Spirit, Spirit of gentleness

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness. James Manley* (1940- ). Written in 1975 after Manley had completed the first draft of his DMin thesis for Claremont School of Theology. It had a refrain, ‘Spirit, Spirit of gentleness’, which began the hymn, and three stanzas: ‘You moved on the waters’, ‘You swept thro’ the desert’ and ‘You sang in a stable’. In this form it was first sung at Waiokeola Congregational Church, Honolulu. Manley added a fourth stanza in 1978, ‘You call from tomorrow’. The tune, SPIRIT, is by Manley. It is found in many books: in VU the text in English is followed by a French translation, ‘Souffle, vent doux du Saint-Esprit’ by Andrew Donaldson...