The Trinity Organ

When it sounded its first notes before a Trinity audience on January 23, 1972, Trinity's pipe organ was one of the finest creations of the Wicks Organ Company of Highland, Illinois, producing the best of classical American pipe organ sound in an instrument custom-designed to the specifications of former Trinity music director, Ted Miller.  Read about the features of this organ in this article from the Dedication Service Bulletin on that day in January 1972.

It actually replaced an older organ which, after 20 years, had worn out.  Well, this 1972 Wicks organ served Trinity for 38 years, and, for a number of reasons, the most important of which was the cost of repairs caused by the obsolescence of the equipment, it has been retired.

By happenstance or providential direction, the decision to replace the organ coincided with the decommissioning of a sister Methodist church, Alberta City United Methodist Church.  This congregation had a relatively new, top quality Allen electronic organ, and, in an act of great generosity, they donated this instrument to Trinity. 

The Alberta City UMC organ is being installed at Trinity during the summer of 2008, and will be dedicated in a special service of recognition of the Alberta City UMC congregation on August 10.

This is the appearance of the Chancel on Sunday, July 20, showing the pipes and console of the 1972 organ.  A substantial number of the pipes had been relocated into a more visible location in the choir loft as a part of the attempted restoration of the instrument.

Here's the "D Team" (for "demolition team") at work on Monday, July 21, the very next day, removing all traces of the 1972 organ.

The work crew

Johnny Kampis, Bill Shaffer, Jim Zimlich, Will Etheridge, unknown, Brian Oldfield, and supervisor, Jamie McLemore.  (If anyone knows the workers in the organ pit, let me know.)

Our guys from Trinity who worked on the removal of the 1972 organ

Everything is going back in place--minus the pipes!

So, here's the finished product!  Clean, simple lines.  Restored to the configuration of the 1949 brand new chancel. 

Come to the Sunday 10:30 worship service on that date and listen to Tyler Robertson, a graduate of Baylor University School of Music and the current organist and music director at the First United Methodist Church of Corsicana, Texas, will be joining us that day to play our new organ.  Following the service, we will have a covered dish luncheon to honor Alberta UMC and the wonderful gift they have presented to us.  Please make every effort to attend this special service!