Welcome Home

I was raised on the hymns of the Church. To me, they always felt like scripture—as if part of the canon. As someone who deeply connects with both words and music, I’ve always had a strong appreciation for the lyrics and the doctrines they teach. When those truths are paired with melody and harmony, something divine happens—something that has always profoundly resonated with my soul.

Since I was a teenager, I’ve held music callings in the Church, so I’ve become very familiar with the hymns and their messages. Those doctrines have shaped the way I think, the way I process emotions, and the way I live. 

Even when I was very young, I dreamed of someday writing a hymn that would be included in the hymnal. I’ve always thought it would be the most wonderful thing in the world to be in the company of Parley P. Pratt, William Phelps, Eliza R. Snow and so many others whose inspired texts have shaped my life. When a new hymnal came out in 1985, I wondered if the opportunity would ever present itself again in my lifetime.

When the announcement was made in June 2018 that the Church would be publishing a new hymnal and children’s songbook—and that members were invited to submit music—I knew this would be my one opportunity. There was a submission limit of five hymns and five children’s songs, and I immediately went to work. I was not going to let this possibility pass me by.

I submitted ten pieces for consideration just before the deadline in June 2019. “Welcome Home” was the only one that had actually been written before the call for new hymns went out in 2018.

Writing all of this music was a deeply spiritual experience for me. I prayerfully considered what the Church might need or want and carefully reflected on current prophetic priorities. I did my best to make sure each lyric was doctrinally sound and carefully paired with melodies and harmonies that support and enhance the message. Each piece was written as an expression of my own testimony. I wanted this to be music that I could sing and that reflected my personal faith.

It took a lot of time, a lot of study, and a lot of prayer. I felt the Spirit of the Lord very strongly throughout the entire process. On many days, it felt as though my studio became an extension of heaven. There were many miracles along the way.

When I was done and the music was submitted, I was relieved—but also felt an emptiness—as if I had just returned from a mission: so full of purpose for so long, and then, suddenly, it was over.

The Submission Process

Not long after I submitted, I received confirmation that my hymns and songs had been received, but then there was no communication for a very long time. I put it all on a mental shelf and was patient because I had heard there were over 17,000 submissions to go through. I knew it would take a very long time to consider all of that music! As the years went by, however, I was quite sure that other selections had already been made.

Then, during the Christmas holiday of 2023, I received an email from Brother Stephen Jones of the Church Hymn Committee letting me know that my hymn, “Welcome Home,” was being considered for publication. It’s difficult to express how I felt at that moment—I wanted to cry, dance, and leap for joy! Even though this was not an assurance that my hymn would be one of the final selections, I now knew there was still that chance.

The Editing Process

In the winter of 2024, the editing process began. I met over Zoom with Brother Jones to go through the melody and harmonies. It was a special moment for me to reconnect with him. We had been in a Music Composition class together at BYU in the fall of 1978. I knew he would not remember me—I was the shy one in the back corner—but I remembered him. He was pre-mission at the time and already composing beautiful, inspiring music. I vividly recall the day he walked into class with total confidence, placed a piece of music on the piano—“Night of All Nights”—and played it for all of us. It was remarkable, and I felt completely out of my league! I loved that song so much and still use it with choirs today. I followed Brother Jones’ career from afar over the years because I knew he was destined for something special in the music world. It was truly an honor to work with him on “Welcome Home.”

After that, I was contacted by the lyric committee. On the text side of things, I worked closely with Jan Pinborough, who was wonderful. In fact, everyone I worked with on this project was professional, kind, respectful of me as the writer, and deeply in tune with their mission of creating a collection of hymns and songs to serve the Church. They had a very specific purpose in mind for “Welcome Home” and how it would fit with the rest of the selections. The editing process was both humbling and enlightening. I gained a testimony of the divinity of this work and developed a deep appreciation for those who have been dedicating their time to this project for so many years.

After the editing for “Welcome Home” was complete and I gave final approval, I waited again—for quite a long time. Eventually, I received a request to send in the story behind the hymn, and then I began receiving communications from the Church about copyrights, legal releases, and more. That’s when I knew they were getting serious about this! However, every message included the caveat: “This does not guarantee that your hymn will be included…”

I was completely surprised when, late on the night of February 12th, 2025, I got a text message, which led to an email, which led to a phone call—letting me know that “Welcome Home” was being released in the next batch of hymns the very next morning! My husband,Tom, and I had a delightful conversation with Brother Steve Schank, who heads the hymnbook project. He wanted to let us know that night so we could inform our family and close friends before the announcement went out to the general membership of the Church. We spent well past midnight calling and texting our loved ones. It was a very exciting night! This was the realization of a decades-long dream. 

