Neglected Old Hymns You May Have Seldom Heard in Church

(1) In the mid-1990s, when I was new to the UMC ministry, I pastored a 2-church charge in the wine country of western New York. Neither church had been exposed to many contemporary praise choruses and neither had I at that time. I went for a long walk in the beautiful countryside to meditate on which new more lively hymns I might introduce. Suddenly, the strains of "Dwelling in Beulah Land" were energetically sung in my mind! I hadn't heard that old camp meeting hymn since my early childhood, and even then probably only once. I was amazed that I could recall the words. So I introduced it to both churches the next Sunday. One church enjoyed it, but the other went bonkers over it. That's because that other church had Jon, a jazz pianist who played it like the pianist in this video:

dwelling in beulah land - Bing

As Jon played, the people sang at the top of their voices. The atmosphere was electrifying and my felt the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit in our worship. "Beulah" is a Hebew word for "marriage" and Dwelling on the mountaintop in Beulah Land means rising above your doubts, fears, and problems to the lofty heights of a second honeymoon with God. The lyrics struck me as some of the most poetically beautiful in all of hymnody, along with "In the Garden." Only later did I realize that both hymns have the same composer, Charles A. Miles.

The video version features only 2 verses. Here are the full 4:

1. Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling;
   Then I know the sins of earth beset on every hand;
   Doubt and fear and things of earth in vain to me are calling;
   None of these shall move me from Beulah Land.
   • Refrain:
     I’m living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky,
     I’m drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry;
     Oh, yes! I’m feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply,
     For I am dwelling in Beulah Land.
2. Far below the storm of doubt upon the world is beating,
   Sons of men in battle long the enemy withstand;
   Safe am I within the castle of God’s Word retreating;
   Nothing then can reach me—’tis Beulah Land.
3. Let the stormy breezes blow, their cry cannot alarm me;
   I am safely sheltered here, protected by God’s hand;
   Here the sun is always shining, here there’s naught can harm me;
   I am safe forever in Beulah Land.
4. Viewing here the works of God, I sink in contemplation;
   Hearing now His blessed voice, I see the way He planned;
   Dwelling in the Spirit, here I learn of full salvation;
   Gladly I will tarry in Beulah Land.

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(2) In my view, the greatest Gospel quartet was the version of the Statesmen in the 1950s and early 1960s. That's because they had both Jake Hess and Denver Crumpler as tenors. I consider Denver the greatest lead tenor ever to sing in a Gospel quartet. Denver died prematurely at age 44 of diabetic shock misdiagnosed as a heart attack. Listen to Denver sing a lovely hymn I'll bet you've never heard, "I'll Tell It' on their nationally televised TV show:

"I'll tell it denver crumpler youtube statesmen - Bing video

 

In the last UMC church I pastored the favorite congregational song of Margene, my church secretary, was "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad." So I included it in our repertoire of congregational songs. Have you ever sung this in church?

life is like a mountain railroad statler brothers youtube - Bing video

btw, the next song the Statler brothers sing on this video, "The Fourth Man in the Fire" is another neglected old Southern Gospel favorite.