Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen (also known by the pen names of Avis Burgesson, Christian B. Anson and Constance B. Reid) (October 11, 1895 – January 14, 1985) was an American Christian

hymnwriter A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

. She wrote the lyrics to " Blessed Redeemer" with

Harry Dixon Loes Harry Dixon Loes (October 20, 1892 – February 9, 1965) was an American composer and teacher, best known for his arrangement of the gospel song "This Little Light of Mine". Loes was a prolific composer and hymn writer, hymnal editor, and music pro ...

writing the music. Avis Marguerite Burgeson was born in 1895 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to a Christian family and wrote poems as a child. Avis Christiansen became a member of the Moody Memorial Church in 1915 and remained a member for forty years serving in various ministries. She attended a secretarial school and then the evening school at the

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...

where her husband, Ernest O. Christiansen, worked for almost forty years, eventually serving as vice president. Avis and Ernest Christiansen married in 1917 and had two daughters. Avis Christiansen died in 1985.Kenneth W. Osbec, ''101 More Hymn Stories'' (1985), pg. 52 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0825434203

References

1895 births 1985 deaths American Protestant hymnwriters American women hymnwriters People from Chicago Moody Bible Institute alumni 20th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers {{US-songwriter-stub