Birthdays on January 8

Lowell Mason was born in Medford, Massachusetts. This sacred music composer, known as "the father of American church music" spent his life stimulating community life by organizing church choirs and fostering congregational singing. He published more than 40 collections of music, and wrote or arranged more than 1,000 hymn tunes, including the music to which we sing "Blest Be the Tie that Binds," "Nearer My God to Thee," "My Faith Looks Up to Thee" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."