Anyone who

knows a whit about me knows how important music has

always been in my life. I grew up in the era of big

bands, Broadway musicals, and parlor pianos. All those

hold pleasant childhood memories, but the most memorable

songs that have stayed with me through the years are the

old hymns sung from the Cokesbury Hymnal. I practically

grew up in the East Point First Methodist Church. I

remember putting my pennies in the basket on my birthdays

("Yes the pennies say she's --- years old."),

eating spaghetti dinners and doing folk dances at MYF on

Sunday nights, and singing, singing, singing the old

hymns on Sunday and Wednesday nights.

I confess

to "defecting" to another denomination in my

middle adult years and loved the ceremony, the ritual and

the reverence of the services...but I really missed my

old hymns. And so, in 1995, I went back to the Methodist

Church where I could sing "Dwelling in Beulah

Land," "Love Lifted Me," and "When We

All Get to Heaven," on a regular basis. I thought

I'd died and gone to Heaven.

But I

discovered a disturbing fact. Many of the old hymns were

no longer in the hymn book. In fact, it was now called

"The United Methodist Hymnal" instead of the

"Cokesbury Hymnal." Huh? I discovered a battle

was also raging (well...maybe that's exaggerated a bit)

among older and younger church members over what they

called "contemporary music."

Well, after

reading your bulletins and newsletters for almost a year

now, I am beginning to believe this battle is not unique

to our church. And also, after being an active

participant in our church's music program for the past

four years, I realize "contemporary" music

ain't so bad after all. I see your music ministers trying

to keep the peace and open your minds to that attitude

also. There is a place in the church for all kinds of

music, I have learned. It is the ultimate form of praise.

With that

said, I would like to share with you the writings of

Kevin Adkins, Music Minister for the Fayetteville

Christian Church. Kevin has done a few columns called

"Yesterday's Music Not Outdated," in which he

takes a favorite old hymn and gives us the background on

it. One of his most recent was everybody's favorite..the

one most of us can sing without even looking at the

words... "Amazing Grace."

Kevin

writes:

"Sunday,

March 5, we sang my old favorite hymn, `Amazing Grace.'

John Newton (1725-1807) wrote stanzas one through four

and John P. Rees (1828-1900) wrote the fifth stanza. In

this powerful hymn, Mr. Newton puts (into) words his

appreciation for grace. Grace for a man who considered

himself a `wretch.' Before his conversion to

Christianity, John was a seaman who captured West African

natives and sold them as slaves. So touched by God's

grace when he was nearly involved in a shipwreck during a

terrible storm, John took Christ into his heart and

changed his way of life. As a matter of fact, John Newton

so much appreciated God's grace that , at the age of 39,

he became an ordained minister of the Anglican church.

God's grace can change ANY heart! He can take our lives,

no matter how bad, and turn them into something

wonderful. God's GRACE truly is AMAZING."

Thanks,

Kevin, for sharing that meaningful bit of history with

us. Maybe the next time any of us sings that wonderful

old hymn, we'll remember John and his trial and

conversion and remember just how Amazing Grace can be.

And how beautiful the old hymns are.

Until next

time...keep the faith.

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