Frederik Herman Kaan, FHS 1929-2009

Put peace into each other's hands and like a treasure hold it . Passionate peacemaker Kaan died in the early hours of October 4, 2009. That morning many of us lost a dear friend whose boundary-pushing creativity had inspired our own efforts of worship renewal. Since his death, many tributes and obituaries have been written about that focus on his contributions to the church universal and to human rights movements around the globe. This offering is far more personal. was, above all else, a people-person, a lover of humanity, a voice for justice. He was one of my dearest friends. Nearly four decades ago his stimulating, edgy and witty writing literally brought me back to a church that had nearly written off as irrelevant. As creative partners, and spent coundess hours together in planes, trains, ferries, cars, hotels, restaurants, and the odd pub in every corner of Canada - and many in the United States. Fred's faith never stopped evolving and growing; often he found that exciting. At other times, however, it was painful. In the last decade of his life, our conversations were consumed with theological and humanitarian questions - often without answers. In June 2005, and went for a walk during a conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We talked briefly about the event and mused about the future of organized religion. In midsentence he stopped, turned toward me, and put his hands on my shoulders. Ron, something is wrong with me. cannot remember things or people or words. I'm frightened. could scarcely fathom the idea of the man who had used words to inspire and teach now struggling to find them. John Shelby Spong wrote Fred Kaan was a great gift that the United Reformed Church in England gave to the whole Christian world. regard him as the premier hymn writer of the twentieth century. He and his wonderful wife Anthea were also deep personal friends with whom my wife Christine and shared life very deeply. We were with the day after he got his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. He faced all that this diagnosis meant with openness, calmness, and faith. Dr. Gillian Warson, who worked closely with while writing his biography,1 said I saw at first hand his vibrant personality which had found its way into his hymns. took everything and everyone to his heart. He genuinely cared for people he knew - and many he did not know. George Shorney, retired president of Hope Publishing Company, experienced Fred's love of life firsthand: Fred was the first of the British hymn writers to enter into an agreement with Hope. …

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