AS KIDS, WHEN we thought church meetings got a bit stuffy we'd turn to the hymn book for some entertainment. I remember going page by page, being charmed and amused at all the unusual names.
Henry U. Onderdonk was always a favorite. So were Philo Dibble, Ebenezer Beesley and Sabine Baring-Gould.
And I always smiled at the name Frank I. Kooyman, which I pronounced "Cooey-man."
When I matured, I found the name was really pronounced "Coy-man."
Just as I found, when I matured, that the man's hymn texts were some of the most heartfelt and honest in Christendom. Today, "In Memory of the Crucified," "How Beautiful Thy Temples, Lord" and "Thy Spirit, Lord, Has Stirred our Souls" are favorites. I can't imagine a more round and right pair of verses than the two found in "Thy Spirit, Lord." The way he blends the "fire" of personal spiritual feelings with scripture shows the touch of a master's hand.
In short, Frank I. Kooyman is a spiritual touchstone for me.
And so it should come as no surprise that I decided to go looking for him. Kooyman was a Dutch-born American who wrote in both English and Dutch — sometimes at the same time. He lived in Salt Lake City, pursued a bookish profession and did a lot of translating. He was a man of serene power and sincerity. But since he died in 1963, I'd have to look for him in one of two places: either the cemetery or in the lives of his descendants.
I opened the phone book to "Kooyman," chose a name at random and called Dan and Susan Kooyman.
Dan turned out to be the eldest grandson of the old hymn writer. He had his grandfather's desk in his home. He remembered his grandfather as "a quiet man, a real thinker." He said, "Whenever grandfather said something, you listened. You knew it would be important."
Dan also told me he would lead me to some buried treasure. His dutiful aunt had pulled together the "Collected Works of Frank I. Kooyman" for the family years before. And he had a copy. The book held 65 pages of poetry, 20 pages of hymns and songs and 33 sermonettes.
He read one of the unpublished hymns to me over the phone, a little anthem Kooyman penned to honor his church. The first verse reads:
We prize thy church, dear Lord,
In latter days restored
At thy command.
Her doctrines old yet new
Her spirit brave and true
With work for all to do
With heart and hand
In the Bible, the Kingdom of God is compared to a treasure hidden in a field. And when a man discovers that treasure he gives up everything else he owns to possess it.
The kingdom can also be found in the hymns of Frank I. Kooyman.
His words are the treasure itself. As a boy I didn't realize that. As a man, I'm seeing it more and more.
E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com