Prolific Church of England hymnist Timothy Dudley-Smith dies at 97
Timothy Dudley-Smith, a former bishop in the Church of England and the prolific hymn writer behind such songs as "Lord, Through the Years" and "Tell all, my Soul," has died at age 97.
Dudley-Smith, credited with having written the lyrics for approximately 400 hymns, died in the early hours of Aug. 12, according to the Diocese of Norwich. He is survived by three children and four grandchildren.
The Rt. Rev. Graham Usher, bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich, said in a statement that Dudley-Smith was "much-respected" and "particularly involved with education and vocations within the diocese."
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"When I became Bishop of Norwich, Bishop Timothy wrote a most warm and encouraging letter, and we corresponded further about his passion for the environment," said Usher.
"Of course, he was a well-known hymn-writer, including the blockbuster 'Tell out my soul' which has encouraged many people in their Christian faith or to add their 'yes' to God's call in their lives and make a commitment to following Jesus."
Born Dec. 26, 1926, in Manchester, Dudley-Smith was educated at Cambridge and ordained in 1950 to a curacy at Northumberland Heath in Kent, according to an obituary posted by The Church Times. He would later serve as archdeacon in Norwich and bishop of Thetford.
Dudley-Smith supported the evangelistic efforts of the Rev. Billy Graham, actively helping with the American preacher's effort when he came to London in 1954.
In addition to being bishop of Thetford from 1981-1991, Dudley-Smith also served as general secretary of the Church Pastoral Aid Society from 1965-1973 and director of the Evangelical Alliance from 1987-1992.
Dudley-Smith said that he did not have "musical ability," noting that he only wrote the lyrics for the hundreds of hymns credited to him. Nevertheless, for his widely popular sacred music, he would be awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2003 for his "services to hymnody."
"It is the hymn writer's privilege to offer to the worshippers words in which to clothe and express the aspirations and emotions of the heart," said Dudley-Smith, as quoted by The Christian Institute.
He believed that a good hymn "must be true to divine revelation and true to Christian experience," and this included being "true to the revelation of the Bible — whether a revelation of the nature of God, of the person and work of Christ, or the dignity, degradation and destiny of men and women."
To mark his 80th birthday in 2006, fellow hymnist Canon Michael Saward wrote about the extensive accomplishments of the former bishop.
"Everyone knows Tell out my soul (May 1961) and Lord, for the years (February 1967)," said Saward, as quoted by The Living Church. "Yet, of all today's hymn-writers, he is probably alone in producing the highest percentage of Rolls Royce texts and a very small scrap-yard of old bangers."
