recalled that moment, 20 years earlier, when I introduced him to what was then called, The Sewanee Church Music Project. Who would have ever thought in 2000, that our conversation about this company would eventually lead to his ownership of it? Well, I’m so happy for him. He’s doing well, and he’s grown the business since he and his wife Amy have taken it over. I can’t think of a better person to continue Mark’s legacy. I’m proud that my arrangement of this anthem (and my Trumpet Tune) are now available on SJMP. What a small and wonderful world it is! I’m so happy and grateful to have been a part of such a neat story. I’m excited for Kevin, and I cannot wait to see all the wonderful things he’s going to do with SJMP. Soli deo Gloria!