0:00:03 > 0:00:05This is the city of Hereford,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07home to a glorious cathedral.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And this week I'm discovering how the Christian faith
0:00:10 > 0:00:12is at the heart of the place and its people.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Welcome to Songs Of Praise.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Coming up, we've a special treat from jazz singer Gregory Porter
0:00:41 > 0:00:45who chats to JB Gill and performs a song especially for us.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48I'll be meeting Christian, whose family has been running
0:00:48 > 0:00:51the same farm for four generations.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53I believe we're here to be stewards of the countryside
0:00:53 > 0:00:55and we're just looking after it for God,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and we will try and do that to the best of our ability.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00And I discover Hereford's hidden gems,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03including the largest surviving medieval map of the world,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05the Mappa Mundi.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08This is Hereford Cathedral's greatest treasure.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10It was a really high-status, valuable object.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20So it's right here in Hereford Cathedral that we begin.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23On Wednesday, it's the Christian feast day of All Saints,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27and so we open with a hymn perfect for the occasion.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Hereford has had a cathedral for over 900 years,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and over many generations, it's become an historical treasure trove.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11As well as housing an original copy of the famous Magna Carta,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14the Cathedral's museum has one object
0:04:14 > 0:04:18that the Chancellor, Chris Pullin, is very proud of.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20This is Hereford Cathedral's greatest treasure,
0:04:20 > 0:04:21the Mappa Mundi.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26It dates from about the year 1300 and it's a spiritual map, really.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It's not a map that would be very useful in getting you anywhere,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33but what it shows you is what people believed about the creation
0:04:33 > 0:04:35they lived in at that time.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39It's telling you about the spiritual succession of history.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40So is Hereford on here?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44It is, but it's hard to see, because it's been rubbed off, I think,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47by the fingers of people down the ages saying,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- "We are here," you know. - KATE LAUGHS
0:04:50 > 0:04:52When we take it out of its frame every couple of years
0:04:52 > 0:04:55to do a proper check of it, you get that much closer
0:04:55 > 0:04:59and you see the absolute beauty and skill, the fluency of all the lines,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01how beautifully it was drawn.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- It still looks stunning. It's breathtaking.- It does.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08We think that during the English Civil War it was hidden
0:05:08 > 0:05:10under a floor for a bit.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12That might be why it's a bit grubby,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15it could be that dirt fell through the floor and got on top of it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The cathedral is also famous for its ornate shrine
0:05:20 > 0:05:22to St Thomas of Hereford.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26He was Bishop of Hereford from 1275,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28but he was also very feisty.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30They say he had red hair.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34And he fell out big time with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Bad news, because the Archbishop exiled him to Italy,
0:05:39 > 0:05:40and there he died.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45His bones were returned here to Hereford
0:05:45 > 0:05:51and in 1287, an amazing series of miracles began,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and when they totted these up in 1307 they found that
0:05:54 > 0:05:58there were 450 examples of people
0:05:58 > 0:06:02who had been healed here in Hereford.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Eventually, in 1320, he was made a saint, St Thomas of Hereford.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And this became his shrine.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15In the front you've got a rather lovely icon showing Thomas,
0:06:15 > 0:06:21our Thomas, and then angels are holding up the Mappa Mundi.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22What's the role of the shrine today?
0:06:22 > 0:06:26People are drawn to it, but they're drawn to it to say their prayers,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and above all, he's somebody who inspires prayer to Jesus.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32That's how I see him.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Our next hymn also has a local connection.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37The tune is called Hereford
0:06:37 > 0:06:42and it's written by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, organist here in the 1800s.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44O Thou Who Camest From Above.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53As well as being home to one of the finest cathedrals
0:08:53 > 0:08:58in the country, the city of Hereford has a thriving livestock market,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01where of course you can buy and sell Hereford cattle.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09And not far away from there is the 100-year-old Rudge family farm.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Esther and the four generations before her have had their fair share
0:09:12 > 0:09:14of challenges along the way,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18but the Christian faith has always been at the heart of what they do.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Farming's not always easy, is it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:22No, it does have its difficult times,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24especially cattle who have had BSE,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26foot-and-mouth... And the weather -
0:09:26 > 0:09:29we're so dependent on the weather. Storms.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30We've got a really bad apple harvest this year
0:09:30 > 0:09:34cos we had a late frost in May. So that's farming.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Very dependent on weather.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38In the 21st century,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41traditional farming alone rarely pays its way, so farmers
0:09:41 > 0:09:45like Esther and her husband Henry have found ways to diversify.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48We do beef and sheep and cereals, which is
0:09:48 > 0:09:50a traditional Herefordshire farm.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54About ten years ago, we went into growing apples.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57And now we've also gone into quite a bit of renewable energy.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00We just try to keep moving with the times.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03We do some firewood as well, kiln-dried firewood,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06then we've also gone into anaerobic digester.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09What on earth is an anaerobic digester? Did I even say that right?
