From the song of Moses on the shore of the Red Sea, to the hymn at the close of our Lord’s first communion, the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is an essential part of worship for God’s people. In the wisdom of the Glorious Creator, God created man in his image, which included a voice – a uniquely human instrument capable of producing melody. And so, our Lord delights in worship with the voice of praise. From the psalms composed by David on the grassy hillsides of Bethlehem, to the thunderous chorus of “Holy! Holy! Holy!” offered by the seraphim in the throne room of heaven, expressions of singing in worship are evident. And notably, Zephaniah declared the Lord rejoices in singing Himself: “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17). Truly, God’s people rejoice in songs of praise through the ages. By singing Psalms in the early church, in quiet whispers of praise in dens and caves of the earth during persecution, singing praises to our Lord endures. In recent centuries, times of revival and despair alike have sown seeds of creativity, and hymns of praise blossomed and bloomed. As such, visionary men like Elder Lee Hanks, saw fit to collect hymns, true to God’s word in sentiment, and place them in hymnbook form to use in worship. To commemorate the 100th year of the Old School Hymnal, with hearts set on the glory of God, and enveloped by our rich history of worship in song, we the members of the newly restructured, non-profit Old School Hymnal Foundation Board, humbly present to you the Centennial Edition. In 1920, the founding members of the 1st edition presented a compilation of beloved hymns. In updating the hymnal, we prayerfully labored to honor their focus, endeavoring to maintain treasured, long-standing hymns, while also offering new compositions. We believe the Lord blessed us to remain true to scripture and honor Him with the words and melodies selected. In following the footsteps of our forefathers in hymnody, we echo the words of Elders Monsees and Pittman, in the preface to the 3rd edition, as we tried to include “the best old songs, and some of the new good ones...” In recent years, the Holy Spirit has blessed the creation of new hymns, born from the souls of redeemed children of God, moved and affected by the influence of grace. In honoring the spirit of past editions, and striving to obey the unction of the Holy Spirit, we are united in the desire to share some new songs. Having begun in the fall of 2019, and concluded in the midst of uncertain times, we believe a Providential blessing is in the timing of this effort. As unprecedented upheaval and abject fear prevails, we are compelled to present a point of light to push back against the darkness. While angry, dispirited voices reach a fever pitch, as the vitriolic squawk of malicious accusations command our attention, amidst the din of hard speeches and great swelling words, our prayer is that a different sound rises above the fray. In Christian homes, among congregations of Spirit-led worship, and from hearts of weary sinners, may songs of praise and voices of worship rise to adorn and adore the worthy name of Jesus. Accepting full responsibility for omissions, oversights and mistakes, and pleading for the mercy and blessing of God, we give to you this Centennial Edition, trusting the voice of praise will lift up to glorify our resurrected, reigning and returning Savior.

Inspirational Stories Behind Your Favorite Hymns This classic book, written a century ago by the country's leading hymnologist, offers a collection of uplifting stories that will revitalize your worship. Originally published in 1903, the book was the first of its kind - a popular book that gave readers a unique look at the history behind the most popular hymns of the era. Did you know: Charles Wesley wrote the doxology to the hymn "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" The hymn "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" was written by a Sunday school teacher during last-minute preparations for a Christmas Eve service. "Onward Christian Soldiers" became popular shortly after the end of the Civil War. Discover fascinating facts and inspiring stories behind hymns and the men and women who wrote them. This book is also a valuable source of illustrations for pastors and music ministers.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Christian Melodies - the new song book, for church, evangelistic, Sunday-school and Christian endeavor services is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1899. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

A classic collection of hymns and choruses, Sankey's Sacred Songs and Solos was developed by Ira D. Sankey as a resource for his concerts and revival meetings in the late 19th century. This collection is still popular today, with a wide selection of hymns and songs on many different themes. Now the Music edition is available again at long last, enabling churches to restock and be sure of continuing to access the deep riches of Sankey's compilation for years to come.