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Bob Kauflin

Hymnal Number: 4 Adapter of "Your Great Name We Praise (Immortal, Invisible)" in Zion still Sings

1931 - 2020 Hymnal Number: 63 Author of "Star-Child" in Zion still Sings Shirley Erena Murray (b. Invercargill, New Zealand, 1931) studied music as an undergraduate but received a master’s degree (with honors) in classics and French from Otago University. Her upbringing was Methodist, but she became a Presbyterian when she married the Reverend John Stewart Murray, who was a moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. Shirley began her career as a teacher of languages, but she became more active in Amnesty International, and for eight years she served the Labor Party Research Unit of Parliament. Her involvement in these organizations has enriched her writing of hymns, which address human rights, women’s concerns, justice, peace, the integrity of creation, and the unity of the church. Many of her hymns have been performed in CCA and WCC assemblies. In recognition for her service as a writer of hymns, the New Zealand government honored her as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit on the Queen’s birthday on 3 June 2001. Through Hope Publishing House, Murray has published three collections of her hymns: In Every Corner Sing (eighty-four hymns, 1992), Everyday in Your Spirit (forty-one hymns, 1996), and Faith Makes the Song (fifty hymns, 2002). The New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, for which she worked for a long time, has also published many of her texts (cf. back cover, Faith Makes the Song). In 2009, Otaga University conferred on her an honorary doctorate in literature for her contribution to the art of hymn writing. I-to Loh, Hymnal Companion to “Sound the Bamboo”: Asian Hymns in Their Cultural and Liturgical Context, p. 468, ©2011 GIA Publications, Inc., Chicago

John Thompson

b. 1950 Hymnal Number: 165 Author of "Sanctuary" in Zion still Sings

Woodie W. White

b. 1935 Committee Chair of "" in Zion still Sings b. 8/27/35; ex. sec. Gen. Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church

Steve Fry

b. 1954 Hymnal Number: 85 Author of "Oh, the Glory of His Presence" in Zion still Sings

Ragan Courtney

b. 1941 Hymnal Number: 203 Author of "In Remembrance" in Zion still Sings Ragan Courtney is a communicator. As a ninth grader he had his first poem published, and this event directed him into a study of literature and a career in writing. When he graduated from Louisiana College, he enrolled in The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, but left after one semester to study acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City. After graduating from the Playhouse, Ragan worked at various jobs in the city while working toward the goal of a career in theater. His break came when he and his cousin, C.C. Courtney, wrote and starred in the musical, "Earl of Ruston." After touring the South the show opened on Broadway in the Billy Rose Theater, but it closed within a week. Devastated at this sense of failure, Ragan was deeply depressed; however, at his lowest point he had a profound spiritual experience that transformed his life. Out of this experience he wrote, “Celebrate Life!" with his good friend Buryl Red that went on to sell over a million copies and be performed in countless venues. He then wrote, "Bright, New Wings," with his wife, Cynthia Clawson, and it, too, was a success. In addition to "Celebrate Life!" and "Bright, New Wings," Courtney has written and published the following church musicals: "Beginnings," "Lottie D.," "Acts," "In the Name of the Lord," "Song of Bethlehem," "Angels," "In Obedience," and "Room at the Inn," to name a few. He also wrote and published five books of poetry. They are: Poems, by Broadman Press; The Wind I Soar On and Death Has Set My Mind on Fire, by Triune Publishing; Suddenly Single, by Zondervan Publishers; and Three Voices, by Convention Press. Ragan taught at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky; worked for the Baptist Sunday School Board in Nashville, Tennessee as a Drama and Worship Consultant; and was the Director of the Center for Christianity and the Arts at Houston Baptist University. He has conducted countless workshops across the country on creative worship. Additionally, he has written, directed, and performed in plays and pageants for nearly 25 years including the remarkable presentation "A Christmas Spectacular" at Houston's First Baptist Church. Ragan lives in Houston with his wife where he continues writing, directing, and consulting for the theatrical productions of Jeannette Clift George and The Imperial Performing Arts. http://www.ragancourtney.com/biography/