Hymn Story: Calvary Covers It All
Calvary Covers It All One of the songs I remember hearing from my youth is the old hymn “Calvary Covers It All.” Previously it has not been in a Baptist Hymnal. It has finally made its way into the latest Baptist Hymnal published in 2008. There is very little published information about this hymn or its author and composer Ethel Taylor. According to the blog – barryshymns.blogspot.com, Ethel Taylor and her husband Walter, ran the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago in the early 1930’s. The story of the writing of this hymn is found in Al Smith’s Hymn Histories. The song was inspired by the salvation story of a dancer named Walter “Happy Mac” MacDonald. Happy Mac, while a very talented dancer was an alcoholic. One night, he stumbled into a meeting at the mission. When an invitation was given that night, he did not respond. He did return night after night. Mission workers got to know him as he continued to attend. ...