‘A spirit of division seemed to be striking its rod into every corner of society—even within church groups and denominations. As the guys from church and I sat together that day, we prayed for God to give us a song for his people—something that embodied the true heart of the Church,’ says Philippa Hanna.
If I’m guilty of one thing, it’s having a pretty simplistic worldview. I believe in the inherent kindness of people and that the goodness within us outweighs the tendency for selfishness. I’ve always been this way—even as a little girl, long before I knew Jesus.
I’ll never forget how much I loved projects like Live Aid and songs like We Are the World, birthed in the ’80s—collaborations between pop music’s biggest legends, joining in a single melody for the good of others. Watching a bunch of stars band together for a singular cause gave me chills. It moved me deeply, even as a child. There was something about setting aside personal agendas and boldly submitting to a greater purpose that sparked something within me. I’ve always had a soft spot for songs like that.
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Fast forward to 2021, and I’m a post-pandemic, first-time mum looking to rediscover the song within me. I found myself joining a worship team at LIFE Church in Bradford. At the time, I was very much limping back into ministry—timidly dusting off the cobwebs of lockdown to find my melody again. During a rare opportunity to attend a writing camp (the first in over a year), I wound up with a bunch of guys from that church in Bradford.
We sat with our rusty guitars and began to process everything we had been through in the preceding months: isolation, separation from loved ones, distance from the Church.
We sat with our rusty guitars and began to process everything we had been through in the preceding months: isolation, separation from loved ones, distance from the Church. Meanwhile, the world seemed to be on fire—politically and socially. I’m not sure I had ever paid much attention to left- or right-wing politics before those long days spent watching BBC Parliament, desperately hoping for a positive update about the events sector. You might say that season felt like eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—so much of what I saw challenged my innocent childhood view of humanity. One moment, we were clapping for the NHS on our doorsteps, and the next, riots were breaking out in the streets.
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A spirit of division seemed to be striking its rod into every corner of society—even within church groups and denominations. As the guys from church and I sat together that day, we prayed for God to give us a song for his people—something that embodied the true heart of the Church. That’s how we wrote ‘One People’—as a prayer for the body of Christ to lift up. A declaration of who we really are in Christ. A fresh submission to God, who is above all powers and principalities. A healing balm for a hurting world and a Church that had been all but silenced in recent times.
Shortly after writing ‘One People,’ the return to church went full speed ahead.
Shortly after writing ‘One People,’ the return to church went full speed ahead. As we began to regain ground and make up for lost time, a new wave of believers seemed to join us all of a sudden. Families from all over the world made their spiritual home at our Bradford campus. One day, as we were worshipping, I opened my eyes and saw—maybe for the first time—just how multicultural our congregation had become. In that moment, I knew we had to start singing songs that reflected this beautiful diversity.
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So, I sat with Grace, one of the beautiful worship leaders from the team I now call family. Grace is Nigerian and one of the purest, most sincere hearts I’ve ever met. As a worshipper, she’s passionate and fearless, yet she remains humble. She loved the idea of incorporating Yoruba, a Nigerian language she speaks alongside English in her homeland. From the moment she added the lyrics and melodies into our chorus, I knew we had tapped into something special in the Spirit. It gave me chills—and still does when we sing it.
Our prayer now is that this song rises up like a fragrance to heaven. That this declaration flows into the atmosphere of the UK, Europe, and beyond—into every continent. We pray that this song will be taken up as a faith offering to a God who is worthy of a unified and humble Church.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
You can watch the One People video here.
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