The Organ Might "Look" Done...

Wednesday, October 12, 3:12 PM

 When you come to church this weekend, you may notice that the organ looks completely finished. Don't be fooled. There is are a few pipes still to arrive and a lot of tuning work to be completed in the next few weeks. But, gosh, doesn't it look awesome?

After the workers from Holtkamp delivered the second 18-wheeler full of organ parts, the crew of six has been working at full throttle to get the majority of pipes and the console in place and functional.

Yesterday we said goodbye to four members of Holtkamp, who have finished their work and will return to their families in Ohio. Three of them had been with us for a whole month!

We are thankful for their hard work, skill and dedication to our organ. Here are a few pictures from over the past week illustrating just how fast they've worked.

Wednesday, October 5, 1:15 PM

Friday, October 7, 11:04 AM

Tuesday, October 11, 9:34 AM

Tuesday, October 11, 5:12 PM

Video: Watch Holtkamp Install a Pipe

The pipe organ is starting to look like a pipe organ! With pipes! Below is a video of the Holtkamp team installing one of the large outside pipes on Thursday, October 6. (Please note: There is no audio, and the video is not great quality, but you should be able to get the idea!)

Come to worship this weekend to see how much progress they've made!

The Pipes Are Here!

A Rare Look Inside the Organ

This coming Monday, October 3, (update 10/03/11: The pipes have been delayed until Wednesday) the second truckload of parts to our pipe organ will arrive, this time containing the metal pipes! As the members of Holtkamp Organ Company continue to work over the next couple weeks, the organ will begin to look more like...an actual pipe organ...with pipes!

Sensing a rare opportunity, I asked Terry O'Connor, who is leading the installation, for a tour inside the organ. Here is the first of several short videos from this tour. We are inside the choir area which will soon be filled with pipes. Enjoy!

Week Two of Organ Installation

If you haven't been inside the sanctuary since September 11, you've missed seeing all the work that has been done so far on the organ installation!

Below are some photos from various points over the last ten days. We've also recently announced some exciting events coinciding with the pipe organ's dedication in November.

• Oktoberfest Worship and Dinner, October 1 at 5:00 PM  Click here to learn more and register.
• Pizza and Pipes Halloween Party, October 29 at 6:00 PM (wear your costume!) Click here to learn more.
• Organ Dedication at Worship, Weekend of November 12-13, all worship services
• Organ Recital and Dinner, October 18 at 6:30 PM

Now on with the photos!

Some of the many plans and blueprints for the organ. It is quite complex!

September 14, 2011

September 15, 2011

September 16, 2011

September 21, 2011

Pastor Chris Smith demonstrates a possible use for an organ piece.

Wooden pipes

The Heart of the Beast! Or Blower, if you prefer.

Original pipes from the Macalester organ needed to be altered so that they would fit within the space in our sanctuary. These pipes were originally all straight, like the bottom-most one. The top three needed to be "bent" to fit the space. This bending does not alter the sound.

Here you can see an original Macalester pipe (top) next to one newly constructed by Holtkamp (bottom)