Scriptural references in UMC hymnal

As a Senior project at Drew University Seminary, I under took to search out the scriptural reference in each of the hymns in the then current Methodist hymnal. This was under Dr.Alfred Hass.

He was on the Hymnal committee and without any knowledge what the inner workings of that committee might have been, the new hymnal included both the Old Testament and the New Testament scriptural references, one being on the right and the other on the left. It is to be noted that in each of the new hymnal published since,the number of these scriptural references have been reduced.

I have no reason to believe that there is a relationship between what I did in Seminary and what was decided by the committee, but I like to believe that there may have been some or at least a small connection.

For any one who has an interest in such, note that each time the Episcopal Church publishes their new hymnal and puts in or leaves out the "Amen" at the end of a hymn, the United Methodist Church has followed their lead. We are now in the no "Amen" cycle. I predict that the next UM Hymnal to be published will have amens at the end of the hymns as the Episical does now.