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The repair of this historic organ is now finished. The final payment has been sent, and the final $14,000 that was borrowed to complete the restoration has been paid off. Would you like to donate funds toward the upkeep and maintenance of this grand old organ?? |
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Workshop for about six weeks before it can be brought back and reinstalled in the sanctuary. There will be an Organ Dedication Service on December 17, 2006 with Bishop Mike Coyner of the Indiana Area UMC joining us in this time of worship. |
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Step 1 — July 5, 2006 Removing the Organ from the Sanctuary |
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Step 2 Renovation in progress at Miller Pipe Organ Company |
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Miller Pipe Organ Headquarters |
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Step 3 — Sept. 5, 2006 Bringing the Organ back home! |
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The new keyboard preserves the original wood casing. |
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Step 4 — Nov. 25, 2006 Back in Full Song! |
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Through the weeks that followed bringing the organ home the congregation watched excitedly as the pieces began to become the lady fully restored. The pipes were tuned, the chimes installed, and the new trumpets put in place. We were given a taste of what awaited us one Sunday morning as we were permitted to give a brief demonstration of the new sounding organ. The smiles on the faces of the congregation showed how they appreciated the work that had gone into restoring the organ. The organ was evaluated and our satisfaction expressed to Miller Organ Company. The first public performance of the restored organ was a celebration of marriage in the vow renewal of Sam and Tiffany Chipman. The first worship service was December 3rd and was followed that afternoon by a concert. We had a wonderful worship service with Bishop Mike Coyner, his wife Marsha, District Superintendent Jim Bushfield, his wife Debbie and over one hundred in attendance as we rededicated the organ exactly 92 years to the day of its original dedication on December the 17th. We continue to rejoice and thank God for all that had a part in restoring this piece of our history so we might use her to exalt and praise God with her each week. |
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Pipe Organ Restoration |
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The repair of this historic pipe organ began on Wednesday, July 5th 2006. The first step of the process was removing the organ from the church and transporting it to the Miller Pipe Organ company workshop in Louisville. Each organ pipe had to be individually removed from the organ, moved down the fire escape stairway, and placed in Miller’s truck. This process began at approximately 11:00 am. Individuals who had donated or planned to donate to the organ fund gathered to form a “bucket brigade” to move the pipes. Each of the 707 organ pipes had to be individually wrapped in bubble wrap to secure them for shipping. As they were removed and wrapped they were laid across the backs of the pews before being carried out. The church has been raising money to pay for the refurbishing of this historic 91 year old organ for several months. The total cost of the restoration process will be approximately $135,000. The organ will be at the Organ |
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Date: March 21, 2008 |
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With the receipt of a large donation from the Doris Pomerko estate as well as donations in memory of several persons in recent months, we are now able to repay all the loan for the pipe organ refurbishment. We are also able to pay for the MIDI addition that will be installed on the organ in the next month or two. This should not stop anyone who would like to make future donations to the organ fund. As with any device with a large number of parts and wires, there is the need for continued maintenance to keep the organ in its current state. Any future donations will be kept in a separate account that will be used for this required organ maintenance. |