I’ve always felt that original music is legacy work—especially when it becomes part of a hymnal. There’s truly nothing like it for someone who has loved and been inspired by Church music their entire life!

The Background Story of “Welcome Home”

While preparing “Welcome Home” for the hymnal, I was asked to select its TUNE NAME. Tune names are a tradition in hymnody—a way of identifying the melody of a hymn independently from its text. When the hymn committee posed this question, the decision wasn’t difficult. Two people had inspired both the theme and the spirit of this hymn: Demetrius O’Neal, a fellow Latter-day Saint whom I had only met once, and my own father, Wade Christensen. Here is that story…

In the winter of 2017, my husband, Tom, and I were visiting our son, Garon, in Provo, Utah.  He was attending Brigham Young University and he invited us to go to his songwriting class. That day, the students were presenting hymns they had written for their most recent assignment.  I was so inspired by their work and decided that I wanted to try writing a hymn again—something I hadn’t done since I was at BYU nearly 40 years earlier!  The inspiration for that hymn came very soon thereafter, when we were visiting my husband’s parents in Spokane, Washington.

Demetrius

On a frosty, snow-flurried Sunday morning, we arrived at church for sacrament meeting. There, standing outside the front doors in the cold, was a wonderful man with a broad smile, open arms, and an outstretched hand. His greeting was uncharacteristically enthusiastic and completely unexpected: “Welcome! Welcome home! Welcome to the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Welcome home!” I later learned that this man’s name was Demetrius O’Neal and that he was a recent convert to the Church. That morning, he brought the enthusiasm of his faith and cultural traditions to the front door of that LDS chapel, and it was both refreshing and beautiful. As I sat down in the pew, I pondered what had just happened, and I knew I had my title for the hymn—”Welcome Home.” I will never forget that warm and gracious greeting from Demetrius and how welcome it made me feel. That’s how I would love everyone to feel when they come to our houses of worship.

When we returned to Missouri and I sat down to write, I reflected on the places that felt like “home” to me—my family home, my church home, my temple home, and my heavenly home. Because of the deep sentiment and personal connection I felt with each of these “homes,” writing this hymn became a deeply spiritual and emotional experience. I completed the first version in the summer of 2017 and soon thereafter felt a distinct impression to create a five-part arrangement with piano accompaniment for my family to perform. Honestly, this didn’t make much sense at the time—our family was scattered, and I wondered when we would ever use it—but I followed the prompting and completed the arrangement. The music sat on my computer, unseen and unsung, for many months.

Wade

My answer came in December, when my father, Wade Christensen, passed away. During the planning of his funeral service, my siblings asked our family of five to sing the closing hymn. We were all trying to decide what hymn would be most appropriate, and suddenly, I remembered “Welcome Home” and the five-part arrangement I had already written. It became clear why I had been inspired to write this hymn in the first place: to honor my dad, who, along with my mom (who had passed away years earlier), taught me everything I knew about the places I call home. Singing it at dad’s funeral was deeply emotional for our whole family.

“Welcome Home” will always hold a sacred place in my heart because of two remarkable men—Demetrius and Wade. I am eternally grateful for the tender mercies and cherished memories that I associate with the writing of this hymn. It reflects my testimony that someday, when I return to heaven, I will be reunited with my earthly parents, my Heavenly Parents, and beloved friends and family. They will be there with open arms to greet me in true Demetrius style: “Welcome home! Welcome home!”

Calling Demetrius

As soon as “Welcome Home” was released to the Church membership on February 13th, 2025, I called Demetrius. I hadn’t spoken with him since that snowy day in 2017. I was sure he wouldn’t even remember me, but because of the family connection with Tom’s parents, he did. I told him that I had written a hymn inspired by his warm, wintry welcome, that it had been selected to be part of the new hymnbook, and that his name was on it as part of the TUNE NAME. It took a minute for him to take all of that in and grasp what I was saying. When he did, he was so excited, overwhelmed, and grateful. It was one of the great pleasures of my life to make that phone call! It was definitely a full-circle moment.

