As Garage Hymnal’s web-site puts it, “Nothing makes Sydney based worship band Garage Hymnal happier than life-changing truth and a tight groove.”

Garage Hymnal is a collaboration of 43 Christian songwriters and musicians who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and who want to strengthen His church with great congregational music.

Their latest studio album, Take My Life, saw the band source material from young Christian songwriters all over Australia. Spanning as many genres as it does bible verses, Take My Life is an album that exudes a passion for the gospel.

The group plays regularly at youth group events and conferences, with the goal of making every note and every word exude the kind of soul-felt emotion which only comes from the truth " that we have passed by grace from death to life.

Originally assembled as the Sydney University Evangelical Union's Annual Conference band in 2004, the group had so much fun serving the EU congregation that they decided to keep playing, releasing their first garage-recorded 8 track EP (comprising a variety of canonical Evangelical choruses) in April 2005.

In mid 2005 Garage Hymnal put out a call for upcoming songwriters to contribute their congregational songs.

In December 2005 the band joined forces with Emu Music Australia Inc. to record 9 of the best songs they could find (plus a few covers thrown in for good measure).

Take my life was the eventual result, featuring eleven new congregational songs, plus fresh takes on songs by Mark Peterson and Philip Percival.

The band has bolstered its musical contribution with a web site that offers the usual news and contact details, as well as some well thought out workshops for music groups that would like to use their material in services.

There’s also the welcome addition of free sheet music downloads and even some articles on the nature of Biblical worship that should get musos and listeners thinking.

Take my life is available online at the EMU Music shop for $29.95.