Baptist composer dies at 88

NASHVILLE, March 29 (UPI) -- William Reynolds, creator of Southern Baptist hymns such as "Share His Love," died Saturday in Nashville, his son said. He was 88.

Reynolds published his last book, "Songs of Glory: Stories of 300 Great Hymns and Gospel Songs," in 1996. Many of his works are in editions of the Southern Baptist Hymnal, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

"Dad really loved music," said Reynolds' son Timothy. "But it wasn't about him, or his voice," noting that in the 15 years that he handled the music for the annual Southern Baptist Convention, he tried to focus attention on choral groups he invited to the event.

He tried "to get as much variety in as possible to let people who were coming to the convention see the diversity of Southern Baptist music programs," he said.

Reynolds moved his family to Nashville in the 1950s to complete his doctoral degree and lead the music department at the Baptist Sunday School Board, which later became LifeWay Christian Resources.

In the late 1980s, Reynolds moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he taught at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a school founded in part by his grandfather. He returned to Tennessee following his retirement.