Post-Release Reflections on “Welcome Home” 

I have been completely overwhelmed by the response to this hymn. Whatever expectations I might have had have been completely exceeded. It has been exciting, emotional, and entirely humbling to hear how “Welcome Home” has been received.

You can imagine my surprise and delight when BYU Men’s Chorus reached out about writing and performing an arrangement for the final campus devotional of the school year—where Elder Uchtdorf would be speaking—and for BYU’s 2025 commencement ceremonies. As a devoted BYUMC fan, and knowing the importance of these events, I was completely taken aback at the thought of this opportunity.

And then, to receive the news that the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square would be singing an arrangement written by Mack Wilberg at the Sunday morning session of General Conference—there are no words! I still get very emotional thinking about the magnitude of this. There is no higher honor.

What is equally meaningful, however, are the messages I have received from members of the Church from near and far who have reached out to me personally to tell me how “Welcome Home” has impacted their worship and their lives. I am just so grateful to the Lord for the goodness of these people and how they have blessed me with their expressions of faith and love.

Two Trips to Utah

Tom and I, our son, Garon, and Tom’s ninety year old mother, Karlyn, were able to attend the Sunday morning session of General Conference to hear The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square sing “Welcome Home.” Hearing it performed in that setting was truly a once in a lifetime experience. It was especially wonderful because Demetrius was also able to come to Conference and join us there. The members of two wards in Spokane pooled money together to pay the travel expenses for him and his grandson, Mikkhai. Jan Pinborough, was also in the congregation that morning, and our precious friends, Shauna Stowers—the artist who created the “Welcome Home” painting (see Shauna’s Welcome Home Story)—and her husband, Glen. It was truly a gift from Heavenly Father to have all of these people, who meant so much to me in the writing of this hymn, there together. It was more than a tender mercy—it was a tender miracle! 

I also had a wonderful time speaking to and visiting with a gathering of Choir members while they were eating lunch between Conference sessions. They were so gracious and kind to me. I even had the amazing, providential opportunity to meet Joel Villagra, from Buenos Aires Argentina, who was one of the 12 global Choir participants. As we spoke, I learned that he had been on the team of people who translated “Welcome Home” into Spanish. What a wonderful experience to meet with him!

I’m so grateful for the beautiful people who helped make our experience at Conference so wonderful. Special thanks to Lindsey Petersen, Gabe Frei, Katie Bassett, Mark Williams, and Alan Birdsall. A huge thank you as well to the wonderful Choir members who were so gracious and kind, and to the family and friends who were there to share this special morning with us. You all made April 6, 2025, a day we will never forget.

Just over a week later, Tom and I returned to Utah to hear the BYU Men’s Chorus perform “Welcome Home” at the BYU Devotional on April 15th. One of the highlights of our experience was to attend their rehearsal the day before and to hear Brother Brent Wells’ arrangement for the first time. It was spectacular. When those young men sang out with those beautiful harmonies, we were brought to tears. It was heartwarming to watch as Brother Wells took such care with the smallest musical details as they prepared for the performance. I was able to take a few minutes and share the story behind the hymn. There was such a wonderful spirit in that rehearsal hall that Monday afternoon. It was a sacred ground experience for both Tom and I. The next day, we got to the Marriott Center early to find our seats and to listen to the BYUMC warm up. As we walked across the floor, our path took us directly behind Brother Wells who was standing in front of the choir. We were trying to slip by without being a distraction, but instead we were warmly greeted with a smile from Brother Wells, and 200 choir members unitedly waving to us from their places in the stands. It was such a tender, beautiful moment of recognition, mutual respect and love. I will never forget the feeling of that warm greeting. I wanted to hug every single one of those young singers!

Back Home

Not long after we returned home to Branson, we got a text from our Stake Music Chairman asking Tom and I to sing “Welcome Home” at the Saturday evening session of our Stake Conference—a special Conference where our Stake would be split and the Branson, Missouri Stake would be formed. It was a very meaningful experience to sing for the last time in the Springfield South Stake where we had belonged for 25 years. 

Writing “Welcome Home” was more than just composing a hymn—it was a journey of my heart. It connected me to something far greater than myself. It reminded me, again and again, that my Father in Heaven and Jesus are aware of me and are in the details of my life. This experience has been both humbling and overwhelming. I’m deeply honored that this song has resonated with so many, and I hope that whenever you hear it, you feel a little closer to the places and people you call home. 

Thank you for letting me share this story with you.