Inspiring Worship for Years to Come
Update for May 2015
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN SUCCESS!
Organ fund tops $250,000! By March of this year, your generous pledges and donations – from 308 separate donors – had brought the organ fund to $218,300. In April, $40,000 in unallocarted memorial funds were transferred to the organ fund, bringing the total to $258,300, or $8,300 above our original goal.
Pledges and donations $139,000
Pledges and donations in memory of Andrew Stowell $78,700
Memorial funds allocated to renovation $40,000
Total $258,300
Number of pledges and donations 93
Number of pledges & donations in memory of Andrew 256
Profound thanks to all who answered the call to repair, modernize and improve our wonderful pipe organ. This is a mission of stewardship, and as we said at the outset of the campaign, your donations are “a gift to all the people through the years who will be moved, inspired, encouraged, and perhaps even forever changed because of your generosity.”
Organ Renovation to be dedicated in memory of Andrew Stowell
On Sunday morning, September 20, at the 9:00 a.m. service, the Organ Renovation Project will be officially dedicated to the memory of Andrew Collins Stowell. A plaque will be installed on the wall near the entrance of the organ chamber, near the pulpit from which Philip has preached for the past 20 years. Please mark your calendars and plan to be present on this very special ocassion.
The Capital Campaign Committee
David Fletcher, co-chair
Patricia Flecher, co-chair
Lefty Alderfer
Tom Bader
Joan Dighton
Audrey Henry
James Morley
Kristina Van Name
Harry Wind
Vernon Williams
The Renovation
Leaks in wind chests
In March we told you that new leaks appeared in the two wind chests (underneath the pipes) in the lower level of the organ. The new leaks were due to the extreme dryness of this past winter, which was made worse by the heating pipes in the organ chamber.
These new leaks were a very serious development, because they indicated that whatever repairs we attempt might be undone in the future by new leaks. Our technician, Chuck Gibson, recommended we permanently eliminate the problem by changing the type of mechanism in the chests, but that solution would have cost about $45,000. Instead, we opted to repair the damaged chests, shield the chests from the heat source with plywood, insulate the heating pipes, and place a basin of water under the chests. We are hopeful these steps will solve the problem!
Ohio bound!
Sometime soon, Chuck and Vernon will travel to the A.R. Schopp factory in Alliance, Ohio, where our new organ pipes are being made. The purpose of the visit is to advise the builders as to how the pipes should shound so they fit in beautifully with the existing pipes in our instrument.
~ Vernon Williams