About the Hymn
I came across this little-known hymn text by Harriet E. Jones and was struck by its urgent, missional focus. Though some of the phrasing showed its age, the heart of the message was clear: the Church is called to proclaim Christ boldly, with the authority of her risen King and the nearness of His Kingdom.
Around the same time, I discovered William Walker's obscure tune INVITATION—a stirring melody from the Southern Harmony tradition that never quite caught on, likely because it never resolves to the tonic. Still, its strength and character seemed perfectly suited to Jones's text. To provide the sense of resolution and congregational energy it needed, I composed a refrain section and titled the revised setting INVITATUS (Latin for "invited"), a nod both to the original tune and to the hymn's central theme of being called and sent.