Peace is Her Song: The Life and Legacy of Hymnwriter Shirley Erena Murray

Without friendly rivalry between a Methodist and a Presbyterian, there might not have been that powerful partnership between Shirley and John Murray. They met at Bible Class and competed for a prize which Shirley won. The girl also got the boy! Anne Manchester’s lively exploration of Shirley and her hymn writing, Peace is Her Song, inevitably turns on her relationship with John and their ministry at St Andrew’s on the Terrace.

Sir Lloyd Geering, a close friend of both, says that for all John’s brilliance, it is Shirley who will be remembered – through her hymns. They provide the motivation for the book – a celebration of New Zealand’s greatest hymnwriter.

At Shirley’s funeral in January 2020, Colin Gibson gave a stirring eulogy. As another gifted hymnwriter and friend, he was the best person to celebrate Shirley’s life in its immediate aftermath. We learn from Anne, a former ecumenical journalist, that the genesis of this book was at that funeral, with Colin asking who would write Shirley’s biography … He need not have worried. Anne has assembled a life portrait that draws on Shirley’s own words, sets her hymns in their socio-political context, and explores some of the key texts. Among the appendices is Colin’s eulogy.

My introduction to Shirley’s hymns was through fellow minister, Brian Wren, who had been Shirley’s mentor. At his suggestion, she engaged with Hope Publishing, resulting in the collections: In Every Corner Sing, Every Day in Your Spirit, Faith Makes the Song, Touch the Earth Lightly, A Place at the Table, and Life into Life.

Her sustained support for the peace movement and Amnesty International was central to her faith. Her empathy with marginalised groups, including the LGBT community, was also a feature of John’s ministry in the PCANZ.

Shirley pioneered the celebration of the natural world on show in Aotearoa. Carol our Christmas liberated Christians in this land from snowflakes and reindeer. Her exultation in our landscapes in hymns such as Where mountains rise to open skies led the way in finding praise in creation.

Anne documents Shirley’s later life more closely, as she and John (retired but still active) garner deserved honours. Their joint role in the New Zealand Hymnbook Trust is well set out by Anne.

Shirley began Methodist, continued as Presbyterian (and ended in Quaker friendships) but the common thread was an openness to evolving faith. Anne Manchester has done a fine job in documenting a committed life and in representing the wonderfully warm and generous person that was Shirley Murray.

Publisher:        Philip Garside Publishing (2024)

Print book $50 / eBook $30 from 7 September