NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–You may not know her name, but you may know her songs.
Amy Susan Foster has more than 300 songs to her credit, making her a major writer within the Christian music industry. She’s seen her work recorded by a variety of artists including David Phelps, The Martins and Jeni Varnadeau. She’s also co-written with other well-known artists and arrangers like Kim Noblitt, for “Where Your Glory Dwells,” which was recorded by Truth, and Jim Weber, for “Jesus Is,” from the choral collection, “It’s Still the Cross.”
Foster, who just celebrated her 10th year in the songwriting profession, recently agreed to write exclusively with LifeWay Christian Resources. It’s a promising partnership.
“I once heard a songwriter say that you know it’s a great song if you can just sit down at the piano and play it without fancy production,” Foster said. “The melody is lyrical and the lyric is powerful. A great song is any song that’s about God and His love and His grace and His forgiveness. That’s what I try and communicate in my songs.”
Communicating through music is something Foster has always wanted to do. As a 16-year-old, she spent hours working through original songs on a keyboard given to her by her parents. She eventually majored in music education at Greenville College in Greenville, Ill., where she met her husband, Stephen.
It was there that she also got her first big break — by winning second place in a songwriting contest. One of the judges was Miles Borop, president of Synergy Music and known for penning such Christian classics as “Via Dolorosa” and “Light Your World.” He told her afterwards to look him up if she ever got to Nashville.
Foster and her husband moved to the Music City shortly after graduating from college. Borop quickly hired her, and for the next 10 years she wrote and learned from the man she calls her mentor. Under Borop’s tutelage, she crafted such hits as “Worthy of Highest Praise,” recorded by Calvin Hunt, and achieved No. 1 status for several of her songs in Inspirational, Southern Gospel and Christian Country categories. When Borop decided to close the company because of an extended illness this past year, making the move to LifeWay seemed like a natural next step.
“I’m so excited about partnering with LifeWay to continue to write songs that will hopefully communicate God’s heart to His people,” Foster said. “I really want to plug into how LifeWay ministers to the church.”
One special passion for Foster is children’s music. She says that one of the most fulfilling things she’s been a part of was her participation in LifeWay’s “Made for Praise” series for children. As a mother of two — Noah, 4, and Caleb, 1 — she knows what an impact music can have on little ones.
“I can’t even begin to describe how it feels to write a song and watch God use it to make Himself accessible to my little boys,” Foster said. “My dream is to leave behind a spiritual legacy in song for my children and my children’s children.”
It’s realistic to expect that most adults and children won’t know the person who wrote the songs they sing. They won’t know the prayer in her heart for each song she writes. They may never know Foster’s name, but they will know one Name, God’s name. And to Amy Susan Foster, that’s what matters most.
–30–
(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at https://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: AMY SUSAN FOSTER.
