Worship leader Tim Hughes has responded to the devastating tragedy at Big Church Festival in the way he knows best-by turning his grief, confusion and faith into a song.
Hughes, the celebrated songwriter behind the modern worship classic "Here I Am to Worship," revealed that he and his family were at the festival when a large sign fell, killing 41-year-old Pastor Robert Guanco and injuring six other people. Four of those injured were taken to hospital. The remainder of the festival was subsequently canceled while police and safety authorities began investigating what happened.
Still struggling to process the tragedy, Hughes found himself writing an unfinished song Hughes found himself writing an titled "Whom Have I But You?" He admitted that he would not ordinarily share a song at such an early stage, but described it as an "honest cry" arising from his attempt to find God amid the pain.
The lyrics do not offer easy explanations. Instead, Hughes voices the questions many shaken festivalgoers and grieving Christians may be afraid to say aloud: "God, are you listening? God, do you care? God, are you in control? Are you even there?"
But the song does not remain in doubt. Its chorus turns toward a bruised but determined confession of faith: "Whom have I but you, Lord?" Hughes declares that he will continue trusting God's faithfulness, goodness and Word even when the circumstances appear impossible to understand.
That tension gives the song its emotional force. Hughes is not writing from a safe distance or wrapping tragedy in polished religious language. He was there, he witnessed the festival descend into heartbreak, and his response allows lament and trust to occupy the same prayer.
Pastor Guanco served at Jesus the Living Water Church in Eastbourne. His church remembered him as a faithful servant of God, a loving husband and a devoted father whose ministry, compassion and encouragement touched many lives. The congregation acknowledged that much about the tragedy may never be fully understood, yet affirmed its continued trust in God's sovereignty.
Hughes concluded his post by praying for Pastor Guanco's family and church. Whether "Whom Have I But You?" eventually receives a formal release remains unknown, but its unfinished state may be precisely what makes it so affecting. It is not a carefully packaged answer to suffering; it is the sound of a worship leader grieving, questioning and choosing-however painfully-to keep believing.
