death_date death_place birth_place nationality name birth_date article_title birth_name
july 29 , 1957 pittsburg , kansas marion , new york american william m. runyan january 21 , 1870 william m. runyan
 william marion runyan
william m. runyan

william m. runyan -lrb- 1870-1957 -rrb- was an christian composer from the united states who wrote the music to the well-known hymn `` great is thy faithfulness '' .
in 1870 , william marion runyan was born in marion , new york to a methodist minister rev. william white runyan -lrb- born 1828 -rrb- and his wife hannah -lrb- orcutt -rrb- runyan -lrb- born 1839 -rrb- .
at age fourteen , runyan and his family moved to marion , kansas .
as a youth , runyan served as a church organist and graduated from marion high school in kansas .
runyan was ordained as a methodist minister at age twenty-one and then pastored various congregations in kansas .
runyan attended northwestern university for three years from 1895 to 1898 .
starting in 1915 runyan began writing gospel songs with the encouragement of d.b. towner of the moody bible institute .
in 1923 runyan moved from wichita to chicago .
from 1924 to 1926 runyan was affiliated with john brown university in siloam springs , arkansas pastoring the federated church , and editing the christian workers ' magazine .
runyan then moved back to chicago where he worked with the moody bible institute , and he worked as editor for hope publishing company , co-editing `` the service hymnal '' with gordon shorney .
in 1923 runyan composed the music to the song `` great is thy faithfulness , '' originally a poem by thomas o. chisholm , a friend and fellow methodist minister .
runyan retired from hope in 1948 and received the honorary doctor of letters from wheaton college .
runyan lived for a period of his retirement in galveston , texas and died on july 29 , 1957 in pittsburg , kansas .
he is buried in baldwin city , kansas .
runyan was a professor and preacher at baker university in baldwin city for a period and his children attended the university .
runyan 's survivors endowed the `` the rev. william m. runyan endowed memorial scholarship '' at baker university with the royalties from his song `` great is thy faithfulness . ''
