Songs for Mental Health Sunday

In response to a reader's request, here are some songs for Mental Health Sunday, to help support people with mental health challenges and their families. To read more about this and access educational and liturgical resources, see this website (United Church of Christ and United Church of Canada) and this one. Whether you host an entire service, or wish to simply include a song that reflects on God's love for people with mental health challenges as part of a normal Sunday service, I hope that you will find something here to help. 

• MV085 / StJ / ELW814 / HPP319 / GtG698 / GC(II)692 / G(3)795 / SP130 / PfAS045B / URW441 / Lau395a / StF781 / LUYH741 Take O Take Me As I Am (Iona Community) A lovely simple chant. PfAS uses it as a refrain to a reading of the Psalm. Sound sample.
• TiS 693 / AoV1-031 / GA212 Come as you are that's how I want you (Deidre Browne) This song is beautiful, gentle, simple, and very well known (in Australia, at least!). "I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous". Lyrics. Slow and mushy sound sample. A good song to start the service.
• AoV2-070 / ATW 496 / MV090 / StJ Don't be afraid (John Bell) Excellent. I love this song of reassurance. "Don't be afraid, my love is stronger. My love is stronger than your fear". This song can be used as a response to intercessions. Sound sample. Good for kids.
• NCH176 / UMH264 / VU620 / HPP159 / GtG180/181 / Cha186 Silence frenzied unclean spirit (Thomas Troeger) The words are very powerful and do not hold back about the challenges faced - particularly for a service reflect on mental health challenges, and are relevant to our tendency to have busy overcrowded minds. It will need to be placed in context of the reading of Jesus casting out the demons of the Gerasene demoniac. It's not easy to sing, both because the words are challenging and because the set tune is hard, but can be sung to the more familiar (and easier) tune JEFFERSON (NCH 530) or EBENEZER. Lyrics.
• Online Resource / SP&P108 Send your Spirit to set us free (Barbara Hamm) A cool chant. It could be used quietly with an invitation to allow God to fill our hearts and minds, or it could be used more quickly too. It could also work as a round, sung unaccompanied. Lyrics and sheet music.   Good for kids. 
• Online Resource Calm me Lord as you calmed the storm (David Adam / Margaret Rizza) This is a lovely chant, and would be picked up fairly quickly. Thanks to Darren Garfield for this suggestion. Also in the book "Just Chants" by Margaret Rizza. Lyric video. Lyrics. Sheet music.
• NCH438 / UMH377 / LBW346 / ELW785 / HPP390 / GtG840 / W&R428 / Cha561 / Srce784 / MP757 When peace like a river / It is well with my soul (Horatio Spafford) An older American hymn by someone who suffered great loss. Hymnals vary in how old fashioned the lyrics are, and only some include the chorus. Lyrics and tune.A nice recording by Audrey Assad.
• Recorded Music Into the Deep (Malcolm Gordon) "Even the wind and the waves will listen to your voice, oh speak your love and your grace and calm the storm within". Sound sample and purchase options.
• Online Resource God of dark and of growing places (Newell and Jones) Excellent words of God in mystery, including the mystery of our minds. Sung to familiar hymn tunes (e.g. BLAENWERN). New words to old tunes.
• TiS 650 / ATA 191 / CH694 / A&M604 / NCH539 / VU595 / ELW659 / AA08 / SFFS 2222 / HPP442 / GtG727 / G(II)476 / GC683 / GC(II)661 / G(3)751 / CP500 / CP(E) 393 / W&R391 / Cha490 / SP263 / URW117 / Lau924 Brother, sister, let me serve you / Won't you let me be your servant? (Richard Gillard, New Zealand) I think you all know this one. Lyrics. NCH has a nice turn on the lyrics with "Won't you let me be your servant?" as the first line.
• Online Resource There's nothing I can see / Darkness (John Grummitt) This is not a congregational song, but it might be good to play this recording. It has a focus on needing light to shine in the darkness of depression or other issues of mental health. Recording. Thanks to John for sharing this song with me, and all of us.   
• Recorded Music Be the one (Temitope) This is not a congregational song, but gosh, it could be really uplifting to listen to this in a service with this focus. It talks about how God can carry us through the most difficult times when we need internal peace. If you have a more contemporary congregation, they could easily sing along with it, of course. Youtube.   
• Online Resource / CH348 / StS001 / LBW196 / ELW843 / A&M762 / G(3)625 / CP397 / W&R93 / SP304 / URW090 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (Rusty Edwards) Good words of Christ's ministry to all. Can be sung to the familiar tune NETTLETON, or the less familiar and very lovely tune JOEL. Lyrics and sheet music. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / TiS 690 / CH259 / A&M557 / StS115 / SP237 / Srce54 / StF693 / MP806 Beauty for brokenness hope for despair (Graham Kendrick) Themes of healing from personal and universal suffering and an emotive chorus. “Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear, cities for sanctuary, freedoms to share, peace to the killing-fields, scorched earth to green; Christ for the bitterness, his cross for the pain”. It's a bit schmaltzy. Lyrics, sheet music, sound samples, purchasing options.
• TiS 638 / NCH175 / CH717 / A&M518 / GtG793 / PH380 / UMH265 / LBW380 / ELW675 / PH380 / CP291 / CP(E) 346 / W&R638 / Cha503 / Lau430 / StF653 O Christ the healer we have come (Fred Pratt Green) Beautiful words and simple to sing. Good for intercessions. I like the tune INVERCARRY> best, but it can also be sung to TALLIS' CANON if your congregation needs a more familiar tune. Lyrics and sheet music. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource Cast out O Christ cast far away (Mary Louise Bringle) Powerful words, set to the older tune MCKEE. Lyrics and sheet music for purchase. New words to old tunes.
• TiS 737 / Iona (Common Ground, HSNW, T1AU) / A&M516 / SP142 / URW427 / Lau437 Lord Jesus Christ lover of all (John Bell) A beautiful and simple chant. Note that some versions (T1AU at least) has a beautiful 4 part harmony arrangement with excellent moving parts in the lower registers. Would work well during intercessions. Sound sample.