CommonCall: Treasuring a religion that sings

LEWISVILLE—bear in mind the hymnal mother and dad shared as they joined in the congregational singing on Sunday morning? keep in mind the yellowed shape-observe gospel songbook in Grandma's piano bench?

Rob Veal likely has one just like it.

Veal, a veteran minister of music and now government pastor at Northview Baptist Church in Lewisville, has more than 1,500 interesting volumes in his collection—not counting occasional replica copies.

"And no, I don't know every music in every hymnbook I own," he quickly delivered.

although, he does retain an up-to-date list of the hymnbooks lining shelves in his Denton County domestic. It's the largest file on his computer.

Veal began leading track in church at age sixteen, but he recounted he had little appreciation then for all that hymnals imply to worshippers.

passion for accumulating

He traces his ardour for amassing hymnals to his time on staff at a church in Sweetwater, the place he served with a pastor who gathered books of sermons and other writings with the aid of Charles Spurgeon.

At a used bookstore in fort worth, Rob Veal discovered an historic Stamps-Baxter gospel songbook autographed by Virgil Stamps. He purchased it for $4. That launched his collection of songbooks and hymnals. (photograph / Ken Camp)

the two of them had been journeying a used bookshop in fortress value when he found an ancient Stamps-Baxter gospel songbook autographed by Virgil Stamps. Veal bought it for $4.

"That's when I all started looking for historic hymnbooks and gospel songbooks," he noted.

In 1997, when Veal moved back to Texas after serving at a church in Florida, he owned about 350 hymnals. When a country wide Methodist newspaper picked up a function story about his growing assortment—together with his contact tips and the offer of a loving home for hymnals others no longer wanted—his assortment increased exponentially.

"I started getting contacts from americans far and wide the country," he talked about.

within about 10 years, his library of hymnals topped 1,000 entertaining volumes.

not just American

His collection took on a global persona when he and his wife visited a book place in England.

"We had been on a tour bus that stopped close a book shop, and that's where I hit the motherlode," he recalled. "I discovered forty or 50 books at a fine fee."

The oldest hymnal in Rob Veal's assortment is a German Psalter from 1779. (image / Ken Camp)

The oldest hymnal in Veal's collection is a German Psalter from 1779. probably the most most peculiar are tiny hymnbooks with miniscule class—smaller in width and peak than a pocket-sized New testament however as a minimum an inch thick—designed for girls to carry in their purses.

besides church hymnals representing varied denominations and a whole lot of Christian traditions, Veal's collection also includes what he believes is a relatively comprehensive stock of songbooks used within the Southern Gospel singing conventions backed by using Stamps-Baxter and other publishers.

"if you ever went to a singing convention in the 1900s, I likely have that gospel songbook," he mentioned.

'Retelling the story of our faith heritage'

Rob Veal, a veteran minister of tune and now govt pastor at Northview Baptist Church in Lewisville, has more than 1,500 unique volumes in his collection of hymnals and gospel songbooks—now not counting occasional duplicate copies. (photo / Ken Camp)

Veal values each and every hymnal or songbook as "a pill of time retelling the story of our faith heritage" from a selected length.

despite the fact, that doesn't mean he objects to contemporary tune in worship or to projected lyrics on displays in a worship center.

"We haven't used hymnals in years" at Northview Baptist, he cited. "when we moved to our new sanctuary in 2007, we shelved the hymnals. … but we still sing hymns. The hymns that have staying power are being arranged in new methods with the aid of writers nowadays.

"americans who shut themselves off to today's writers are closing themselves to a clean working of the Spirit. any individual who rejects everything contemporary is missing the mark. … It's not either/or. It's both/and."

He also treasures the letters and notes that accompanied most of the volumes he added to his assortment—specially these he got from americans who donated beloved hymnals that belonged to their household.

finally, when it's time for him to flow his assortment along, Veal hopes to donate it to a library—most likely at a Baptist school or seminary—that would respect it as a lot as he does.

meanwhile, he continues hunting for hymnals and looking for songbooks he hasn't yet discovered.

Veal may also be contacted at brobertveal@gmail.com.

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