Green, Fred Pratt, 1903-2000

Fred Pratt Green was born in Roby, near Liverpool, England, on September 2, 1903. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1928 and served circuits in the north and south of England until 1969. During his career as a minister he wrote numerous plays and hymns. It was not until he retired, however, that he began writing prolifically. Green wrote over 300 hymns and Christian songs as well as commissioned texts for special occasions. One of the most important Methodist hymnists since Charles Wesley, he is credited as a leader of the "hynmic explosion" in England. The writer was made a Fellow in the Hymn Society of America and was honored with an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Emory University in 1982. His publications include 26 Hymns, The Hymns and Ballads of Fred Pratt Green, and Later Hymns and Ballads, Fifty Poems. Fred Pratt Green died in his sleep on October 22, 2000.