In 1884, during a revival meeting at Grand Junction near Bangor, Michigan, he converted to the Church of God of Anderson, Indiana.

Two years later, he joined Daniel Sidney Warner as a bass in his company of singers.

From 1888 to 1940, he worked on song books and hymnals for the Gospel Trumpet Company, the publishing arm of that Church of God.

He has been credited with writing either the words or the music or both for more than 2000 hymns and children's songs; but as of 2015[update], almost all have fallen out of fashion, though a number of Church of God congregations still sing them weekly.

[citation needed][1][2][3][4] Together with Daniel Sidney Warner he published in 1893 the hymnal Echoes from Glory,