January 17 Today in OPC History

On January 17, 1949, the Presbytery of Philadelphia through its stated clerk Edwards Elliott overtured the Sixteenth General Assembly to elect a committee of seven to prepare and publish a hymnal for use in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The Presbytery sought both metrical psalms and hymns in the hymnal with the ideal composition being approximately 80 percent hymns and 20 percent psalms. They also sought psalms for responsive readings to be included.

The Sixteenth General Assembly approved the overture and elected Robert Marsden, Charles Schauffele, Arthur Kuschke, Edward Young, Donald Graham, James Price and R. B. Kuiper to serve on the committee. John Murray requested that his negative vote be recorded to the approval of the overture.

Eleven years later in 1961 the committee's work would result in the publishing of the Trinity Hymnal.

Picture: Hymnal Committee member Arthur Kuschke