Before the world’s foundation

Before the world’s foundation. Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926- ).  This hymn was written in 1998. Like many of Dudley-Smith’s hymns, it was his response to a commission. The Methodist Publishing House, which traced its history back to the time of John Wesley*, had moved from London to Peterborough in 1988. Its Chief Executive, Brian Thornton, planned a Service of Thanksgiving to mark ten years since the move, and Dudley-Smith responded to a request for a hymn to be sung to mark the occasion (2003, p. 460). It was sung at the service at Brookside Methodist Church, Peterborough, on 1 June 1998.  In his commentary on the hymn, Dudley-Smith pointed out that although the hymn was written for a...