When I needed a neighbour, were you there

When I needed a neighbour, were you there. Sydney Carter* (1915-2004). This was written for the use of Christian Aid and widely circulated for Christian Aid Week, 1965, in a small concertina format. It was included in the Methodist Hymns and Songs (1969) and the Anglican 100HfT (1969). It has been included in over forty collections of hymns and worship songs. It aptly turns into questions for today the words of the Christ figure in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25: 35-46). Carter called it a song, not a hymn (Green Print for Song, 1974), written to be sung by Christians and non-Christians alike, despite its strong Biblical basis. Carter encouraged singers to make up...