Park University in Parkview, Missouri, was originally founded as Park College, a Presbyterian school in the late nineteenth century. Its founder and first President was John Armstrong McAfee. He had five sons and a daughter who were eventually all involved in the work of the college.
When John died in 1890, his son Lowell served as president for 23 years.
During that time, one of Lowell’s brothers, Dr. Cleland Boyd McAfee, served as the college chaplain and music director. He often preached and directed the choir in the school’s weekly church services.
It was his custom to write an original hymn based on the theme of his message for every Communion Sunday. That was an ambitious undertaking that must have produced many songs but MacAfee is known for only one published hymn.
In 1903, just one week before a Communion service, tragedy struck his family. Two of his infant nieces succumbed to diphtheria. They died within 24 hours of each other.
Their home was quarantined to prevent the spread of the terrifying disease. Relatives and friends from the school and church were unable to go inside to express their condolences, and the family was not permitted to leave the house to attend the funeral services.
Cleland MacAfee’s daughter recorded, “My father often told us how he sat long and late, (that week) thinking of what could be said in word and song on the coming Sunday.... So, he wrote (this) little song. The choir learned it at their regular Saturday night rehearsal, and afterward, they went to Howard McAfee’s home and sang it as they stood under the sky outside the darkened, quarantined house. (NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD) was sung again on Sunday morning at the communion service.”
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