If you sing often from the Covenant hymnal, you might recognize the name Nils Frykman. Frykman served as the chairman of the Covenant's committee to publish its first hymnal in 1906. Sions Basun, the first official hymnal of the Covenant Church published in 1908, included 731 hymns, 123 of which Frykman had written.
Nils Frykman was born in Sunne, Sweden on October 20, 1842, under the name of Nils Larsson. However, when he enrolled in normal school, he took the name Frykman after his native area, Fryksdalen.
Even though his father had died when Frykman was young, he managed to graduate in 1868 from a teachers' college in Karlstad. The following year he married Betty Jonsson. He taught in schools at Grums, Norrkøping, and finally Sunne.
The Sunne church experienced revival in the 1850's and 60's. And Frykman preached on evenings and Sundays. About this time hymns started to come to him. So he kept a pencil and paper with him to jot down the words. He shared his hymns at the church cottage meetings, and they were printed in a periodical, Sanningsvittnet.
Tension between Frykman and the school board rose over his participation outside of the Swedish State Church. The matter grew so serious that only the king's appeal saved Frykman from dismissal.
Another such incident sprung between them when Frykman and his wife had one of their ten children baptized by a free church pastor. Rather than bear another harassment, Frykman resigned his teaching position and worked the following years as an itinerant preacher.
In 1888, through E. August Skogsbergh's efforts, Frykman was called to the pastorate in Chicago's Tabernacle Church.
However, he soon took another pastorate in Salem, Minnesota, which included a five-church circuit. He loved his work there and served 18 years before retiring and moving to Minneapolis.
With his experience, ability, and wisdom, Frykman was asked to serve in various positions in the Northwest Mission Association of the Covenant Church, now known as the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. He was denominational vice-chairman, Ministerial Board chairman, and the Northwest Ministerial Association chairman. He later published a book, The History of My Songs.
Nils Frykman died on March 30, 1911. Over 2,000 attended his funeral in the now First Covenant Church in Minneapolis. The covenant raised a monument for him on which is inscribed the first stanza of his hymn, "I Have a Future All Sublime."
Living for Jesus