Kia ora and Welcome!
Welcome, this website replaces my 2014 version. Here you will find hymns, some from the book With Heart and Voice published in 2004 (currently out of print), others published in With A Song In Our Heart (2019). In addition to these, there are a number of new hymns and in some cases new music. You will also find included reflections on the importance of Charles Wesley, comments on various hymns and hymn writing, along with topical articles and the occasional sermon.
Background
I was born in Dublin, Ireland. We emigrated to New Zealand as a family when I was ten years old. There, I attended Sumner primary school in Christchurch. I then went to Linwood High School (now te Aratai College), and later studied at Canterbury University. I was active in the Sumner Methodist Church as a teenager. During this period I attended Easter Camps at Amberley and it was there that Christ touched my life. In my late teens I lived and worked in Melbourne for a year. On my return to Christchurch I worked for my father in the clothing manufacturing industry for several years before candidating for the Methodist Ministry.
I have been privileged to serve in parishes/circuits in Christchurch and in Auckland, New Zealand, in Inishowen in County Donegal in Ireland, in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, in Bendigo in Victoria, Australia, and in the Lisbellaw, Maguiresbridge and Tempo Circuit outside Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. For eleven years I was the Superintendent of the Methodist Church of New Zealand’s Development Division (Home Mission dept.). I have been President of the Methodist Church of New Zealand.
While in the Development Division of the Church I wrote Methodism at the Crossroads (1993). This was based on research into the attitudes and beliefs of New Zealand Methodists. Later I co-authored with Jan Chamberlin a book of hymns which we called With Heart and Voice (2004). These hymns were mostly set to well known tunes. More recently I worked with two colleagues, the late Norman Goreham, and musician Jeremy Whimster, in the production of a second hymnbook with the title With A Song In Our Heart. This latter work contains over forty hymns of which I wrote the lyrics for approximately half. There are very few copies of With A Song In Our Heart left but hopefully there will be a reprint in due course.
I was born in Dublin, Ireland. We emigrated to New Zealand as a family when I was ten years old. There, I attended Sumner primary school in Christchurch. I then went to Linwood High School (now te Aratai College), and later studied at Canterbury University. I was active in the Sumner Methodist Church as a teenager. During this period I attended Easter Camps at Amberley and it was there that Christ touched my life. In my late teens I lived and worked in Melbourne for a year. On my return to Christchurch I worked for my father in the clothing manufacturing industry for several years before candidating for the Methodist Ministry.
I have been privileged to serve in parishes/circuits in Christchurch and in Auckland, New Zealand, in Inishowen in County Donegal in Ireland, in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, in Bendigo in Victoria, Australia, and in the Lisbellaw, Maguiresbridge and Tempo Circuit outside Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. For eleven years I was the Superintendent of the Methodist Church of New Zealand’s Development Division (Home Mission dept.). I have been President of the Methodist Church of New Zealand.
While in the Development Division of the Church I wrote Methodism at the Crossroads (1993). This was based on research into the attitudes and beliefs of New Zealand Methodists. Later I co-
Until January 2014 I was the regional Superintendent for the Manukau, Auckland and Northland Synods in the Methodist Church of New Zealand. More recently, Margaret and I, have relocated to Australia (northern NSW) to be closer to family, to spend more time with our grandchildren, and pursue other interests. I can be contacted by email. My email address is: brookesne51@gmail.com
Music Composers
I would like to say "thank you" to a number of friends who have kindly composed music to accompany some of my lyrics. I am indebted to them for their willingness to share their musical talent and skill with me. Should you be interested, you will find these pages in a separate section labelled "Music". It should be obvious which tunes are designed to accompany particular lyrics. The new tunes, where appropriate, are mentioned at the foot of the relevant hymns. In addition the music pages have the titles of the hymns they accompany.
The Brookes Family
I am married to Margaret, who comes from Melbourne. We met, in the 1960s, at a Presbyterian Camp which was part of the Belgrave Heights Convention Centre outside Melbourne. We have served the Methodist Church in New Zealand, England, and Ireland. We have also served the Uniting Church in Bendigo, Australia. Margaret is a microbiologist. Originally Margaret worked in medical microbiology but over most of her working career she has been involved in laboratory work associated with the health supplements industry. Following retirement but prior to leaving for Australia in 2025 Margaret was a Parish Steward and Property Committee Convener of the Papatoetoe Methodist Church in Auckland. During this time she oversaw the building of a new parsonage and a major upgrade of the church kitchen and other facilities. We have been blest with two sons and five lively grandchildren.
Church Life Survey (CLSNZ)
During the decade leading up to 2004 I was the Convener of the Church Life Survey in New Zealand (CLSNZ). In 1997 some 1400 churches and 70,000 people took part in the inaugural survey. Data was subsequently provided to the congregations highlighting the beliefs and attitudes of those in the pews to a range of issues. This exercise was repeated in 2001.
Several booklets were written as a result of the surveys, these include, Lifting the Lid, Initial Impressions, Impact, and Sexuality and Life Issues. The New Zealand team also participated with the Australian team in the production of larger studies, namely, Shaping a Future (which includes Lifting the Lid on the New Zealand Church) (OpenBook 1998). For more up to date details please see the website clsnz.com As I am now living in NSW Australia, I have retired from the Auckland based CLSNZ work group. However, I retain an interest in the work of CLSNZ and am glad that the CLSNZ team continues to provide a service to the New Zealand Churches.
Several booklets were written as a result of the surveys, these include, Lifting the Lid, Initial Impressions, Impact, and Sexuality and Life Issues. The New Zealand team also participated with the Australian team in the production of larger studies, namely, Shaping a Future (which includes Lifting the Lid on the New Zealand Church) (OpenBook 1998). For more up to date details please see the website clsnz.com As I am now living in NSW Australia, I have retired from the Auckland based CLSNZ work group. However, I retain an interest in the work of CLSNZ and am glad that the CLSNZ team continues to provide a service to the New Zealand Churches.