Funeral reading

The Old Rugged Cross

George Bennard, 1913

“The Old Rugged Cross” by George Bennard, 1913, is a hymn read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 4 minutes read aloud, usually by everyone together. It is in the public domain, but we do not set the words here — the note below says what to bring instead, and why.

Why the words are not printed here

Public domain. Confirm the verses — it is usually shortened.

Where it comes from

George Bennard, a Methodist evangelist, wrote the first verse in Albion, Michigan, in the fall of 1912, finished the hymn during meetings in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and first performed it as a duet there in January 1913. The completed version was sung by a choir in Pokagon, Michigan, on June 7, 1913, and the song was published in 1915.

What it says

The singer pictures a lonely hill and an old, rough cross, and loves it because Christ suffered and died there for sinners. The refrain promises to cherish the cross and cling to it until the singer can exchange it for a crown. It is a hymn of devotion to the crucifixion, plain and heartfelt, and it looks forward to the reward after a faithful life.

A staple at traditional Protestant services. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: traditional · evangelical · a country church · well known.

Who it suits

Traditional Protestant, evangelical and country-church funerals, and older family members who grew up singing it. It suits someone whose faith was simple and lifelong. It may feel unfamiliar or heavy to a younger or less churchgoing room, and it is less common in Catholic and Anglican services. It is a natural fit for a Methodist family: Bennard was a Methodist evangelist, and the finished hymn was first sung by a choir at a Methodist church in Michigan.

Where it goes in the ceremony

In the middle of the service, after the eulogy, or at the end before the committal. Congregation, soloist, or a recording. The officiant sits while it plays. At a graveside with no music, the refrain can be spoken slowly as a short prayer just before the committal.

Reading it aloud

Sung through by the room, allow about 4 minutes, depending on how many verses the venue’s book carries and how slowly the organist takes it.

Settle which verses are sung; the hymn is often shortened to two verses and the refrain.
If a recording is played, ask which version. Many families have a particular country or gospel singer in mind.
If the person was a lifelong churchgoer, a short line about how often they sang it is enough introduction.
Leave a beat of quiet before speaking after it ends.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “The Old Rugged Cross” take to read aloud?

“The Old Rugged Cross” takes about 4 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “The Old Rugged Cross”?

Everyone together, rather than one reader. “The Old Rugged Cross” runs about 4 minutes and needs the words in front of the room — in an order of service, on a screen, or led line by line by the officiant.

Can “The Old Rugged Cross” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Public domain. Confirm the verses — it is usually shortened.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.

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