Thank you, Lord, for gifts of teaching

It is entirely appropriate that this hymn should come from the pen of Andrew King. It was written while he was pastor of Haywards Heath Evangelical Free Church, and included in Praises for the King of Kings which he edited from there in 1994. But by 2000, when Praise! was published, he had recently begun a work of training others for similar leadership, preaching and teaching in Brazil. The text which begins with these forms of service, however, goes on to encompass the all-round work of the local church in a way still rare among evangelical compositions. It clearly reflects the four ‘key elements to which believers have devoted themselves from the very first … the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and [the] prayer[s]’—Acts 2:42. The hymn provided a way for the congregation to respond ‘to teaching in this area … one verse for each aspect, and a conclusion.’ This is the first main hymnal to feature it, and the author has slightly emended stz 4 since its first appearance. In PKK it introduces the section on ‘The Church: Unity, blessing and revival’.

The author recommends PLUMSTEAD or ‘the rather plodding’ GOUNOD (326) which he originally had in mind as possible tunes; the former, by Linda Mawson, is here renamed SLADE by its composer, who belonged to the evangelical church known as ‘The Slade’ from the road where its building is located, on the edge of Plumstead Common in SE London; cf 166, note. She and the author discovered a shared enthusiasm for new hymns and songs while preparing in a small team for successive FIEC conferences at Caister, Norfolk. This was one of several combined items first sung there, then included in PKK. It is formally published first here.

b Wroughton nr Swindon, Wilts 1961. Raised in the Gospel Standard Strict Baptist tradition in a family circle familiar with its classic hymns; converted at Caterham Baptist Ch in 1971, where he grew to love a fuller range of hymnody. Studied at Dulwich Coll, Sussex Univ (BSc Biology 1982). After working as a sausage salesman with the Walls Meat Company and as a food technologist with Hygrade Foods in Peckham, he assisted the Minister at Grove Chapel, Camberwell, while studying at the London Theological Seminary 1986–88. Pastor/teacher at Haywards Heath Evangelical Free Church in Sussex 1988–2000; where he edited (with others) the words-only hymnal Praises for the King of Kings (see no.12, note) for which he contributed several texts. Enjoyed writing from his youth up, and wrote some 35 texts at Haywards Heath after his first, a version of Ps 2 written at Camberwell soon after his marriage to Cora. For a time he was a member of the modern songs team for Praise! From 2000 he worked in Brazil as a Bible teacher and preacher with UFM Worldwide (the Unevangelised Fields Mission), with a roving commission to train, teach and encourage others in biblical exposition, based on his home in Florianópolis. He returned to England in 2008 and currently (2011) works as a kitchen sales consultant, also running a photography business. His texts have also been published in Australia and New Zealand, with one each in Sing Glory (1999) and the 2004 CH. Nos.12, 306, 598, 631, 686, 795*, 912, 923.