How Great Thou Art
This wonderful song - also a favorite hymn - had its beginnings in southern Sweden in the 1880s. A member of the Swedish parliament, Carl Boberg, and friends were returning from an afternoon service when a thunderstorm arose. They were in awe of the strong wind, lighting, and thunder - followed by God's promise: a rainbow. That same evening, he wrote the poem entitled: "O Store God; (How Great Thou Art).
This was later set to music by Stuart Hine and gained massive popularity due to nearly 100 performances by George Beverly Shea during the Billy Graham Crusades. Pam Gervais created a stunning piano arrangement and Linda Boatright has beautifully transcribed that for handbells.