A young evangelist had a song for the world.
"On a hill far away..."
Almost halfway around the world from the Jerusalem hill of Golgotha,
where Jesus was crucified, George Bennard wrote his immortal hymn,
"The Old Rugged Cross".
Today a fitting memorial still stands in the tiny village of Pokagon, Michigan
Visitors often turn off the scenic M-51 highway halfway between Niles and
Dowagiac to view the crumbling monument in the abandoned
church yard. The decaying structure has since been replaced by the
Pokagon Methodist Church which stands across the street
from the old sanctuary.*
On January 13, 1913 the Rev. L.O. Bostwick, pastor of the Pokagon
Methodist Episcopal Church, penned a letter to the Reverend George Bennard
of Albion, Michigan. Pastor Boswick had felt an urge to hold a series of
revival meetings and invited Bennard to preach. Bennard accepted the
invitation and arrived in Pokagon with a lyric he had been working on.
Shortly before being called to Pokagon, Bennard had undergone soul-
searching contemplation of the importance of the cross in Christian life.
He realized the that the cross and Christ were one,
entwined in a verse of Scripture:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
Bennard had already titled his hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross".
The evangelist then began working on the body of his song,
but was having difficulty with the words. As he prepared for
the Pokagon meeting, Bennard picked out a melody on his
guitar, constantly changing the wording. He would walk
into the kitchen and sing the words with Mrs. Bostwick.
One afternoon, Bennard appeared in the kitchen and
announced that the song was complete.
He sang the finished product for the Boswicks.
"On a hill far away stood an old wooden cross
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross
where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain."
Silence followed, and Mrs. Bostwick spoke softly: "That song
will surely win the hearts of people everywhere."
That evening, Bennard sang the new hymn for the congregation
and taught it to the choir. Florence Jones played the organ, accompanied
by Arthur Dodd on the violin. Forty years later, "The Old Rugged Cross"
topped the polls as the favorite hymn of the American people
and remained there for several years.
Mrs. Bostwick lived to see her prediction fulfulled.
George Bennard was born in 1873 to Scotch-Irish parents in
Youngtown, Ohio. When his father died of coal-mining injuries,
George quit school and began working in the mines to support
his mother and four sisters. He was only 15.
He later married and, as a born-again Christian, enlisted in the
Salvation Army for eight years, playing the drum during services
and learning to play the guitar.
Bennard was as enthusiastic with a small audience as he was in
a large auditorium. He gave unselfishly of his time and energy, and
he had a great love for people and his evangelistic message. He
resigned from the Salvation Army in 1907 and moved his family
to Albion, New York to become a traveling evangelist and minister
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 1918, Bennard became hard-pressed for money and sold the
hymn to Homer A Rodeheaver, who wrote hymns, and traveled as
a choir director for the popular evangelist Billy Sunday.
The Rodeheaver Company, founded by Billy Sunday,
revealed that Bennard was paid more than $5,000 before
he died; his widow continued to receive royalty
payments every three months.
In 1953, Bennard was invited to attend the Rose Bowl Parade
in Pasadena, California. He rode in a flower-covered float and
played his masterpiece on a flower-decorated organ for
the largest crowd he would ever have.
When Bennard's health began to fail, he retired to Reed City, Michigan.
In 1954, the Reed City Chamber of Commerce erected a 20-foot rough
wooden cross near Bennard's retirement home as a tribute to the author.
Soon afterward, Bennard was buried in Englewood, California.
George Bennard, who often said he hoped to be remembered as
a Gospel minister rather than a composer, was added to the list
of composers in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1976.
But to thousands who have been moved by "The Old Rugged Cross"
this may have been his greatest sermon.
"The Old Cross"
Written by J.B. Cearley
From the book, "Bringing In The Sheaves"
House of White Birches
Copyright
(2000)
* Since this article was written, The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, along
with numerous other volunteers, has raised the funds required to complete
the restoration of The Original Old Rugged Cross Church in Pokagon, Michigan
where the final version of George Bennard's hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross"
was first sung in 1913 during a revival.
For more information check out their website at theoldruggedcross.org
No comments:
Post a Comment