Francis Scott Key was born on this day in 1779. Of course, we all know him as the writer of our National Anthem, but there’s probably a few other things you didn’t know about him. Did you know that he was a dedicated Christian who considered a life in ministry? According to The One Year Book of Christian History he

“was one of the founders of the American Sunday School Union and served on its board for many years. While he was on the board they launched the 1830 Mississippi Valley Campaign which sought to establish a Sunday school in every town in a 1.3 million-square mile area within two years. Key worked actively in Washington to publicize the Missippi campaign and raise funds for it. The campaign actually took fifty years to complete—with 61,297 Sunday schools started, reaching 2,650, 784 people.”

He also wrote the hymn, “Lord, with Glowing Heart I praise Thee.” This is the first part:

Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise Thee
For the bliss Thy love bestows,
For the pard’ning grace that saves me,
And the peace that from it flows:
Help, O God, my weak endeavor;
This dull soul to rapture raise;
Thou must light the flame, or never
Can my love be warmed to praise.
Read the rest of the hymn here.

Someone shared the Word of Christ with him and he believed. You never know who you will reach when you share the Gospel everyday.

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