Hymn & Chorus CD project

Winnipeg’s Faith Covenant Church and Cody Anderson released a new album of worship music called Hymn & Chorus. This recording project documents new songs from their community and seeks to strengthen the Canadian Church’s shared worship vocabulary, recognizing how significant the spiritual pathway of worship music is for many people’s walk with Jesus. This project received a Trellis discipleship grant, following the legacy of CBC in nurturing the arts & music as an expression of worship.

The album artwork is scanned from Cody’s grandfather’s old hymnal. “I’ve always been drawn to hymns,” Cody says in an interview with CHVN Winnipeg, “and I made a practice of reading through the hymnal looking for lyrics that caught my attention.” Cody says that he loved the lyrics, and thought that many of the songs, for modern congregation could use new music. Hymn & Chorus takes old hymn lyrics, to which he penned new choruses and music.

“Hymns are sort of declarative in nature,” Cody says. “But, then, how do we respond to that? You know, when you say a statement what’s our response to that? That’s why I called it Hymn & Chorus. So in the CD booklet you’ll see, ‘written by Charles Wesley 1740, and Cody Anderson 2018.’ It’s a compilation of old and new.”

In Faith Covenant’s grant application Cody writes, “Music itself has a way of cutting through our denseness and reaching a place where deep calls to Deep. Music helps our souls to meditate. Add lyrics that speak of God’s worth, invoke God’s help, or admit our humble place in the relationship, and the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts bring forth a pleasing offering to the Lord… When we sing a worship song, ideally we are involving our entire body. We have the chance in singing a worship song to love God with our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength. Then we are thrust forth into the world to love the other as we love ourselves.”

“I’m always surprised by how many stories I hear of people who have had a turning point in their life, or had an epiphany, or a decision to be made, while worshipping.” Cody says, “I know this has been the case for me.”

The album is available online (CDBaby, iTunes, Google Play) and proceeds go to Faith Covenant as seed money for future recording projects. CDs can be also ordered by emailing codyand[at]mymts.net.

Click here to download chord charts for these songs and sing them with your church community. Check out lyric videos at right from Cody Anderson’s YouTube channel.