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Yes, you did.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14It's a way of making electricity from cow muck, basically.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I believe we're here to be stewards of the countryside,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19and we're just looking after it for God.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21And we try to do that to the best of our ability.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24We believe it's important to manage it well
0:10:24 > 0:10:27cos we're looking after God's creation.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- Things have not always been easy in the family either, have they?- No.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32As for times when we have really seen God at work in our lives
0:10:32 > 0:10:35is our second daughter, Stephanie, was diagnosed with cancer
0:10:35 > 0:10:37when she was two.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39That was a really tough time.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41It was one of those days when you look out of the window
0:10:41 > 0:10:43and you can't understand why cars are still moving, you know?
0:10:43 > 0:10:46You've just been told your daughter's got cancer.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48We were told that there was no chance of Steph surviving.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51One particular time I remember just closing the door
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and the peace flooded through.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56I phoned my sister a bit later
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and found out they'd had a prayer meeting at church that night.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Sorry, it made me a bit teary.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04And there was no coincidence that that peace that we felt
0:11:04 > 0:11:07was just when that prayer meeting was going on.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Stephanie survived, and 26 years on, is a mother herself,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14and regularly works on the farm.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Steph is fantastic.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20She's got three kids and yeah, a really strong Christian faith.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- That's amazing.- It is brilliant. Yes, it is.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Ultimately it's God, it's having his peace with us and his strength,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31that person to turn to. The person who saved us has redeemed us.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33That's what keeps us going through this.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39# There is a redeemer
0:14:03 > 0:14:05As well as more hymns from Hereford Cathedral,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08we're in for another musical treat this week.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Jazz star Gregory Porter is going to be performing
0:14:11 > 0:14:15especially for us, and JB Gill has been to meet him.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20# Smile, though your heart is aching
0:14:21 > 0:14:26# Smile, even though it's breaking... #
0:14:26 > 0:14:31- Gregory, so good to see you.- Yes. - Your voice is just so effortless.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34- How did you get into singing? - That would be my dear mother.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39She was a minister, and she encouraged me to sing in church.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- I was a loud singer.- Yeah.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45My mother was always struck by the emotion
0:14:45 > 0:14:48that I would put into these first little church songs that I learnt.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53And how instrumental was gospel music to the music that you do now?
0:14:53 > 0:14:58I haven't changed a lot, because there are gospel messages.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03There are these universal messages of encouragement and love and peace
0:15:03 > 0:15:05in the music that I'm doing.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10You know, when I'm writing songs and when I'm in the studio recording,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12sometimes my mother's on my shoulder.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- And so the words from Liquid Spirit...- Mm.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20..I'm making a reference to one of the first gospel songs
0:15:20 > 0:15:22that I learnt as a child, you know?
0:15:23 > 0:15:27# I shall not, I shall not be moved
0:15:27 > 0:15:31# I shall not, I shall not be moved
0:15:31 > 0:15:37# Just like a tree that's planted by the water
0:15:37 > 0:15:40# I shall not be moved... #
0:15:40 > 0:15:46- And so there's all these little references and quotes...- Mm.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48..from the roots of who I am.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52That's my mother, that's the church, it's gospel music.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Mm. Does your faith keep you grounded as well?
0:15:54 > 0:16:01I feel God's hand in helping me go all over the world and say,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and when I've had the opportunity to sing for Stevie Wonder
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and for George Benson
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and for all of these extraordinary people around the world -
0:16:09 > 0:16:14- I've sang for royalty, you know, in seven or eight countries.- Wow.
0:16:14 > 0:16:20But I like the idea and the fact that I learned my craft, my gift,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25this emotive style, this emotional style, in church.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29And we would pull that PA system out of the church
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and we would sing to homeless people, afflicted people,
0:16:33 > 0:16:34addicted people.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Tell us about the song that you're going to sing for us today.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42I'm going to sing a song I wrote that's on my most recent album,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47a tribute to Nat King Cole. The song is speaking of mutual respect
0:16:47 > 0:16:53for all people, and to remember a time of kindness and love.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57When you see somebody who's in trouble, lending a hand.
0:16:57 > 0:17:04These are the messages. So the song, When Love Was King. Yeah.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06- Thank you, Gregory.- Thank you.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11# There once was a kingdom
0:17:11 > 0:17:14# Far, far away
0:17:15 > 0:17:20# Where love was the rule of the day
0:17:22 > 0:17:27# Nothing more, nothing less
0:17:28 > 0:17:33# Than to give your friend your best
0:17:35 > 0:17:43# There's much more story that I could tell
0:17:43 > 0:17:50# To make the hardest hearts swell
0:17:53 > 0:17:56# When love was king
0:18:00 > 0:18:03# Do you remember
0:18:05 > 0:18:10# When love was king?
