The Wesleys : hymns to evangelise...

"If I had to single out the family who made the greatest contribution to hymn writing , I think it would have to be the Wesleys . You''ve probably heard of John Wesley : he founded the evangelical revival movement in 18th century England and America which grew into the Methodist Church . But it was his less famous brother Charles who wrote most of hymns - over 6,500 of them. I think it has to be a record. Wesleyan hymns were designed for evangelisation.
They taught Christian doctrines , they stirred up religious fervour and they attracted new converts. Imagine hearing them sung with great gusto in large open-air gatherings. No wonder people came flocking"...

Listen to this musical comment by Monsignor Philip Whitmore in a programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick :