HIMknowledgey Ministry - Revive Us Again

Acknowledgements

Revive Us Again: Chronological Anthology of American Gospel Hymnody is God's having the right people in the right places at the right times to produce these God-honoring songs. It became obvious early on that God has been in control of compiling Revive Us Again. We thank God for the hundreds of hymnbooks that were compared to determine the most popular or common numbers to include in the 366 hymns listed. My determination was based on those, most often included, the well-known and best-loved gospel hymns and sacred songs. Space does not allow me to tell the story of twenty-five years of research but, until the story of the "Making of Revive Us Again" is completed, this outline will suffice.

On November 4, 1979, the first meeting with Dr. Al Smith took place at the Park Avenue Baptist Church, Binghamton, New York as we video-taped him in a Singspiration. The next meeting was at his home, "Melody Manor", in Montrose, Pennsylvania on January 1, 1980. Dr. Smith directed me away from himself to those whom he called seven famous, local hymn-writers.

On January 2, 1980, at Dr. Smith's suggestion, I went to the office of the wife of the President of Practical Bible Training School (now Davis College) in Johnson City, New York. Mrs. Kenneth Robb responded to my statement that Al Smith said that John R. Clements had something to do with the school by handing me a 1946 Theologue. This is the school yearbook that was dedicated to Clements after he went to be with his Lord, January 9, 1946. Clements and Dr. Al Smith both have stories yet to be written.

In 1982, the "Hymnknowledgey Revival Foundation" was created with the intent of opposing rock music and contemporary Christian music (CCM) and preserving the grand old gospel hymns and sacred songs of the faith. That October, the newly created "Practical Museum" was dedicated, with two of the rooms being the "John R. Clements Rooms". A display book was created with 152 pages, including 118 hymns, written by 68 composers who had set music to some of Clements' 5,000 poems. Fifty of the hymns were familiar and were used to introduce an unknown hymn by Clements. This is the book which Brother Ken Graham was perusing on the way to and from the Bliss Museum, mentioned in the Foreword of Revive Us Again.

In 1987, we began to expand our search for the best-loved and well-known gospel hymns and sacred songs by writers from the southern tier of New York and the northern tier of Pennsylvania under the new name, "HIMknowledgey Ministry". In 2002, HIMknowledgey became a ministry of Open Bible Baptist Church, Johnson City, New York.