It is with the deepest sadness and heavy hearts that we share the news that our beloved friend and colleague, Kieran Metcalfe, passed away on Tuesday following a courageous two-year battle with cancer.

His loss is felt profoundly across our team, our community, and all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. Kieran first became involved with the fledgling Resound Worship group in the late 2000s.

At that time, Resound was a small and emerging initiative, and Kieran joined as one of its early songwriters. His contributions during those formative years were instrumental in shaping the musical and theological direction of the group.

His songs—thoughtful, heartfelt, and spiritually rich—quickly found their way into the hearts of many and became a valued part of our growing catalogue. As time passed, Kieran’s creative talents expanded beyond songwriting.

With a keen eye for design and a natural aptitude for technology, he transitioned into the world of freelance graphic and web design. It was during this period that he took on the immense task of designing, creating, and managing the websites for both Resound Worship and Jubilate.

His work transformed our digital presence, making our content more accessible and engaging for a wide audience. Kieran’s contributions did not stop there. As our needs evolved, so did his role.

In more recent years, he helped bring our organization into the modern era by developing a comprehensive rights and royalties management system, streamlining complex processes and allowing us to better serve the songwriters and artists we support.

Perhaps his most visionary project was the creation of Songclub, a collaborative online songwriting platform that became the digital home for our 12 Song Challenge community.

What began as an ambitious idea quickly became a thriving hub for creativity, feedback, and encouragement among songwriters around the world—all made possible through Kieran’s technical brilliance and understanding of what musicians truly needed.

Recognizing his immense value, Kieran moved from his freelance capacity into a permanent position within our organization. He was formally employed by the Song & Hymn Writers Foundation as our in-house developer, where he became a beloved and indispensable member of our staff team.

More than just a colleague, he was a friend, a mentor, a collaborator, and a consistent source of encouragement and wisdom. Over the course of nearly two decades, Kieran played a vital role in everything we have achieved.

Whether serving as a songwriter, contractor, developer, or staff member, he brought to every task a unique blend of creativity, precision, humility, and grace. His passion for ministry and music, combined with his deep faith and generous spirit, left an indelible mark on our organization and on each of us personally.

It is difficult to imagine our journey without him. There was so much more we had hoped to build together, so many ideas still to explore, and so many conversations left unfinished.

Yet even in our sorrow, we are filled with gratitude. Gratitude that we had the honor of working alongside someone so gifted and so kind. Gratitude that his vision and work will live on through the systems he built, the songs he wrote, and the community he helped nurture.

As we look to the future, we are committed to carrying forward Kieran’s legacy. The foundations he laid are strong, and they continue to shape the work we do. Though he is no longer with us in person, his influence, spirit, and friendship will remain at the very core of our mission.

Kieran, thank you for everything. You will be profoundly missed, and forever remembered.