Psalter Hymnal (Gray) ‎#518

518. In God the Father I Believe

Text Information

• First Line: In God the Father I believe
• Title: In God the Father I Believe
• Versifier: Frank De Vries (1975)
• Meter: 86 86 D
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1987
• Topic: Biblical Names & Places: Mary; Biblical Names & Places: Pontius Pilate; Creeds; Suffering of Christ; Church and Mission; Church; Eternal Life; Trinity
• Source: Apostles' Creed
• Copyright: Text and music © 1975, CRC Publications
• ONE LICENSE: 120347

Tune Information

• Name: CREEDAL SONG
• Composer: Frank De Vries (1972)
• Harmonizer: Bert Polman (1975)
• Meter: 86 86 D
• Key: G Major
• Copyright: Text and music © 1975, CRC Publications

Text Information:

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Gen. 1: 1, Matt. 1:20-21
st. 2 = Mark 15-16, Luke 24:51, Eph. 1 :20, Phil. 3:21
st. 4 = 1 Cor. 12:4-7, 12-13, John 14:16-17

There are two musical settings of the Apostles' Creed in the Psalter Hymnal: this versification in meter and a prose setting (519). The full text of this ancient creed appears in the Psalter Hymnal on page 813 with a footnote about its "sublime simplicity, unsurpassable brevity, beautiful order, and liturgical solemnity." The Apostles' Creed is also explained in Lord's Days 8-22 of the Heidelberg Catechism.

Frank De Vries (b. Langsa, Sumatra, Indonesia, 1929) wrote this versification of the creed in Houston, British Columbia, Canada, in 1969 after Christian Reformed Church minister Mel Pool suggested that the creed should be sung as well as spoken. De Vries also composed a tune for his text; both were published in Vancouver, British Columbia, in a Shalom Productions booklet, “Believe It, Or…” (1972) and in the second printing of the Psalter Hymnal Supplement (1976).

The four stanzas of "In God the Father" adhere closely to the text of the Apostles' Creed. That fact and the buoyant musical setting undoubtedly account for the hymn's popularity in the Christian Reformed Church and its acceptance in other denominations. A Christian school educator, De Vries served for many years as a principal in several Canadian schools, including fourteen years (1970-1984) as principal of Vancouver Christian School. He has written a number of songs, some of which were published in Tiny Little Spider (1976).

Liturgical Use:
Singing or speaking one of the ancient confessions of faith has been a regular ingredient of public worship since the days of the early church. The Apostles' Creed was historically associated with baptism, the Nicene Creed with the Lord's Supper. The traditional place in historic Christian worship for reciting both creeds was after hearing God's Word–the creed then becomes our response of faith.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune Information:

Bert Polman (PHH 37) wrote the three-part harmonization for De Vries's CREEDAL SONG in Toronto, Canada, in 1975 (also published in the 1976 Psalter Hymnal Supplement). The tune gets its well-proportioned outline mainly from variations on the opening motive. Sing in unison throughout. Organists may want to play on two manuals with a sixteen-foot stop for the left hand.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook