Coursing River

Coursing River was written in honor of James Gertmenian and Sam King on the occasion of their
retirement from eighteen years of ministry at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.
It was a privilege to set Jim’s own words, first in a congregational hymn and then in this anthem,
based on the hymn.

First performance
January 25, 2015
Plymouth Congregational Church Choir/Philip Brunelle
Minneapolis, MN

duration: c. 3:00

THERE IS A COURSING RIVER
There is a coursing river
Beneath the common sod
Whose depth we cannot fathom,
Whose source is none but God;
And pilgrims on their journeys
Are often unaware
That freshets rising from below
Are welling everywhere.
Their course cannot be bounded
By book or creed or sign,
By certainty or logic,
By reason or by rhyme.
We cannot claim the knowledge
Of where a spring will flow,
Or when God’s grace will surface
From reservoirs below.
But if some thirsty trav’ler
Should faint upon the way,
Let others come assuring
To comfort and to pray
That though distressed and doubting
The injured one will know
How water rises to the need
And emptied cups o’erflow.
So pilgrims, be encouraged!
Though all around you lies
A rocky and a barren land
Where everything seems dry.
There is a coursing river
Beneath the common sod
Whose depth we cannot fathom,
Whose source is none but God.

Text © James Gertmenian, 2014
Tune: (Tune Name TBD) Carol Barnett 7.6.7