Songs of Faith© was compiled and published in 2000 by H. Neal and Claudel B. McKenzie.
In 1999, Neal and Claudel realized that their church needed new hymn books. They looked at the church hymn books that were on the market at that time but couldn't find anything that met their desires. The available songbooks did not contain a lot of the hymns they wanted and had many songs that were never sung in the churches with which they were familiar. Most of the churches that they visited used multiple books to try to have the songs they wanted available, but switching among three or four books during a church service was awkward. In addition, there were many old gospel songs that were no longer available in print and were in danger of being forgotten.
Out of a desire to meet the needs of their church and to preserve traditional gospel songs, Neal and Claudel decided to create and publish their own hymnal. In 2000, they formed the company Double Oak Press and published Songs of Faith. The book is currently in use by over three thousand churches in north Georgia, western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, north Alabama, southern Mississippi, southern Louisiana, east Tennessee and parts of Kentucky. While this songbook is widely used by churches in the southeastern United States, its use has spread as far west as California, as far north as Canada, as far east as New York and as far south as Miami, Florida.
Today, Will England, a close friend of Neal and Claudel, has been blessed with the opportunity to continue the business, with the intention of honoring and preserving what they built. While a few minor updates have been made to improve communication and efficiency, the heart of the operation remains unchanged. The songbook continues to be a valuable asset to many churches and the legacy of Neal ad Claudel’s hard work and faith continues to live on in the hearts of many.
The Songs of Faith© church hymnal began as a vision by Neal and Claudel to create a songbook that serves as a central compilation of many of the traditional hymns that they, and others, found to be classic and meaningful. Great care was taken in the song selection for the book. Their work was never about expansion or recognition, but about supporting congregations, especially those of small churches with potentially limited resources. What they created is more than a business; it is a ministry and lasting legacy of service.