Hymn #518: Father Almighty, Bless Us | First Congregational Church

The writer of this text is known only by the initials L.J.W. The hymn was first found in a Unitarian hymnal, The Sunny Side, printed in England in 1875. As revised, each stanza of this prayer seeking God’s blessings for our lives begins and ends with a different name for God.

The Unitarian movement gained momentum in England and the United States in the early eighteenth century. Rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity, Unitarian hymns omitted references to the deity of Jesus Christ and instead concentrated on the unity of God.

Friedrich Ferdinand Flemming (1778-1813), a German physician, composed this tune in 1811 for a Latin poem, Horace's Ode XXII, which began INTEGER VITAE; hence the tune name. The tune is also called FLEMMING for the composer. It appeared in several German Roman Catholic hymnals in the nineteenth century.

Friedrich F. Flemming practiced medicine in Berlin, Germany. He was active in musical circles and composed many songs for a male vocal ensemble, Liedertafel. Born in Neuhausen, Saxony, on February 28, 1778, Flemming died in Berlin, Germany, on May 27, 1813.