Lord, thy church on earth is seeking

Lord, thy church on earth is seeking. Hugh Sherlock* (1905-1998). Written in 1965 for the Jamaica District of the Methodist Church, to be sung at a service inaugurating a ‘year of renewal’. It was printed in a pamphlet containing seven of Sherlock’s hymns (n.d.), with the title ‘Renewal’. It had no tune in this printing, but was set to ABBOT’S LEIGH by Cyril Taylor* in the Methodist Supplement Hymns and Songs (1969). Some subsequent books have used other tunes (EVERTON, by Henry Smart* in HFTC, IVINGHOE by Greville Cooke in Broadcast Praise), but ABBOT’S LEIGH has proved a powerful and effective accompaniment to the words. There have been alterations to Sherlock’s text in several books:...