0:18:13 > 0:18:19# When love was king
0:18:21 > 0:18:23# I remember, oh
0:18:23 > 0:18:29# When love was king
0:18:35 > 0:18:40# He ruled the land
0:18:40 > 0:18:44# With his fist unfurled
0:18:45 > 0:18:52# With open arms for the world
0:18:55 > 0:18:58# Of hungry children
0:18:59 > 0:19:01# First he'd think
0:19:04 > 0:19:08# To pull their lives
0:19:08 > 0:19:10# From the brink
0:19:12 > 0:19:15# When love was king
0:19:17 > 0:19:23# He showed respect for every man
0:19:25 > 0:19:32# Regardless of his skin and clan
0:19:35 > 0:19:41# Beside him stood his mighty queen
0:19:44 > 0:19:49# In equal force, wise and keen
0:19:52 > 0:20:00# He lifted up the underneath
0:20:02 > 0:20:08# And all his wealth he did bequeath
0:20:10 > 0:20:14# To those who toiled
0:20:15 > 0:20:18# Without a gain
0:20:21 > 0:20:26# So they could remember his reign
0:20:26 > 0:20:28# Whoa
0:20:30 > 0:20:34# So seek someplace
0:20:34 > 0:20:41# To call your own
0:20:41 > 0:20:47# Right beside this mighty shining throne
0:20:47 > 0:20:51# When love was king
0:20:52 > 0:20:58# Whoa
0:21:01 > 0:21:09# When love was king. #
0:21:18 > 0:21:20That was an amazing performance from Gregory Porter.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Before our next song, we've got time just to remind you of a really
0:21:24 > 0:21:30exciting opportunity for young choirs across the country.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Our Young Choir of the Year competition has previously
0:21:32 > 0:21:34been just for schools,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38but it's now open to all choirs whose members are school age.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40The closing date is 1 December,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43so to find out more, go to the website...
0:21:46 > 0:21:50..where you'll find all the details and terms and conditions.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Cathedrals like Hereford are often places of pilgrimage,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01and that's a theme reflected in our next hymn, He Who Would Valiant Be.
0:22:02 > 0:22:08# He would valiant be
0:24:22 > 0:24:26This window recently installed at Hereford Cathedral
0:24:26 > 0:24:30is dedicated to the Special Air Service, the SAS,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33famous the world over for its military excellence
0:24:33 > 0:24:37and founded in 1941 here in the city.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41In fact, Hereford has been associated with the Armed Forces
0:24:41 > 0:24:43for over 100 years
0:24:43 > 0:24:46and many of the residents here have a military background.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48JB Gill has been meeting one of them.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Now take your phone out.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54- VOICEOVER:- Stuart Anderson now puts his well-honed military skills
0:24:54 > 0:24:59to use as a security expert helping people stay safe on the street.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02You're not aware of what's happening,
0:25:02 > 0:25:03so if you put that away...
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Right at the start of his army career as a teenage recruit,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Stuart received a traumatic physical injury which would impact him
0:25:11 > 0:25:14psychologically for many years to come.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I was shot in a training exercise.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21The bullet shattered every bone in my foot, bar one.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Woke up many hours later and they'd operated,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26And at that time saved my foot.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Pain is a strange one.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31You can deal with it, you can take pain relief.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35The bigger problem was the pain that was going on in my head.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I wasn't able to deal with it at that young age.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41So at 17, get shot, get told you're going to lose your leg,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and I didn't, I managed to get through that.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47But I realised this was long-term.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- And I blamed God, I blamed him for shooting me.- Mm.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52So that anger became bitterness.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55But you did go on into full service, didn't you?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Within a year I was in Northern Ireland
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and I went on to do eight years' service.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Although I was going on and seeing progress in that area,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08I was dropping downhill psychologically.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Stuart sought solace in a new career as a bodyguard,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13and he started a family.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16But even after a decade, the scars hadn't gone away.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20So I had the family, nice house, nice car, earning good money,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and I looked like I had everything in place.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25But inside, I was actually broken.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Behind the doors, me and my wife, we led our own lives.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31We didn't get on. It was all hollow.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33So then what changed?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36I decided to take my kids to church, because I thought it would
0:26:36 > 0:26:39be good for them, hoping for them to have good moral grounding.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42And there was this bloke, Danny, he was talking, and he said,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45"You're either walking towards Jesus,
0:26:45 > 0:26:46"or you're walking against him."
0:26:46 > 0:26:51And something broke me. And I realised that I was walking away.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Jesus turned up and met me, and everything changed from there.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57But that wasn't the end, was it?
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Because you still had other issues that you were dealing with.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02My marriage had been a sham.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05It wasn't built on the right foundation.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08We had to go from stage one, working through that,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12and then spent a couple of years putting the right foundations in.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- We renewed our vows and we were able to come through.- Mm.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16And here we are today.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Would you say, then, that God and your faith, obviously, in God,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23has had the most impact on your life?
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Yeah. Without a doubt. Faith can move mountains.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Everything is reconcilable. You are never too far away from God
0:27:32 > 0:27:33and I'm living proof of that.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36I was written off by so many people, even myself.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38But God turned that around.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Yeah, so faith, it's just amazing.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It's changed my life.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53That's almost all we've got time for here in Hereford.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Next week, Sean Fletcher and I are going to be in Milton Keynes.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01We'll discover how, over the past 50 years, pioneering Christians
0:31:01 > 0:31:05have been at the heart of the UK's most famous new town.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09And there'll be music from worship leader Noel Robinson and his band.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12The clocks may have gone back
0:31:12 > 0:31:14and the autumn nights might be drawing in,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17but our next hymn reminds us that whatever season we're in,
0:31:17 > 0:31:19God's faithfulness never changes.